Best Practice for setting up a Classroom Account?

If you set a wiki to private, only the users on that wiki are able to see any of the content, or the other people on this wiki. If you have a district policy about not posting names on public sites (and as a general good practice), I would recommend making your educational wiki private. Your parents, other students, and other trusted users can always "Request Access" to the wiki if they'd like to see what you're working on.

First name + last initial + class period number (e.g., MarthaH9-10)

I have my students' use their first name, plus their class period. For example, Joe1, for Joe in first period. This of course breaks down when you have students with the same name in the same hour.

first name middle initial and last initian such as george w bush=georgewb

From Rob C

Many districts have a specific policy on this topic. For example, our school permits the release of high school students' names for publication in sports articles, so they allow high school names on the web. This gives them a more "positive" web presence as well. Rather than having all their web presence be in the form of myspace and facebook, they also have corresponding educational sites under their name. For younger students our district assigns a "Student ID number" so I will often use the first name and the student id number.

You could use all three initials then their number in the list for that class period. Like for John Quincy Adams it would be JQA1

LAUSD creates individual email account names for students. To maintain consistency, I will assign the student's email username as their wiki name or I will use their school district email address as their user name. But..I think it will become extremely important for us to be able to change passwords for students without actually closing accounts and creating new ones. Grading will become challenging if we must be creating new accounts if/when accounts become compromised.

First 2 letters of first name and first 3 letters of last name can be a useful technique especially if it is case sensitive

I was considering using initials, but I am not sure if I like this idea.

We use first three letters of the first name and first three letters of the last name Janet Smith would be jansmi.

Our school board also has a policy so that parents agree or disagree to having their photos or names online, although we still only use first names, to also generate positive, educational web presence. I like this idea. What I *might* do is just work with first and last initials, or a nickname that a student goes by, or that we generate in class together.

I agree with Rachel though; I think I will be making my wiki private with a "request access" option. I guess the only drawback is less direct access for those educators who are "blog browsing" or generally looking for ideas and/or collaboration. But then again they can always request access.

I heard a neat idea that creating online alter-egos fostered learning in the classroom, because it gave students more freedom to express themselves and relate to each other, without usual social confines. Something to ponder...

I think that last names should not be used. First names works fine or a nickname if you have students with same names.

I'm not going to use students' names. Instead, I'm going to use the school year and the classroom ID I assign students. i.e. 2008A, 2008B, etc. This way, students will only have access for the year, my students will know the other students by using the class ID, and the public can still access our wiki. Parents won't need to request access unless they want to leave a comment.

I think I'll go ahead with first name and last initial - unless my school division won't allow it. It will be easier for my students to remember, especially my little grade one kids. (I teach a grade 1, 2, 3 multi-age class.)

Actually you can have the student's choose a Spanish name. As a teacher just keep a list.

In the past my students "code name" are the first three letters of their first name and the first letter of their last name. So John Adams is joha. The students rather like it -- it might be that "persona" mentioned by Selena above. This year I may have students choose a nickname based on their real name, so John Adams might become JoAd or JoeAd or Jdam. It would then be something the kids like and choose. Some of our "code names" seemed silly, so student choice would be better. That does mean I won't be ready to start the first day, however!

Wow! It's exciting reading all of these different possibilities for user names. It opened me up to new ideas. I definitely want a user name that makes it easy for me to identify the student without using a list and that doesn't jeopardize the student's privacy. My students are in fifth grade so I was thinking of just using their first name, and their first name and the first initial of their last name if there are duplicate first names.

We have student e-mail, and we use first initial and full last name plus a number if necessary. (John and Jenny Smith might be jsmith and jsmith1, for example.) But we only allow the students to use the addresses for non-public sites and stuff, generally speaking. With my PBwiki, I am going to have it be only available to the people I add as members.

I like some of these suggestions, though, and I am considering discussing a name format change for future years.

I decided to have the pbwiki account generate usernames and passwords for now..... I know I will have to keep my list of students at hand but this way comments/postings will be anonymous to other viewers.... I will watch to see what happens..... If I decide to change I will use first 3 letters of first/last names...... I think I would like to keep my website public so that parents and former students can check back in to view and do not want them to know who is commenting or posting...... BUT this is my first attempt at collaboration and I am ready to learn by doing!

Many great ideas! I usually use first names with last initial. Our district policy is to not include last names. I have tried "screen names". It can get messy, but you just need to add the names to your gradebook. I like the idea of combinations of letters from first and last names. As I said, many great ideas listed above.

In LaredoISD in Laredo, Texas most of our students have an e-mail account so I use the same user name for accounts outside of the e-mail. The pattern for their accounts is firstname.lastinitial if more than one student has this combo the pattern would be John Doe (john.d) and John Davis (john.d2) password is set to 12345 as a generic login and then they have to accept the district user policy and they are required to change their password before the account becomes active. I intend to stick with this pattern for my wikis.

I've used first name and two initials from the last name when putting up a web gallery, since I have 3 students with the same first name and two have last names starting with 'R'. There are also two sets of identical twins at our school (similar first names, same last names). I have high-school students and they all have e-mails, so I'm going to have them 'request access' using their own e-mails and I'll have my own admin account open so I can approve immediately.

I just created 10 student accounts. Thank you!!!!!! Students have notebooks labeled PERIODstudent#. This will keep students seperated by period and the number is now the same number as their notebook, computer, calculator, and now their pbwiki account! YEA!!! This will help students AND ME keep things organized.

I will use first name with last initial as per our district's policy for privacy; however, our school has about 500 students. I expect that there will be repeats; therefore, I am adding the month and day of their birth to the user id. So Mary D will be MaryD0504. I had thought about adding grade level or homeroom code, but that would mean changing the info for 500 students every year...not an efficient use of time. In the event of a tie for name and date, I would add A, B, C etc. after the birthday.

Now when PBWiki adds folder capability, this will allow me to further and easily organize my students by their homerooms. I would hope that part of this functionality would include batch movement of students to and from folders as students change homerooms.

I have my students use the first 3 letters of their first name and the first 2 letters of their last name, plus the period number they are in. So, Shirley Miller Period 5 would be shimi5. They get a kick out of pronouncing their acronyms!

Shoot! My happy face was supposed to say, "I'm ecstatic about the 'request access' feature and the chance to invite my collegues to the 'challenge'

I use firstname plus first3digits of id. I download classes from our attendance software into excel, cut the ids and then merge cells

For elementary school I like first name last initial. I imagine first initial last name would be more useful at higher levels (high school, university...) when classes and groups are much larger. I don't think a student's full name should ever be used.

I will stick with first name and last initial. I love the request access feature - all of my students have their own laptops and wireless access in the classroom - so that will make things much easier for me than typing in their email address to invite them.

this is tough. We usually used first initial, last name. However even with that I think the class should be kept private then. One could allow the students to make up a code name and then as a teacher you would need to make sure you knew the code to enter the wiki??

Since the wiki is private, I will use students first names.

I would use the students initials and the class period that I have them. So, George W. Bush - 3rd period would be GWB3

At my school, we are required to protect student identities online (i.e., it is unacceptable to use both first and last name). The general practice I recommend is for educators in my school to make all wikis private. Then they should invite students to participate in the wiki by using Classroom Accounts, in which user names follow the convention First Name-Last Initial-Class Period (e.g., MarthaH-3-4). This method offers several advantages:

* Gives the teacher control of student identities
* Protects student privacy from those outside the approved list of class participants
* Prevents students from participating in the wiki under a false identity
* Enables the teacher to attribute all wiki contributions and edits to the appropriate student

Because I suspect that most educators in my school will be using the free version of PBwiki, they will not have folder and page-level access controls available in premium PBwikis. However, if teachers establish clear guidelines about wiki participation, the teacher-managed wiki identities available through Classroom Accounts will provide a measure of accountability by enabling the teacher and members of the class to identify the source of all wiki activity. Guidelines and consequences could include:

* Students are not permitted to edit the Front Page
* Unless working on a group assignment, students are not permitted to edit another student's wiki page
* Violation of these guidelines results in suspension of wiki privileges or Read-only access to the wiki and a failing grade on the assignment

I like Sheri's idea about first3+last1, but since I don't have specific period-based groups I'll have to use their class numbers. So, Erik Vassdal in class 6.01 would become eriv61.

I also like Sassy Librarian's ideas for keeping student's access on the level by assigning them their names. Since I have a ton of students, even though they have emails, many are 12 and under and so it will just be easier to assign them.

Plus, it soothes the control-freak in me!!

I think I'll try a combination of Sheri's and Sassy Librarian's ideas.
I like the thought of having control over the naming, so I know who is who.
I also like being able to limit "random" or "phantom" comments and changers...

I think I'll be making names using first3+last1+class#
So, Erik Vargos of 8.02 would be eriv82

I use a combination of my students first name and family name for example Hala Salih will be Halasalih.
Hala salih

I've been experimenting a little with my own e-mail addresses. Please tell me if my understanding is correct:

If I want students to sign on to use my wiki themselves, they will create PBWiki accounts with their own e-mail addresses and assign their own names. They can enter my wiki name in the join-a-wiki search box. If I have made my wiki public they will be able to read everything, but not edit, comment, etc. and won't be led to any instructions for requesting access. If I have made my wiki private, they will be told right away that they don't have access and receive instructions for requesting access.

When they have requested access, I will receive an e-mail and on the Settings-Users page of my wiki, I will find them listed as having requested access. I will be able to approve or deny access. If I approve them, they will reappear on the Users list below on the same screen. There I can edit their permissions settings and remove them from access, but only they can edit their profile when logged onto their own account and viewing their mypbwiki page. There they can change their names, change their e-mail addresses, and check a box to allow the e-mail addresses to be available to other registered users of the wiki or not. I don't have control over any of the latter information.

Actually it looks like their e-mail addresses will be available to all users with at least page-level permission, even if they have not checked "Let registered users see my email address", and they will be only "not shown to guests" of the wiki... though I don't know exactly what constitutes a "guest" to a private wiki.... maybe someone who has been granted access with Reader only permission? Back to experimenting....

One more observation:

If I add users on my User management page by entering their e-mail addresses, I cannot at the same time give them names and passwords. They will have to do that themselves when they try to log on to the wiki and are led through the steps of creating a PBWiki account and editing their own profile. Until they do that they will show on my user list as their e-mail addresses (since their account name field on their profile will be blank until they put something in it themselves).

I used hippy names like sunshine moon and next year I will use famous character names.

Some names are easy to guess even when using only a few of the letters of first and last name. I personally would not use birth dates. I like the idea of using made up names, like hippy names or other cool names. I would use student id number to more easily determine student's work.

I will have students use their network log in at our school which is first name last inital with password first and last inital. (This way they won't have to use a different log in). If we have two the same we add middle initial. I will create passwords that are their teachers name + number for easy tracking.

I have recently used the new way to add students. I love not having an email! It was so easy to use and my students loved the funny passwords. I had students write their login and their passwords in their planner, so they have it at all times and it is working!! Thank you!

When I created a blog, I had the students use their first name, last initial and class period. JohnW3. If two students have the same first name and last initial, I simply assign them an "a" and a "b" - JohnW3a and JohnW3b

In my district, the school-issued e-mail addresses are the student's first initial and last name, but their policy is also not to use last names on the web. This has posed interesting issues for me when students created blogs or profiles and used their first names only. That's why I like how pbwiki allows student access without e-mail addresses. There are a lot of good suggestions so far from other teachers. For me, the best solution might be first name last initial and if there are students with the same names, then they could put the class period after their name.

Last year students used their first names. On a blog, I had students use their initials. This year I'm thinking about having the students use their middle names to login and the same passwords they use for other district accounts. On their worksheets, I plan on having them type their first names and room numbers so I can figure out who's doing what. I'll keep the wiki private. If, later on, I make it public, I'll have the kids delete their names from their pages first.http://getsatisfaction.com/pbwiki/top...

If you set this site up as a private site, I believe that you will circumvent your district's naming problems. My understanding is that you cannot present personal information on a public site because of all of the undesirable parties who could access and use the information. However, if the address is not public, these parties would not be able to access.

Another idea comes to mind in the naming process. I often remember students by their seat in class. Make up a code for the seats by rows and columns and then precede it with an indicator for the period. I know this won't work for some of you dependent on how you memorize your students, but you could create some other mnemonic based upon how you memorize students.

I will use the generic "wikiuser0001" etc. at first and be sure to keep many copies of the master list with user names and passwords. I will add student names to the list as the students are taught the wiki basics. I work in an elementarty school library and will have many users. I love the request access feature for parents and teachers who might want to participate.
I converted my 1.0 wiki to 2.0 and believe it will be a great improvement. I now have two wikis to use with the students. I'm very pleased and excited to get the students involved in this activity. When I went to print my user accounts list, I wanted to print preview to see page breaks and got kicked out altogether. Thank goodness for the email with the information.

Wow! What great and complete answers to this question. I planned on giving a simple first name and last initial, and am almost embarrassed to do this now.

We have been using the first name, last initial, but I think I like the addition of the period number.

Student IDs work fine for me and they have them memorized- I also like the idea of short- initials plus period or room number.

Yes, you could as many have said make the wiki private. For my purpose, this would not suffice as I want my wiki to be viewed by many educational institutions that are sponsoring the project I am deadicating the wiki to. My solution is to buy your own webspace and go around the district if you need too. They can't make policy that dictates how you use your own private server, plus you'll have access to great web tools such as mysql and other database management tool that most district servers do not allow you to use. My wiki showcases student work, so really, all I need is parental permission and my own server and the district has no say in it. Delete the middleman!!

All good ideas have been mentioned. The user name needs to be useful to me to recognize who is the student doing the editing. So this may seem complicated but I think it will work for me (assuming that I do not need to set the number of characters in the name). The first character will be a single numerical value indicating class period. The next string will be the first name of the student followed by the first letter of the last name. The final characters will correspond to the roster position number in the class (what I call the "science student #". I also have them record their science student number on papers for rapid alphabetizing of the papers.

I think that the best practice would be to use the same login that you would to the school network. That way, you have consistency throughout rather than trying to maintain a separate list. Working with these things should be about functionality and not managing multiple account names! It's also a teachable moment for management of passwords for different accounts.

Just like Ruth and many others, I've decided to use the first name and, in case of duplicate, add the last name initial. I loved the fact that, by using the creation of classroom accounts, I don't have to memorize the names teenagers love to assign themselves (Galadriel, Odin, etc.) when they want to show which "tribe" they belong to.

I am going to use first and last initials for my fourth graders.

My district does not allow student names to be published so we use initials followed by the section number.

Our school is very protective of student identities and sites they visit (I hope they will unblock this site for my students!) I like the idea of part of their first and part of their last names. Also adding their class number, I have 150 students first trimester in 5 classes so will make it less confusing for me when grading.

I have a small class, so I let my students choose their own nicknames. At the high school level, they really like being in control of how they will be known on the wiki.

I like the idea of using a student's first name, middle and last initial and their class hour as their name. Not only is it easy for them to remember, it is easy for me to identify without having to look up who made the comment.

I think students might enjoy coming up with a psedonym that can be used online. Set rules, such as it must be appropriate and easily associated with that student. It will be easier to remember than an account # and it would still protect a students identify.

I will use the student first name followed by the class period and their number in the alpha order of my roll book.
e.g. Patrick3-17 So he would be in my Period 3 class and number 17 in alphabetical order.--He'd also be very Irish if the code worked out to be this way :-)

I would use homeroom then initials In case of duplicates include a middle initial

First name, last initial, period. Example Jane Perez in 3rd period-janep3

I have not been able to add my students yet due to no class list being available. We did attend an acceptable use policy training today and we are not to use last names, id numbers, etc.
I am torn between the first 3 letters of the first name and 1 or 2 of last name, and letting them create their own name. This might be fun, and would allow the students to communicate with each other in a way that still keeps their information private.

Each student has a number..so instead of a name, they have the wiki number I give them..plus the new password. I sure appreciate this new feature. I told other teachers about it today..and they also are excited. Thanks

Since the wiki can be private I am able to use student first names without worries. I love this feature as well as the one that allows me to create student accounts without emails!

I say that my students safety should be my ultimate goal. I teach 6th grade and these students don't know or respect all the online dangers so I not only block my wiki to outsiders but also have my students use a 'pen name'. I go into how writers do this (I teach Language Arts) as it gives a bit of background info for students that is interesting and then I let them choose. They love this part. My only rule to their names are that they are appropriate for school and do not use their names or school names. It's not long before the kids know who is who. It takes me longer and I need to use my list but I keep in mind that its for my kids. Of course, I only have 40 students.

I'm thinking that a nickname for each child would be best - perhaps the students could help come up with the names, perhaps an adjective that describes them. I could keep a list of the student names and adjectives, so that every person in the classroom knows each other's names. This might be very hard to do if a teacher has many classes, however.

I made my course wiki private and the students used their first name and section number. This way the students could address one another when responding to a posting and continue the collaborative learning in class discussion the next day/week.

Since I'm working with adults for this wiki, I let them choose their names. When I use a wiki with college students, I'll probably still let them choose names, but get a sign up list, so that I know who is who. Hopefully, I won't have to address any inappropriate name issues, but you never know...Another solution would be to have them request access, so I can see who they are, and make any adjustments (if any) at that time. Love that new feature!

Student naming must be done in accordance with school and district policy. I assign my students a number that reflects their period and thier place in my grade book. Harry Smith in period 3 would then be 309 if he was the ninth student on my roster. I will use 309Smith as his username and name.

I like Michael's idea! But, I think I will tweek it a bit. In my grade book Harry Smith would be 309Smhar. We can't use full names in our district

I normally use the student's firstname and firstinitial of lastname for the username. I use the student's district ID# for their password. This method helps me easily identify the user. Conflict only occurs when I have users with the same firstname and same firstinitial of their lastname. In that case, I'd add another letter or two to their lastname initial.

I have a list and try to use the same id for every thing I sign up for with my students. I keep the list in Excel. All of the ids follow this pattern: [school id of SMS][Graduation Year][dash][number assigned by my from 01 to 99]. The id can stay with the student from Kindergarten up to eighth grade. An example would be SMS2009-01 meaning student one on my list who graduates the eighth grade this year. If students leave the school, I do not reassign the number. If a new student joins the school, they receive the next number in the series.

I am using the students' first names only. My wiki is a private wiki, so I feel that first names are fine. I would never post a last name on the wiki that is for elementary age students.

I think the best practice for me would be to use the word "leader" followed by the 001 numbering system. It should work well with my work.

Another thought is for student organizations, I am an advisor for a couple. The best practice could be to use the name of the org (or a shortened version) again with the 001 numbering system. That way I'll be able to keep track of which student is involved in which organization.