Wikispaces is a really easy to use tool for creating wikis and there is loads of help to set them up on the Wikispaces website. In order to create a wiki for your students to post their thoughts and comments on each others ideas, follow the steps below:

1. Go to wikispaces.com. If you already have an account, sign in. If not, create an account by clicking the Wikis for Individuals and Groups button and follow the prompts.

2. In field labelled ‘Wiki Name’, name your wiki (i.e. mrhenglish).

3. Your wiki will automatically be on the trial ‘Super’ plan so you need to change it to the free plan for teachers. In order to do so click Manage wiki on the left side of the screen> under Settings click Subscriptions> Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Request an Education Upgrade> wait.

4. While you are waiting, you can build your page. By clicking the title of the page (mrhenglish) you will be taken to a front page that gives you tips on how to get started. These will disappear when you edit this page so here is a copy:

Getting Started

• Click on the edit button above to put your own content on this page.
• To invite new members, click on Manage Wiki and Invite People.
• To change your wiki’s colors or theme, click on Manage Wiki and Look and Feel.
• To set who can view and edit your wiki, click on Manage Wiki and Permissions.

It also advises that if you need help you can click here.

5. Once your page is ready, you will need to create accounts for your students to join. In order to do this you must have an educators account. I am still waiting on mine but here is how it is done in theory:

• If you are a teacher and need to add a whole class’ worth of student accounts, you can do it all at once by going to Manage Wiki > User Creator. You will be able to make accounts for all of your students, even if they don’t have email addresses.Keep in mind that every Wikispaces username must be unique. Try using numbers, or initials, or a first name-last name combination to create unique usernames.

Have fun with it and let me know about your successes and failures!