02-Communicate+Wikis

Please review the 01-Communicate page for the first segment of the TECH track, yesterday. A blog was set up for journaling CHIP reports. Today, work will begin on the preparations to build a Web Page in the EXPAND track. Also today, use of a wiki will begin as the vehicle to carry web site reviews for the WEAVE track.

Wiki means "quick" in Hawaiian. A wiki allows content to be assembled and accessed quickly. There also can be discussion of the content on the wiki. For this course, Wikispaces has been chosen, largely for its discussion features.

A common criticism of wikis is that anyone can access and edit them. One can undo "site vandalism" fairly easily because a wiki traces editing and can be restored to an earlier version without much difficulty. Still, that is extra work that seems pretty needless in the busy schedules most people have. Wikis can, and generally should (probably), be controlled. For this TECH segment a Wikispaces account is needed (no cost), and each person will need to work with 2 wikis on wikispaces.com.

WebEd (__http://webed.wikispaces.com__) is a "Protected" wiki site - and is where the WEAVE track web sites reside. Protected means that anyone can look at the site, but only those registered can leave comments or edit the site. When you have a wikispaces account, you will be invited to register with this site.

So that you can also see how a "Private" wiki works, you will also be invited to register at __http://tonykrug.wikispaces.com__. With a private wiki, one cannot see anything without being a registered user. Here I have a page set up with the names of everyone in this class. You will need to add your blog address beside your name on this page, then create a page introducing yourself to the rest of the class and upload a photo, if possible, so that all can know you better. More details on how to prepare this page are given in the Intro subpage below.

A tutorial page is to help you get your Wikispaces account set up and functioning. When you have your account set up, you will be asked if you want to create a Wiki. You may if you wish, but that is not necessary for this class. You only need a Wikispaces registration account.

Wikispaces is only one of many wiki services on the internet. However, Wikispaces is not a Google product and is believed to function quite adequately in China. So, there is no need to explore alternatives for this course. Other courses look at wikis in far greater detail.


 * Performance Record:**Your blog address and personal introduction at [] serve as your performance record - along with your ongoing participation in WEAVE reviews and comments.