From Tl729

Contents 1 Wikis 1.1 Defining features 1.2 Drawbacks 1.3 Possible educational uses of a wiki 1.3.1 Real 1.3.2 For the sake of teaching 1.4 How to get a Wiki

Wikis

1. Content management systems
2. Collaborative editing
3. Real-time editing

Defining features

1. (Virtually) all pages may be edited
2. Editable from any web-browser. No software
3. Reduced syntax (now, often WYSIWYG)
4. Zero effort to create new page
5. Standing history of all changes.
6. Text search

Drawbacks

• Threat of vandalism
  • Most wikis can enforce the use of user names. But, required approval of changes tends to limit use.

Possible educational uses of a wiki

Real

• Group (or individual) research database
• Class resources in an advanced (post-secondary) classroom

For the sake of teaching

• Foreign language dictionary
• Historical timeline
• Class-created scientific classifications

How to get a Wiki

• Your school may already run a wiki service.
• Your school may provide a more general environment (Blackboard or Moodle) with a wiki module.
• Commercial wiki farms provide wiki space either for a fee or advertising space.
  • http://www.editthis.info provides ad-driven space.

Note: Not all wikis use the same language or interface as this one. This uses MediaWiki the software behind Wikipedia. There are other wiki environments [1] such as the original WikiWikiWeb.

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