About+Wikis

What are wikis?
Wikis are collaborative "[|Web 2.0]" (the read & write web) tools. They look and feel like a webpage, and have many of the same features. The main difference between wikis and traditional webpages is that many people can collaborate on a wiki - think [|Wikipedia]. Here is a great [|video about what Wikipedia is and how it works].

Watch this short video by Common Craft to see an illustration of what wikis can do.

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Who uses wikis?

 * [|businesses]
 * [|education] ([|higher education], administrators, teachers, students, parents, etc...)
 * individuals

How are wikis used in education?

 * as a way to gather and share research information (e.g. class research projects)
 * as a tool for global collaboration (e.g. The Flat Classroom Project)
 * to organize and disseminate information (e.g. an interactive classroom webpage)
 * to teach classes or workshops
 * to organize professional work or professional development

Why use one?

 * a wiki allows you to gather resources on the fly, post them, and share with others
 * they allow you to collaborate with colleagues
 * they require no memory space to store your most needed documents and resources
 * they can be edited anytime, anywhere you have an Internet connection (no software is needed)
 * they allow you to add in "[|widgets]" which add visual or audio impact to your work (e.g. calendars, videos, maps, etc.)
 * Things to keep in mind...
 * Take your time before rolling out your wiki
 * Have a focus (how will you use it... it may change over time)
 * Have fun and be creative with your wiki
 * Don't make your wiki into just one more task you have to do - make your wiki work for you!

What tools are available?

 * **Wikispaces** http://www.wikispaces.com/
 * **PBWiki** [|https://pbwiki.com]
 * **WetPaint** http://www.wetpaint.com/

How can I set up a wiki

 * Today we'll focus on creating a space in [|Wikispaces]
 * You can set up a wiki for yourself, or you can collaborate with others in the workshop to craft a topic themed wiki.
 * Think about and choose a memorable name: e.g. if it is your own personal work wiki, use your name or think of a theme named space
 * Go to Wikispaces www.wikispaces.com
 * click on Pick a Username
 * Set your password
 * enter your email address
 * type in your space name
 * click on join
 * Now click on edit and try adding some content to your page.
 * We'll explore as many of the features of wikis as possible, including:
 * fonts, font size, font colors, numbering, and bullets
 * inserting hyper links
 * uploading and inserting pictures and files
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 * embedding widgets (these are the coolest!)
 * space management (look and feel, inviting membership, tracking users, reverting to older versions, etc.)
 * Or to differentiate for yourself, go to the [|Wikispaces tour], "WikiWhileYouWork" (created by Kristen Hoanson) or to Jim Gate's Wikipage for instructions on how to set up your own wiki.
 * Also, you can watch MrSal's video on how to build a wikispaces wiki:

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