Wikis

= Wikis =

A wiki could be described as a cross between a website and a Word document. What you are reading right now, is part of a wiki. Here's an example of one I made: []

The wiki you're probably most familiar with is [|Wikipedia.] This is a public wiki, that anyone can edit.

Here's a simple explanation of how wikis work: media type="youtube" key="-dnL00TdmLY" height="344" width="425"

=**How to make one:**=
 * 1**. Go to a wiki hosting site such as **[]**
 * 2.** Click on "create your own classroom wiki today". It looks like this:


 * 3.** Sign up. This is creating an account. Any wikis you make, will be part of this account. Add the name of the wiki you'd like to make first. Click "Join".
 * 4.** You will get a confirmation email. Click on the appropriate link sent to you in the email.
 * 5.** You should now be able to go back to wikispaces and sign in.
 * 6.** At the top of the page, there should be a button called "My Wikis." If you hover your mouse over that, any wikis you've created will be there. Click on the one you want to see. The one I created as an example is "putanameinhere".
 * 7.** When you've chosen the wiki you want to look at, it will open and you can begin editing and formatting.
 * 8.** To add a page to your wiki, click on "New Page" and it will ask for a name.
 * 9.** To change the colour scheme or style, or to add authority for other people to edit your wiki, go to "Manage Wiki".
 * 10.** To start adding content, click on "Edit". A toolbar will appear allowing you to add text, video, pictures and various other things.
 * 11.** Don't forget to save it when you're done!

=Ideas for use:=
 * Students could have one page each, on which they can publish web-based or digital projects and activities - eg. http://mrsibrahim.wikispaces.com
 * A place for publishing collaborative activities with other classes or schools - eg. http://lunchboxexchange.wikispaces.com
 * For writing a progressive story, with each page being a new chapter, written by students - eg. http://yrps5m.wikispaces.com/Adventure+in+the+Trench
 * Recording learning, with students adding new facts each day.
 * Have them complete homework assignments on the class wiki. They can no longer say "I left my homework at home!"

Here's a giant list of wikis used in schools. Have a look through to get some ideas for more uses: http://educationalwikis.wikispaces.com/Examples+of+educational+wikis