Wikis for Classroom Use

PBWiki is one of many wiki hosts available online. I have chosen to point to PBWiki because it was the first free wiki host I found easy to use. Other hosts have since appeared, including one that comes free to educators who sign up with edublogs, wikispaces.

PBWiki places context driven links to business websites on the wiki. So far, I have not encountered anything inappropriate in the ads, but for those who want to avoid the potential, consider signing up with edublogs. Wikispaces provides free, and ad free, space for educators.

Creating a PBWiki Account

PBWiki makes creating an account very easy. Go to pbwiki.com to start the process. At the front page, enter a name for your wiki (note: this will be part of the URL for the wiki) and your email address. PBWiki will then email you instructions for completing the setup process. You will be prompted to create a password for your wiki and decide if the wiki will be public (anyone can visit) or private (only those with the password can view the content). For either setting, only those who know the password will be able to add or edit content. An important note on passwords: if you plan on having students (or anyone other than yourself) work with the wiki, choose a password unique to this wiki.

PBWiki Settings

Once the wiki is created, visit the settings menu to adjust the appearance and behavior of your space. The settings link is in the upper right hand corner of the wiki page.

• About this wiki - Here you can change the title of your wiki (the URL will not change) and add a description people will see at the login. If you want your wiki to be open to public editing, you should include your wiki's password.
• Public / Private - Go here to change change whether or not your wiki is viewable by the public. You may want to start with a wiki being private and then going pub lic once you are ready for others to view the site.
• Passwords and Access - If you need to change the password, click the "Change Wiki Password" button. PBWiki will email you a link to change the password (this means students cannot change the password without your approval).
• Skins - Here you can choose between three appearances for your wiki. This wiki uses snakeskin.
• Delete... - If you want to delete a wiki, click the "Start Delete Process" button. Like changing the password, PBWiki will email you a link for deleting the wiki. Again, this means students cannot delete the wiki without your approval.

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