Wikis

=Wikis= As teacher-librarians, we build relationships with our teachers and do not often have the time to **communicate**, network and connect with other teacher-librarians.

One tool that school librarians can use to collaborate is a [|wiki]. A wiki, which is Hawaiian for “quick” or “very fast”, is a tool that allows information to be quickly accessed, edited, and updated. The wiki an ideal environment for a educational collaboration that does not require knowledge of coding. School librarians can have a Web-presence for their library or a class in which to contribute one or more facets of the school library program - information literacy, technology, collaboration, and reading.

Why Use A Wiki
Watch the following short video that outlines the benefits and possibilities of a wiki: media type="youtube" key="-dnL00TdmLY" width="425" height="350"

Using A Wiki
Learn how to use wikispaces.com (the wiki used to create this collaborative online document) by watching the short video [|tutorials] from wikispaces to give you some background on how to use a wiki.
 * Overview**

To add content to this wiki, you will need to become a member. This is an option for participants who do not wish to build their own site, but rather have a page that can be updated and is useful to them. If you would like to contribute to this space, click on //Join This Space// in the navigation menu. An email will be sent to the organizer of the wiki (Carlene) asking for permission to allow you to become part of the space.
 * Joining The Wiki**

Experiment with the different ways to add content to a wiki.
 * Adding Content**

> You can **modify pages** that have already been created. As you locate resources that you find worthwhile, add them to the wiki page. No more creating in isolation! > To edit a page, click on the //edit// button at the top of the page. Once you click the button you will have access to a toolbar much like that of a word processing program, only smaller. Click on the "edit" button to bring up the page editor. The page editor allows you to add or edit text and pictures to a page. Click save when you are done and the changes will be visible to the world. > > To add an image, click on the //add image// button: > > To create a new page, click on the //New Page// link at the top of the menu bar on the left-hand side. > Give your page a name. > Click the edit button and create your page.
 * 1) **Modify An Existing Page**
 * 1) **Create A New Page**

If you create a new page, you should add it to the menu bar on the left so others can see it. Click the //edit navigation// link at the bottom of the left hand side-bar.

Type the name of the page into the main screen.

Highlight the name and choosing the link icon.

You may want to **start a discussion** about the information that you have placed on a page or a question related to teacher-librarianship. Use the **discussion tab** at the top of the page to begin a threaded discussion.
 * 3. Start A Discussion**

Create Your Own Wiki
The purpose of this wiki is to provide teacher-librarians a place to easily and efficiently highlight their collaboration with teachers. If you would like to create your own wiki space, visit [|Wikispaces for Teachers.]It is a free service to K-12 teachers.

Research
Extend your learning by reading the following articles:
 * [|How I use Wikis in the Classroom] from Vicki Davis of the [|Cool Cat Teacher Blog]. Vicki has organized her uses of wikis into five educational categories. The comments are also well worth reading as they offer other ideas of how to use wikis in the classroom.
 * Eduwikis has many great links to educational uses of wikis -- well worth exploring!