Wikis

=[|WIKIS]= By clicking on the above word "wikis" it will take you to the wikispaces site. =What is a Wikispace?= A Wikispace, in simple terms, is a group of web pages with “edit” buttons on them. You can collaborate with anyone you choose on your wikispace. Wikispaces is simple enough for anyone to use, but has enough sophistication so that you can be creative and get things done. If you are looking for more about what a wiki is, Common Craft has a simple and clear explanation. Take a look at their [|video].

=What can I do with my Wikispace?= Wikispaces is very flexible and you can do many things with it, whether in your classroom, company, or community group. For further ideas on what you can do, check out our examples and Wiki of the Month pages.
 * As an educator, you can use your wikispace to post homework assignments, facilitate a classroom project, collaborate with an international classroom, communicate with parents or other teachers, or provide a wiki for classroom discussion and feedback.
 * As a business, you can use Wikispaces to organize schedules or projects, build an Intranet, or create a forum to interact with your customers.
 * As a non-profit, Wikispaces can help you organize activities and collaborate with various levels of your organization, share documents and resources with co-workers, and engage your members and volunteers.

=GETTING TRICKY WITH WIKIS= The site below will take you to a wiki which will give you some tricks on what you can do with wikis. http://gettingtrickywithwikis.wikispaces.com/ =How do I create a Wikispaces account?= If you are an educator, learn
 * 1) Go to http://www.wikispaces.com.
 * 2) In the "Join Now" box, put in your username, password, e-mail address, and, optionally, wiki name.
 * 3) Click "Join" and you're done. If you've chosen to create a wiki, you will be taken straight to your new wiki.

=How do I create a Plus wiki for K-12 education?=
 * 1) If you have a user account on Wikispaces, [|login] first.
 * 2) Go to [|http://www.wikispaces.com/t/x/teachers].
 * 3) Fill in the form.
 * 4) Certify that your wiki will be used exclusively for K-12 education and click "Join."
 * 5) You will be brought to your new wiki.

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 * Another example of a wiki using pbwiki

=UNBLOCKING A WIKI= 1. For students to be able to access a wiki, the wiki will need to be made a **private** wiki. 2. Once the wiki is made private you will need to get it unblocked by the web filtering unit. Below are the steps you will need to go through to get the wiki unblocked. 3. Log on to the DET Portal and click on "Take me to the DET Intranet" as shown below



4. On the right hand side of the page, you will find under **Department Resources** a link called "__ICT Service Desk__" click on this . 5. Click on "__Request IT Support"__

6. Under the heading Online Support you will find the heading "__School Location"__ click on this. 7. Click the circle that states "__Website Filtering__" 8. Press next 9. Enter your DET User ID and press confirm. 10. Details will come up on the screen re your name and school etc. If these are correct press next. 11. On the drop down bar on REQUEST TYPE. Clck on "allow a URL" 12. Insert the URL. I usually just copy and paste the URL into this space. 13. In the reason box, state that you will be using this wiki for ............ and would like to have it unblocked. 14. Click next and it will state that your request has been submitted. 15. You will now receive approx 3 emails, 1 telling you they have received the request, 1 saying tht ir is pending and 1 telling you it has been resolved. Read this one carefully as resolved just means they are finished with the request. If you read further, it states whether or not the sites have been unblocked. 16 Good Luck! 17. I have found most of the members of the web filtering unit to be very helpful, so don't hesitate to call them on the number they give you if you have any queries.