Intoduction

As Wikipedia itself defines it, “A wiki is a web application designed to allow multiple authors to add, remove, and edit content. The multiple author capability of wikis makes them effective tools for mass collaborative authoring. ” In other words, it’s easy-to-use software that allows a lot of people to pool everything they know about a topic. You can listen to an interesting podcast by Wikipedia’s creator, Jimmy Wales, if you like.

The MyPlace Wiki is a  knowledge base available for student contribution on subjects related to the current event issues we’re studying.  After Login, anyone can add information to the pages below:

• Technology
• Economics
• The Environment
• Popular Culture
• Current Events
• Population

How to use the Wiki

There are four main ways you might consider using the MyPlace Wiki:

1. Gain information. After people add to the subjects, you might read the pages and learn something you didn’t know.
2. Edit what’s on a page. You might know something about a topic and see where you can add your information. One important thing to know is that writing in a wiki is very different than writing in your blog. A blog is about your ideas, feelings and insights. A wiki is usually about information – and information that people wouldn’t argue too much about. To make this point plain, when you write for a wiki, use an NPOV – a neutral point of view. Finally, if you do make a change to a page that’s more than just a typo fix – also click on the Discussion tab at the top and say why you made the change you did.
3. Create a new page. You might be very interested in a subject that goes beyond the main pages listed above. Great! To make a new page, just search for the topic (in the search field in the left sidebar of the MyPlace Wiki). If no page on that topic exists, you’ll get the chance to make it.
   Because the new page will take exactly what you search for, if a different term would make a better title, re-search with that better title before you click create this page. For example, if you searched for “nanotech,” but see that “nanotechnology” might be a better title, go with the suggestion just mentioned.
4. Become a Wikipedian. If you create a page, it’s likely that you’ll want to “watch” it to see what people add. If you have a really keen interest in the subject, you could be one of the main people to decide what belongs on the page and to keep it making sense and easy to read.

You might want to draw from the main Wikipedia on related subjects and “boil down” things to make sense for people your age. You might also want to contribute to the Simple English Wikipedia, designed for people who are not native speakers.

Wikipedia entries that could be used to distil an age-appropriate understanding: Globalization, Flat World Economics, Global Warming, Popular Culture, or Demographics,

Simple English Wikipedia entries on Globalization, Economics, Global Warming, Popular Culture, or Intergenerational conflict.