A Wiki is a Web-based site where one or more individuals can build knowledge on a topic.
Through topical association, individuals can add and arrange content, the wiki Website then catalogs the information for easy retrieval. To better understand a Wiki, you must visit wikis. Here are some of the more popular Wiki sites:
Wikis require little programming knowledge. They are simple to use and maintain. With easy text formatting and docs linking tools, individuals can create content (articles, manuals and other documents) independently of each other. Wikis are collaborative workspaces.
Wikis can be create for any discipline, project, or program. They can be created for businesses, education, religion, non-profits, or just for the fun of it.
Essential Requirements
Wikis will operate on both a Mac or PC, as well as an iPad or mobile phone.
Equipment
The only equipment needed is a computer, smart phone, or iPod with a Web browser.
Common Wiki Applications
Here are common Wiki Websites:
- MediaWiki, used to support this Wiki.
- DokuWiki
- TikiWiki
- WikiSpaces
- PBWorks
Here is a comparison of wiki software.
Any reference to a specific Wiki product will be mainly focused on MediaWiki.
Learning resources information
Reading List
Here are a number of articles and books worth reading on the use of clickers.
Key Web links
Guides and Beginner Instructions
Here are a number of great guides to help you better understand wikis and their capabilities.
- University of Leeds: What is a Wiki?
- 7 things you should know about… Wikis (PDF)
- How Wikis Work
- Web 2.0 and Emerging Learning Technologies/Wikis
- Wikis Explained by Common Craft (video)
Education
Here are a number of great ideas for using wikis in a education environment.
- Wikis in University Teaching and Learning – Richard Buckland UNSW (Video)
- How to Build An Educational Wiki (WikiSpaces)(Video)
- University of Leeds: Example Wiki applications in learning and teaching
- Wikis in Teaching
- Wikis for teaching and learning
- Dispelling 8 Common Myths about School Wikis by Lisa Nielsen
- 8 Ways To Use A School Wiki to Increase Communication, Collaboration, and Enrich Instruction
- Reading, Writing, and Wikis
- 18 Interesting Ways* to Use a Wiki in the Classroom
- Eight Ways To Use School Wikis
- Wikis in Higher Education (University of Deleware) (PDF)
- Using Wikis for Learning and Collaboration
- LMS Wikis: Unharnessed Potential
- Wikis in the Classroom: Three Ways to Increase Student Collaboration
- Using a Wiki to Promote Collaboration and Critical Thinking
- Using Wikipedia To Kill A Mockingbird
- Educators Using Wikis – Or Not
Library Wikis
Here are examples of wikis used to support libraries.
MediaWiki
Here is information for using MediaWiki.
- MediaWiki User Guide
- The simplest possible guide to writing MediaWiki
- Wiki color formatting help
- Help:Contents
- Wikipedia:Cheatsheet
- Wikimarkup quick reference
- How to Use Category and Rename a Category in MediaWiki
Miscellaneous Wiki Tips
These are tips that did not neatly fit in other places.
Learning
Here are some articles to put purpose behind your wikis.
- Learning with Blogs and Wikis
- Wiki as a Professional Development Tool
- Using Wikis for In-service Professional Development and as a Resources Bank
- Using wikis to promote the personal and professional development of undergraduate medical students: a report for the CETL in Developing Professionalism
- Strategies for Creating Informal Learning Environments
Tips for a Successful wiki
Here are ideas for improving your wikis.
Wiki Ideas
Here are wiki ideas in case you are stuck.
Wikipedia
Here are instructions for adding to Wikipedia.
MediaWiki Video Tutorials
Here is a collection of videos that will help you use Mediawiki.
- Navigating edit tabs
- User registration on a wiki
- Creating wiki pages in MediaWiki
- Adding sections to a wiki
- Creating internal links in a wiki
- Creating external links and references on a wiki
- How to format text on a wiki
- Adding categories to a wiki page
- How to create a table / chart on a wiki
- Add images to a wiki
- Wiki Dynamic Page Listings
- Using color on a wiki
- Talk pages on a wiki
- Creating and using project pages on a wiki
- Stopping vandalism on a wiki
- How to create and use infoboxes on a wiki
Wikipedia Video Tutorials
Here is a collection of videos that will help you contribute to Wikipedia. Wikipedia uses MediaWiki as the software application, therefore, the video tutorials above apply.