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== =Millbrook High School= =Raleigh, North Carolina=


 * __What's a wiki?__**

Welcome to the Wonderful World of Wikis. The word "wiki" means fast in Hawaiian. A wiki is a fast way to create a web site that can be viewed and edited by other users. In schools, wikis can be used in a number of different ways. Curriculum teams can utilize the space as a place to exchange ideas, lesson plans or common assessment information. Clubs can use wikis to post calendars. Teachers can assign homework or group projects, which can then be posted to the web. Students can edit their own work or the work of their peers, knowing that their product could potentially reach a worldwide audience. Think of a wiki as the world's largest refrigerator!

In addition, wikis are accessible 24/7 from any place with Internet access. Students and faculty can access wikis at their convenience even in a mobile computing environment, breaking down the walls of the classroom.

The most well-known wiki is, of course, [|Wikipedia]. While scholars debate the merits of Wikipedia, it is one of the first places students and others stop when trying to find general information on a particular subject. Wikipedia has been disallowed as a research entity by some educators at all academic levels because of the open nature of it. The ease of use and the potential for abuse has caused some people to shy away from using it as an tool for research. For a different viewpoint on that question look at Chris Harris' article in School Library Journal, [|"Can we Make Peace with Wikipedia?"]

I know what your saying...... we're afraid of technology. We can't learn how to create our own web sites let alone teach our students how to do it. That's where this wiki comes in. You will be provided with instructions, tips and ideas that will allow you to use wikis easily and efficiently. You will only be limited by your creativity.

For a good overview on wikis, please take a couple of minutes to read Brian Lamb's [|"Wide Open Spaces : Wikis Ready or Not"]

Why Use Wikis?