How to Work with Wikis

A wiki is a webpage that anyone can add to or edit. From the Hawaiian for quick, the word means a form of open source content development that allows people to work collaboratively in creating and sharing ideas and information. The best known wiki is Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.

A student-friendly example is http://www.wikispaces.com/

Setting up your account: Anyone can read the content in the Social 10-2 area, but to edit it, you must become a member. Memberships are free and require only your e-mail address.

Do NOT use your home e-mail address. Athough Wikispaces is a reliable site, you do not need any more unwanted e-mail than you already receive in that account! Use your school e-mail address or set up a temporary address from Ten Minute Mail. This free services gives you an e-mail address that self-destructs in ten minutes, allowing you to use it to set up passwords and gain access to sites while preventing any spam or unwanted e-mail from arriving in your regular webmail account. Use some combination of your first and last names as your username so your teacher will know who you are! Be sure to e-mail your teacher with your username so you can get credit for the work you do in the wikispace area.

Using Wikispaces: Begin by reading the content that is already posted. From there, you can change existing pages and add new pages.

Editing existing pages: If you want to edit an existing page, click on the Edit This Page button. That allows you to use a simple editing program to insert images and tables and to change fonts, colours, and sizes. When you have finished working with your page, be sure to SAVE it.

Making new pages: Click on Add New Page in the left-hand column. Name your page by the subject and your first name (eg. "Child Abuse in Guatemala-Derek") and then Create. Edit your page according to the directions above. Save your page.

Linking your new page to the homepage: The final and perhaps most important step is linking your new page to the home page.

Go back to the home page and Edit This Page.
Type the title of your page on the appropriate place on the page, highlight it, and then click the hyperlink icon.
In the window that appears, be sure the radio button next to Wiki Link is clicked on.
In the box under Page Name, scroll down and select the name of your new page from the list.
Then click on OK.

History: Any member of this wikispace can also check the history of what was written, deleted, or edited at any time. This allows your teacher to see what contributions you have made to the space. It also allows you to see the improvements, additions, and corrections made to existing pages over time. Click on History to see what has been done.