Wikis can be used to

• have students mentor one another's writing
• allow students to design a project collaboratively
• provide a permanent record of comments and plans
• show the contributions of each member of a student group

Cummings and Barton (2008) have categorized wikis into five classifications: resource, presentation, gateway, simulation and illuminated.  The two most popular uses in the classroom are

1. resource - a resource wiki is the assemblage of a collaborative knowledge base
2. presentation - a presentation wiki has an internal focus for the convenience of the class

Creating a wiki

Free Wiki creation and hosting is available at numerous sites, including PBworks and Wikia.

• PBWorks allows free individual or individual classroom use.
  • Professional representation
  • A secure online workspace is easily created on PBWorks by providing a name for the Wiki, which becomes part of the URL, an email address and a password.  During the initial setup, access can be given to students and other interested parties such as faculty collaborators.
  • Control is provided through a unique login and password which provides an audit trail for workspace edits and notification of changes to the workspace is sent via email.  Multiple workspace-wide access levels (Reader, Writer, Editor, and Administrator) can be assigned.
  • PBworks can be seamlessly integrated with online learning tools from Blackboard and Wimba to improve the online learning experience and increase the interaction between students and faculty.
    After an account is created, a WYSIWYG editor that has the look-and-feel of a Windows application is used to edit the pages.   Nine color templates are available with the free account.  Common headings, e.g. assignments and syllabus, and plug-ins, e.g.  calendar and YouTube videos, are integrated in the editor.  HTML and JavaScript are easily incorporated.
  • Users can access the workspace's RSS feed.
  • A Web Hook, a method to send events to another server or Web service based on actions performed by users on this workspace, can be enabled.
  • Best Practices in site design and sample assessment rubrics are available to guide the educator.
  • Instructional videos, a user manual and a PBworks educator community offer additional support.
  • Easy to post documents.
  • Both logos and backups require upgrading to a paid account, although their annual costs are still under $100 for a single course.

• Wikia is a large community of communities featuring many social and celebrity topics and has plentiful advertising on its site.
  • A young, hip image
  • Upload pdfs as images
  • Ability to 'protect' pages
  • Create and download your own backup zip files, but uploaded image or document files are not included in the backups