What-is-a-Wiki

=A guide and overview=

Introduction
A //Wiki// is a simple concept and essentially allows different authors to read, edit and write web pages to produce and publish a collaborative document as a collection of sequenced web pages on the internet. In an educational context, a //wiki// can prove to be a very valuable resource for leaders and managers, teachers, learners and other educational professionals. Many of the software packages that create a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) incorporate a //wiki// as one of the teaching and learning options. Skillfully used, this can provide participants on VLE courses with the opportunity to collaborate and produce a shared document. On this page you can find information about: 
 * What exactly is a Wiki?
 * Achieving flexibility via a //Wiki//
 * Top-down and bottom-up design
 * Tracking changes to the //Wiki//
 * //Wikis// in an educational context
 * Further information

What exactly is a Wiki?
In this example (diagram 1), each of the five authors can read, edit and write their own contributions to the community web pages using their own web browser. They are able to include links to other pages in the //wiki//, external links to the Internet or an Intranet and incorporate other documents in the form of text, images, audio and video. The //wiki engine// is installed on a web-server and manages the whole process, including the publication of the web pages, "behind the scenes".


 * Diagram 1: The //Wiki//**



Achieving flexibility with a //Wiki//
As the //wiki system// is based on the internet protocols, each author is able to access the wiki 24/7 from anywhere. Thus a community of designated authors could have a local, regional, national or international reach. Access to the //Wiki// is usually controlled via passwords. This could mean, for example, that a passwords are required to: Depending on the combinations used, the wiki may be "open", "partially open" or "closed" for others. In an "open" //Wiki//, such as Wikipedia, there are no password restrictions. As a result, anyone can read and edit pages. In such cases, "open" access can lead to various forms of abuse by unscrupulous users. It is unlikely that an educational //Wiki// would be "open". It is more likely that access to most Wiki pages would be "open" but access for authoring restricted. For some situations, it would be highly desirable for the Wiki to be closed in all respects, especially where the content is likely to be confidential. The production of in-school documents within England, UK - such as a self-evaluation form for Ofsted inspections and the school improvement plan are obvious contenders. For the production of many key educational documents, such as the self-evaluation form and the school improvement plan, requires contributions from different "authors". An "author" can be any designated member of staff with an edit password. 
 * read the pages of the //Wiki//
 * edit the pages of the //Wiki//
 * read and edit the pages of the //Wiki//

Top-down and bottom-up design
With careful design, the //Wiki// can provide a framework into which the work from different "authors" is brought together into a single page to provide an overview - as shown in diagram 2. Thus, the structure of the //Wiki// would be "top-down", whereas the writing of the content would be "bottom-up" - really the best example of where both models can be used to best effect!
 * Diagram 2: Concept**

In essence, this process is like automatically "cutting and pasting" the paragraphs written by designated authors on specific sections about a topic into a single page by the //wiki-engine//. In turn, different pages that could represent different "chapters" can be assembled into a complete document. The //Wiki// was originally conceived to provide every designated author with editing rights for every page. This would, of course, create an "open" approach for the authors to work collaboratively on any number of designated pages. 

Tracking changes to the //Wiki//
Given the many authors can make changes to the content of the web pages, the //wiki engine// maintains a log file that contains a history of all changes. At the top level, these include details such as the page, date, time and author name. Crucially, at page level a detailed record is maintained of every change with the option to revert to the original content. For a system that is truly "open" so that anyone can be an author, tracking changes is essential to correct the results of any malicious or accidental attempts to re-write the content of the //wiki//. In an educational setting, it is unlikely that there would be such "open" access to the //wiki//, so this facilty can then be used as a mechansim for quality assuring the content of pages where changes have been made. 

//Wikis// in an educational context
//Wikis// can also be used with learners in the classroom or at home as well as by educators for a range of professional activities. Some examples of where //wikis// could be used within schools include:
 * Collaborative leadership and management of schools
 * Creating and maintaining a range of key school documents
 * Sharing and publishing information for learners and their parents/carers
 * Dynamic professional development for members of staff
 * Providing learners with experience of a collaborative writing