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=Welcome to the Wiki!=

"What is a wiki?" you may ask.

Well a wiki is a collaborative website essentially. Multiple users may create, edit and comment on a variety of pages with the wiki. media type="youtube" key="-dnL00TdmLY" height="315" width="420" align="center"

You may be familiar with 'wikipedia'; that is a user created encyclopedia. There are also many fan wikis, where lovers of a particular TV show for example will contribute to a wiki about there love and passion for the show.

That is a nice place to begin when talking about how a wiki could be u seful in a classroom. Wikis provide students a place to publish their thoughts about something they are passionate about. Have a student who loves mountain biking? Well they can create page (or series of pages) about that subject.

Wikis are also great because you can create a space that is safe for students to work on. Many wikis, like this one, have security features built in that allow your students to create and publish content that is a safe little island away from outside eyes. They can comment on each other's work in this space as well. This is a great 'training ground' for students to learn how to behave in a respectful manner as well. Digital Citizenship is a skill that needs to be practiced before it can be put to the test out in the 'borderless' reaches of the the internet.

Give a wiki a chance. There are many tips and tutorials out there for starting your own wiki. (http://www.wikispaces.com/content/wiki-tour) It's fun and easy, and your students will love it!