Wikis

Guides

 

From the  LTC Wiki

 

Recordings of workshop presentations

 

We have recently made Camtasia recordings of some of our wiki workshops. The following are now ready for viewing:

1. Overview of wiki software

This 40 minute recording goes over the basics of how to create and format wiki pages on the LTC's wiki installation. About 4 minutes into the recording a 'Wikis in Plain English' video is played which has no sound. You can view the video lower down in this wiki page.

2. More wiki formatting, skins and permissions

This 15 minute recording continues an exploration of wiki formatting, show examples of different skins and talks about the possibilities for controlling editing permissions.

3. Examples of wikis

This 10 minute recording explores a number of wikis that have been created both at the University of Manitoba and elsewhere.

[edit]Commoncraft Video: Wikis in Plain English

A video that in 3 minutes presents wikis in terms of the problems they solve and basic approaches to their use - Wikis in plain english

 


[edit]Ten things to know about wikis

  1. Wikis are collaborative. Organizations use them to create collaborative documents, brainstorm and share ideas
  2. Wikis record a history of edits and changes, allowing for easy comparison and overview of the life of the document (Including restores)
  3. Wikis allow for simple markup language - with many of the more developed platforms offering MS Word-like functionality for editing the appearance of a document. Wiki's can also implement limited or full HTML editing as well as their own language
  4. Many Wikis have a discussion feature which allows learners to discuss the contents of a document, rather than editing the core document itself.
  5. Wikis can be configured so individuals can create their own "sub-wikis" with individual pages and links - a great resource for students creating a personal database of resources
  6. Wikis are an excellent way of creating "living documents" for courses. The work of students from previous courses can be used as the basis for current students. Knowledge can be built on the knowledge of others through the collaborative functions of wikis
  7. Wikis serve many uses of giving learners access to resources (and if the instructor so chooses, enabling interaction). For example, course notes can be posted in a wiki, allowing learners to discuss and ask questions...conferences use wikis as a means of sharing resources with participants.
  8. Wikis can be used for peer review or group work. Learners can share their work in a wiki, and class members can review and comment on wikis through the discussion tab
  9. Wikis are an effective project management tool - for instructors developing resources...or learners working on a project - due to the history, discussion, and collaborative features.
  10. Wikis can be locked down and access restricted to only certain students (This can be done through a variety of ways up to and including LDAP authentication)

 

[edit]The Wiki Philisophy

The Educause Centre for Applied Research (ECAR) has published a research bulletin entitled "Supporting Knowledge Creation: Using Wikis for Group Collaboration" in which the authors argue that a number of conditions determine the successful use of wikis for knowledge creation. These conditions include:

  • "a strong need to establish conventions to determine long term success"
  • "such a system (wikis) only works with users serious about collaborating and willing to follow the group conventions and practices"
  • "large successful wikis usually have some type of constitution or philosophy that establishes goals and provides guidelines for individuals who want to participate in the group."


"Research indicates that wikis go beyond technological innovations and related benefits and also offer a change of philosophy in relation to the knowledge creation process ... 'Wikis introduced groundbreaking innovations at the level of process, philosophy, and even sociology of such collaborative authoring' .. . 'Wikis offer a management philosophy that manages knowledge creation through evolution of norms and values rather than directives and incentives'"

".. conversational technologies such as wikis need people to share their knowledge, invite critique, present multiple points of view, and seek to change others' ides. Organizations that do not value such open-minded and non-hierarchical exchange of ideas may not find conversational technologies useful...'wikis work best in organizational cultures in which there is a high level of trust and control can be delegated to the system'"

[edit]Defining Wikis

Wikis - or more broadly, collaborative writing - have captured the interest of business leaders and academics. Well known, and increasingly referenced, is wikipedia - an online encyclopedia written by amateurs.

A wiki is basically a simple web page that anyone can edit. At least that's the standard description ... or what wikis were when first started. The openness of wikis has encountered the reality of human behaviour (or more precisely - spam). Wikis are chaotic, informal knowledge spaces. Wikis enable individuals to create a collective resource. Whereas blogs enable individual voices, a wiki over-writes individuality.

The messiness of wikis can be intimidating to newcomers. It doesn't make sense that openness could create as much order and structure as it does. Why do people contribute? What motivates individuals to spend time editing and proofreading sites? What about vandals who simply delete text? But wikis are not without governance or management. Wikipedia has extensive resources available on how to handle concerns arising from community conflict. Democracy and openness drive actions in this space. Consider their Policies and Guidelines or Resolving Disputes.

Wikis enable a history that allows individuals to reset or change any amendments. If, for example, an individual deleted important text, or inserted spam, community members can restore the site to previous states. Openness, while enabling potential for abuse, also creates a sense of communal ownership (in a recent presentation, I used a wiki to plan my keynote. I kept the wiki open, and found that spam was posted within a few weeks...but also that many readers took it upon themselves to delete the unwelcome content). Openness creates community, which creates responsibility wikipedia