Wiki

Definition
A wiki is a Web page that can be viewed and modified by anybody with a Web browser and access to the Internet. This means that any visitor to the wiki can change its content if they desire. While the potential for mischief exists, wikis can be surprisingly robust, open-ended, collaborative group sites. Wikis permit asynchronous communication and group collaboration across the Internet. Variously described as a composition system, a discussion medium, a repository, a mail system, and a tool for collaboration, wikis provide users with both author and editor privileges; the overall organization of contributions can be edited as well as the content itself. Wikis are able to incorporate sounds, movies, and pictures; they may prove to be a simple tool to create multimedia presentations and simple digital stories. Developed by Ward Cunningham and named after the Hawaiian word for "quick," a wiki is a website that makes it easy for anyone to contribute pages and link them together.

History
Cunningham and Bo Leuf designed WikiWikiWeb, the first wiki in 1995, to be an open, collaborative community Website where anyone can contribute. Since then, programmers have created many wiki-inspired programs and wiki Websites. Most of these stay true to the goal of simplicity. Wikis can be used for a large variety of tasks, from personal note-taking to collaborating online, creating an internal knowledge base, assembling an online community, and managing a traditional website. The possibilities might make wikis seem like a daunting system, but commitment to simplicity makes wiki tools a breeze

How it works
A wiki is a combination of a CGI script and a collection of plain text files that allows users to create Web pages “on the fly.” All it takes is a connection to the Internet and a Web browser. When you click a wiki page’s “Edit” link, the script sends the raw text file to your browser in an editable form, allowing you to modify the content of the page. Pressing the “Save” button sends the modified text back to the wiki server, which replaces the existing text file with your changed version for all to see. When you request a wiki page, the script gathers the corresponding text file, changes its marked-up text into HTML, turns user-selected words into hyperlinks, inserts this information into a page template, and sends the result to your browser.

About wikis
Wikis are a collaborative tool that allows Students to contribute and modify pages of course related materials, providing a means of sharing and collaboration. Pages can be created and edited quickly, allowing for effective collaboration between multiple writers.

The Instructor can create one or more Wikis for all Course members to contribute to and Wikis for specific Groups to use to collaborate. Wikis can also be used to record information and serve as a repository for course information and knowledge. The Instructor has the capability of viewing all changes to all pages in the Wiki. The changes can be viewed at a high level and the Instructor can drill down to retrieve information about the development and contributions for any individual.

Examples of Wikis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wikis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wikis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biological_wikis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_biological_wikis