Wikis

Wikis


A wiki is a tool which allows groups of users to build up a body of information which is used for a series of linked web pages. Groups can share and edit each others' pages quickly and easily and this technology facilitates a truly collaborative approach to working. Most wikis have a "roll-back" feature which enables the users to revert to previous versions if the site is tampered with or maliciously altered.

Wikis are particularly useful for group work where information is built up by contributions from many different users. Tutors can use wikis to provide scaffolding for certain activities by pre-populating pages with prompts or example content, then providing feedback on student contributions. Wikis can be used for students on work placement to share experiences and provide feedback.

Examples of freely available wiki sites are:

Google Sites at http://sites.google.com/, allowing anyone with a free Gmail account to create and manage simple wikis

Wikidot at http://wikidot.com/ provides free wiki setup and hosting, with additional user management tools

PBworks at http://pbworks.com/ which is free and easy to use but can be upgraded for a small cost to provide more advanced features 

Media Wiki at http://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/MediaWiki which was originally written for Wikipedia and is used for many other projects