Frequently+Asked+Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions:
I've been getting many emails asking questions about the project. I plan to use this space to answer the most common ones and will add information as necessary. Please keep emailing with your questions because someone else might be wondering about the same thing. This way we'll be ready to get started in January.

I have a class email account on gmail (HaultainSchool@gmail.com). My students use this account to register on internet sites. I plan on having my students use one class password to access the site. I have worked on projects using wikis where each students requests membership for the wiki using their personal or individual school email accounts. Either way will work so it is up to the individual teacher to decide what will work best for their class.
 * 1. How will students join and use the wiki?**

2. **How will the students identify themselves on the wiki when posting work or communicating with other students?** My students all use an alias on their blogs. I will continue to have the students use their blog names when posting information to the wiki. Lisa Casey suggested this as a great idea because then the students know how to find their 'friends' when they want to communicate with them on their blogs. Some teachers may decide to use names, initials or like me, an alias. It's your decision and what is appropriate in your school district.

3. **How will students be able to communicate to each other?** The students will be able to leave comments on student blogs and began a dialogue that will hopefully continue beyond the project. There is also a discussion tab at the top of each wiki page. I'm going to encourage my students to use this wiki feature to ask question for other classes about the work on their wikis. My goal is that students will dialogue with each other and share knowledge while working on the project.

4. **Where will project work be posted?** I plan on creating links to the weekly activities on the home pages so that weekly work such as slideshows, videos etc. can be posted on these links. I anticipate much of the work also being posted on the student's blogs particularly during the Olympics. I plan on having my students post results on their own blogs and linking them to our wiki home page. I don't want to create one formula for all of us to follow because I think there needs to be opportunity to find out what's going to work best for us and our students. I guess the bottom line is that there is no right or wrong way. What I do want is that your class work is accessible to the other groups whether it be on blogs or wikis. What we will need to do is communicate where the work is to be found. Example of links:

Countries of the 2010 Winter Olympics Haultain
5. **Should I have my whole class follow one country or can I have a few groups following different countries?**

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I think I'll have my class focus on Canada but if I have a small group that would like to choose another country I'll let them. It could be fun to have a few different groups that you could compare and contrast with. ======

6. **When your students use voicethread or another site like animoto to create a project, do they sign up with their own email, username and password or do you create a class account and they all work through that one?** It is your choice whether you have a class account or they sign up on their own. I find it usually easier to create one account for the class to sign into. I create a gmail for my class, ours is HaultainSchool@gmail.com, that the students all use.