Wikis are websites that can be quickly edited by anyone with access. They are used for collaboration on projects and course content, as resource lists, for workshops and presentations, as discussion forums, and as journals. The largest wiki is Wikipedia, which contains vast amounts of information but also requires dealing with vandalism. Creating a wiki is simple using sites like PBWiki which allow editing and adding files, links, pages, and embedded media.

1. Welcome to Wikis What are they? What are they used for? Examples of wikis in school and elsewhere Setting up a wiki as a start!!

2. What are they? The term wiki comes from the Hawaiian word wiki wiki , meaning quick or fast Wikis are websites that can (usually) be quickly edited by anyone anywhere in the world Some wikis will not allow anyone to edit them or will restrict access as the owners will set permissions If you can use a word-processor, you can edit a wiki Watch video clip “ wikis in plain English ” (4 minutes)

3. What can they be used for? ABC Main Wiki – all pages here are public and collaborative. Anyone can collaborate on a page (project or unit of work or essay) wherever they are in the world Easy to track who contributes what and when. Newcomer to the ABC Wiki is a collaboration in practice from our Wiki – look at the History. As a communication tool between teachers and students This can take many forms and is very powerful for quality feedback to both the teacher and the students

4. Also for on-line Courses As course content, like an easy to write to website. You can upload documents, videos, photos, website links etc, like any website ABC IB Maths – this is an example of course content for students rather than a collaborative document. Students cannot contribute to this, but they can add comments. Another example of course content that is collaborative - in the end we don’t distinguish between student or teacher input, as all are participants and add to the content to improve the resource. If you follow the links on the ABC wiki you will find many links to curriculum wikis

5. Other uses As a Resource List – perfect use for a wiki As a workshop or presentation tool – this is just like a hand-out for a workshop or presentation, but allows all participants to have a say during or after the presentation. A School’s wiki “ Hall of Fame ” – projects put up by students in a competition – look at tips for good wikis As a discussion or debating forum As a journal, record of work done or a note-taking forum

6. Blogs or Wikis – what to choose and when? Blogs versus Wikis – video clip between “ Nixon and Kennedy ” (4.5 minutes)

7. Wikepedia – the largest wiki in the world Go to Wikipedia Look at the El Salvador page’s history for 12 th January – reverted back and labelled as “vandalism” Look at the ABC page – please add content Wikipedia is an excellent source of information for " breaking news " stories (1.5 minutes) Students should be encouraged to set up their own pages and create content on Wikipedia

8. Watch a wiki grow This video traces the evolution of Wikipedia's Heavy metal umlaut page over a two year period. It is too long so we will watch the first 2 minutes of it.

9. Creating a PBWiki site Go to http://pbwiki.com/ Click on Create a Site Choose a site name and an email address and that’s it You will be sent an email Click on the link and follow the instructions

10. Features Adding a file Linking to a URL Creating a new page Using the sidebar Embedding a video or podcast If you need any help in any of these features, you just need to ask