This info comes straight from the DEECD site. A wiki is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems. Wiki is a Hawaiian word for fast.
A wiki is an incredible tool allowing teachers to create an online community with their students, provide links to interactive learning and build ICT skills for themselves and their students. Parents love being able to see what is happening at school through the wiki and enjoy seeing their child's uploaded work and contributions. Students really value this way of working and we have not had any student do anything inappropriate over the many years we have used wikis.
Watch this Google Presentation
Things to consider
Where to host your wiki.
Wikispaces is a great option, especially for Primary School and is ad free for education sites. Wikispaces help videos are a great way to get started. Netcipia is a free site and you can view my attempts to create a wiki and add a glog.
If your students are over 13 Wetpaint is another platform to use however it does feature heavy advertising & charges $19.95 per month to remove it.
Structuring your wiki.
Think carefully about how you will structure your wiki. What will be the main pages, the sub pages etc. Try to plan it so it is intuitive for users to find information. If you want to change your page structure later you can easily do so.
Tracking your wiki.
It is always informative to track the success of your wiki and find out how many people have accessed it. I use Google Analytics to keep track of all my wikis. Just create a google account, click on ADD WEBSITE PROFILE at the bottom of the page and enter the URL of your wiki. You will be given a tracking code which you need to enter on your wiki. Use the help menu on your wiki to find out how to do this. The path to do this on Wikispaces is - Manage wiki, settings, wiki information, Google tracking code, paste code in & save.
Making the wiki visually stimulating.
Lock precious pages.
Use the LOCK PAGE function to prevent anyone removing, changing or accidentally deleting things on any special pages. Most wikis will allow you to restore to a previous version by accessing the HISTORY but prevention is better than cure.
How to guide
The information below comes from DEECD regarding using wikis in education. I have highlighted the important things from the DEECD information.
Setting up a wiki
Setting up a wiki is a quick and easy process. Users create a name for their wiki which becomes part of the web address, choose a user name and decide on the level of security for the wiki. There are two main educational wiki providers who have an ad-free option for education; Wikispaces and PB Works.
Users can begin to create content in any wiki by clicking 'edit' on the main page. Content can then be typed and edited in a similar manner to programs like Word. Additional pages can be created for the wiki and links, documents, videos or photos added.
Each wiki allows new members to be invited via email from within the site. The level of administrative rights for each member can be chosen. Given that wikis allow users to work on, modify, and overwrite each other’s work, there is a need for agreed 'rules of engagement' by students and teachers. Contributors need to understand that their work may be deleted and changed by others and that their contributions may potentially be read by many other readers.
Wikis keep a chronological history for every page. Therefore nothing is lost forever, no changes can be completely destructive, and revisions can always be undone. Pages including essential information can be 'locked' to avoid problems.Pages within a wiki can be monitored, with the Administrator receiving notification of any changes to that page - which is why an error in a site like Wikipedia can be corrected in a matter of a few minutes.
Cyber safety
It is important to get permission from parents to publish student work or pictures to the internet. Students should also sign an acceptable use agreement. They need to be clear that personal information such as full names or addresses should never be published on the web and should be aware of their 'digital footprint' (the sum of the information and images about themselves on the internet).
Teachers can view videos and explore lesson plans and online activities related to online safety at Working with the Web. It is critical that teachers are fully aware of your professional responsibilities in an online environment.
Working online
PB Works
How it works: The basic version is free and allows one workspace, up to 100 users, email support and 2GB storage. Safety information: It has a variety of security settings. Students should not upload identifying images of themselves or provide personal information.
Wetpaint
How it works: Wetpaint wikis can be set up in three quick steps. They include advertising. Safety information:The site is intended for users over the age of 13. Each member of a site has a profile page. Students should not add personal information to this page and should not upload a photo identifying themselves. Ad-free wikis for education are no longer available. To have an ad-free site users need to pay for a premium site.
Wikispaces
How it works: The basic version is free and allows for one wiki to be created with unlimited users and up to 2GB storage. The default option includes advertising. Ad-free wikis for education can be requested. Safety information: The 'Plus' option currently costs $5 a month and allows private spaces to be created and removes advertising.
What is a wiki?
This info comes straight from the DEECD site. A wiki is a website that allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems. Wiki is a Hawaiian word for fast.A wiki is an incredible tool allowing teachers to create an online community with their students, provide links to interactive learning and build ICT skills for themselves and their students. Parents love being able to see what is happening at school through the wiki and enjoy seeing their child's uploaded work and contributions. Students really value this way of working and we have not had any student do anything inappropriate over the many years we have used wikis.
Watch this Google Presentation
Things to consider
Where to host your wiki.
If your students are over 13 Wetpaint is another platform to use however it does feature heavy advertising & charges $19.95 per month to remove it.
Structuring your wiki.
Tracking your wiki.
Making the wiki visually stimulating.
Lock precious pages.
How to guide
The information below comes from DEECD regarding using wikis in education. I have highlighted the important things from the DEECD information.Setting up a wiki
Setting up a wiki is a quick and easy process. Users create a name for their wiki which becomes part of the web address, choose a user name and decide on the level of security for the wiki. There are two main educational wiki providers who have an ad-free option for education; Wikispaces and PB Works.Users can begin to create content in any wiki by clicking 'edit' on the main page. Content can then be typed and edited in a similar manner to programs like Word. Additional pages can be created for the wiki and links, documents, videos or photos added.
Each wiki allows new members to be invited via email from within the site. The level of administrative rights for each member can be chosen. Given that wikis allow users to work on, modify, and overwrite each other’s work, there is a need for agreed 'rules of engagement' by students and teachers. Contributors need to understand that their work may be deleted and changed by others and that their contributions may potentially be read by many other readers.
Wikis keep a chronological history for every page. Therefore nothing is lost forever, no changes can be completely destructive, and revisions can always be undone. Pages including essential information can be 'locked' to avoid problems. Pages within a wiki can be monitored, with the Administrator receiving notification of any changes to that page - which is why an error in a site like Wikipedia can be corrected in a matter of a few minutes.
Cyber safety
It is important to get permission from parents to publish student work or pictures to the internet. Students should also sign an acceptable use agreement. They need to be clear that personal information such as full names or addresses should never be published on the web and should be aware of their 'digital footprint' (the sum of the information and images about themselves on the internet).Teachers can view videos and explore lesson plans and online activities related to online safety at Working with the Web. It is critical that teachers are fully aware of your professional responsibilities in an online environment.
Working online
PB Works
How it works: The basic version is free and allows one workspace, up to 100 users, email support and 2GB storage.Safety information: It has a variety of security settings. Students should not upload identifying images of themselves or provide personal information.
Wetpaint
How it works: Wetpaint wikis can be set up in three quick steps. They include advertising.Safety information: The site is intended for users over the age of 13. Each member of a site has a profile page. Students should not add personal information to this page and should not upload a photo identifying themselves. Ad-free wikis for education are no longer available. To have an ad-free site users need to pay for a premium site.
Wikispaces
How it works: The basic version is free and allows for one wiki to be created with unlimited users and up to 2GB storage. The default option includes advertising. Ad-free wikis for education can be requested.Safety information: The 'Plus' option currently costs $5 a month and allows private spaces to be created and removes advertising.