Community portal-url

From The Peopling of New York City

Contents 1 Welcome to Seminar 2 Wiki - The Peopling of New York City 1.1 What is a Wiki? 1.2 Advantages of a Wiki over a Traditional html Page 1.3 A Wiki Challenge :) 1.4 Getting Started 2 Sample Wiki Workshop 3 More ITF Resources

Welcome to Seminar 2 Wiki - The Peopling of New York City

What is a Wiki?

• wiki – (def.) Wiki is a piece of server software that allows users to freely create and edit Web page content using any Web browser. Wiki supports hyperlinks and has a simple text syntax for creating new pages and crosslinks between internal pages on the fly. Wikipedia is probably the best known wiki, and is powered by MediaWiki, the same software that powers our wiki.

• A wiki is unique among group communication mechanisms in that it allows all users to create and edit its content.

• Wiki wiki means “rapidly” in Hawaiian

Advantages of a Wiki over a Traditional html Page

A wiki is a dynamic website that allows multiple users to edit it at the same time from different computers and different locations. This is not generally possible with a static website. A wiki is an ideal environment for collaboration on large projects, since users can edit and comment on each other's content, and users are able to see who contributed what.

The greatest advantage, however, is that it is on the most cutting edge of softwares used in classrooms today. Columbia University has been using wikis creatively and meaningfully through their Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CNMTL).

Most importantly, many Seminar 2 projects have become wiki-based projects, so this workshop will get you started in thinking broadly and creatively on how "Web 2.0" can enhance your learning experience.

A Wiki Challenge :)

A wiki is not "wysiwyg" ("what you see is what you get," another term for on-screen formatting) so you will need to learn some of the basic formatting for text, such as creating headings and bullets, and formatting links. However, you get used to these commands quickly, and you can find help by following the links on the help page. Under Getting Started (below) you will also find a link for tips on formatting. You can always click on "show preview" to see if you have the desired formatting was achieved, but be sure to click "save" to confirm your changes. You can also "revert" your page to a previous state as a means of undoing changes that your have confirmed.

Getting Started

Be sure to create your account by clicking the "Login/Create Account" link at the top of the page. You must be logged in to edit content on the wiki, but a user does not need to be logged in to read content.

Create your own page introducing yourself to the community. On it, you can add not only text content, but also photo galleries, YouTube videos, and GoogleMaps. I created a See bio page as an example of what you can do. Below are some helpful links to orient you to MediaWiki's interface.

• Tips on Formatting
• You can upload files by clicking on the link in the sidebar.
• Help page of this wiki where you can find a more extensive list of links and a guide to creating pages and adding content.

Sample Wiki Workshop

Goals of the Workshop:

• To learn what a wiki is, as well as its advantages over traditional static html
• To become familiar with the wiki interface by creating content:
  • Create a personal account
  • Modify personal preferences (such as skins)
  • Create your own page
  • Add and Edit Text
  • Create Maps through GoogleMaps interface
  • Embed YouTube content
  • Upload photos, display them, create galleries

Welcome to YOUR wiki!

Here is what we will do in the workshop. Feel free to follow along, or to explore on your own if you are familiar with the wiki interface. Be sure to view the help page for guides and links to guide you through the process of developing your pages. There you will find links to formatting and other elements of editing.

Here is what we'll do together:

1. Create your account, and explore the "my preferences" module.

• The default skin is called "Monobook." If you change the skin in your preferences, only you will see that skin, since the default skin is the public skin that visitors will see.
• The "Monobook" skin is what is generally used in Wikipedia.

2. Add text to your personal talk page

3. The editing toolbar (when in editing mode) gives you several choices for editing. Others are available, but the ones you will see are:

• Bold Text
• Italic Text
• Add Internal Link (into this wiki)
• Add External Link (to another website)
• Add a Headline (the button is for a "level 2" headline, you can manually format others)
• Insert a Picture
• Insert Media
• Add a Mathematical Formula
• Ignore Wiki Formatting in Selected Text
• Add Signature
• Insert a Horizontal Line

4. Search for Content/Create a Page

• The "Go" button is for going directly to a page
• The "Search" button is for searching for content
• The easiest way to make a page is to enter the desired page title into the search box, and select "Go". It will tell you that the page you selected does not exist, and then gives you the option to create the new page.
• If you search for a page you know is there, but it tells you it doesn't exist, you should then use the search function.
• If desired, link your page on the "Pages Created by Users" page.

5. Upload a Photo, and embed the photo on your page.

• Be specific/descriptive with your photo title. The wiki is fussy and wont recognize names that are misspelled or misformatted:
  • If you named the file you uploaded as "JohnFamily.jpg" then you must specify the file name as such in the page you created. E.g., it won't recognize "johnfamily.jpg" (no caps).
• .jpg files are recommended
• The wiki will warn you if the size of a file is large, you can ignore the warning.
• Beware of copyright issues on the photo, i.e., don't go to the Foo Fighters' site and "steal a picture" from them, most content is protected. Instead, find public photos from Flickr or the Wikipedia Commons.

6. If desired, embed a YouTube or GoogleMap on your page. The links to the "how to" are in the sidebar.

7. Read other members' pages. You can edit their pages, leave them a note, or add a message on their "talk page."

8. If you want to revert to a previous state of a page, before certain changes were made, you can do so by clicking the "history" link.

9. Finally, if you are searching for other pages, see the Special Pages link (in some skins in the sidebar, in others, at the bottom).

If you have questions, please email me at jsorrentino@honorscollege.cuny.edu

Thank you!

More ITF Resources

Using the GoogleMaps Extension in MediaWiki

You Tube Tag Extension (external site)

Tool for Embedding Sound (mp3) Files - Includes a nifty little player! For this, you will need to create the php file and add it to your extensions folder as normal. There are also two other files that you will need to download and add into a folder that you will create (.../extensions/audio_player). If 'mp3' files (or any other file types) cannot be uploaded to your wiki, you will need to add the following text to your LocalSettings.php file:

$wgFileExtensions = array('gif','png','jpg','jpeg','svg','xls','doc','ppt','wmv','swf','mp3');

If this line is present, verify that 'mp3' is one of the accepted file types.

Privacy Settings for your Wiki