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Welcome to Seminar 2 Wiki - The Peopling of New York CityWhat is a Wiki?
Advantages of a Wiki over a Traditional html PageA wiki is a dynamic website that allows multiple users to edit it at the same time from different computers and different locations. This is not generally possible with a static website. A wiki is an ideal environment for collaboration on large projects, since users can edit and comment on each other's content, and users are able to see who contributed what. The greatest advantage, however, is that it is on the most cutting edge of softwares used in classrooms today. Columbia University has been using wikis creatively and meaningfully through their Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CNMTL). Most importantly, many Seminar 2 projects have become wiki-based projects, so this workshop will get you started in thinking broadly and creatively on how "Web 2.0" can enhance your learning experience. A Wiki Challenge :)A wiki is not "wysiwyg" ("what you see is what you get," another term for on-screen formatting) so you will need to learn some of the basic formatting for text, such as creating headings and bullets, and formatting links. However, you get used to these commands quickly, and you can find help by following the links on the help page. Under Getting Started (below) you will also find a link for tips on formatting. You can always click on "show preview" to see if you have the desired formatting was achieved, but be sure to click "save" to confirm your changes. You can also "revert" your page to a previous state as a means of undoing changes that your have confirmed. Getting StartedBe sure to create your account by clicking the "Login/Create Account" link at the top of the page. You must be logged in to edit content on the wiki, but a user does not need to be logged in to read content. Create your own page introducing yourself to the community. On it, you can add not only text content, but also photo galleries, YouTube videos, and GoogleMaps. I created a See bio page as an example of what you can do. Below are some helpful links to orient you to MediaWiki's interface.
Sample Wiki WorkshopGoals of the Workshop:
Welcome to YOUR wiki! Here is what we will do in the workshop. Feel free to follow along, or to explore on your own if you are familiar with the wiki interface. Be sure to view the help page for guides and links to guide you through the process of developing your pages. There you will find links to formatting and other elements of editing. Here is what we'll do together: 1. Create your account, and explore the "my preferences" module.
2. Add text to your personal talk page 3. The editing toolbar (when in editing mode) gives you several choices for editing. Others are available, but the ones you will see are:
4. Search for Content/Create a Page
5. Upload a Photo, and embed the photo on your page.
6. If desired, embed a YouTube or GoogleMap on your page. The links to the "how to" are in the sidebar. 7. Read other members' pages. You can edit their pages, leave them a note, or add a message on their "talk page." 8. If you want to revert to a previous state of a page, before certain changes were made, you can do so by clicking the "history" link. 9. Finally, if you are searching for other pages, see the Special Pages link (in some skins in the sidebar, in others, at the bottom).
Thank you!
More ITF ResourcesUsing the GoogleMaps Extension in MediaWiki You Tube Tag Extension (external site) Tool for Embedding Sound (mp3) Files - Includes a nifty little player! For this, you will need to create the php file and add it to your extensions folder as normal. There are also two other files that you will need to download and add into a folder that you will create (.../extensions/audio_player). If 'mp3' files (or any other file types) cannot be uploaded to your wiki, you will need to add the following text to your LocalSettings.php file: $wgFileExtensions = array('gif','png','jpg','jpeg','svg','xls','doc','ppt','wmv','swf','mp3'); If this line is present, verify that 'mp3' is one of the accepted file types. |