Wikis are web sites that can be created and edited by multiple users. There are a variety of different types of wikis, though for information literacy instruction, a course wiki would be most useful. A course wiki would allow the instructor and students to collaborate in the online environment via the wiki. The instructor could post information and the students could do the same, as well as ask questions. There are many things that could be done to enhance learning using a wiki. Course management software such as Blackboard come equipped with wiki software and allows students and faculty to create a wikis within the course site. Many people are familiar with Wikipedia as being a classic example of a wiki. However, because it is collaborative and anyone can edit it, Wikipedia is not considered to be the most authoritative source of information. However, it is a useful tool as a jumping off point for many.
Though I was already familiar with wikis, I decided to do a bit more research and discovered the web site: Wetpaint Central. This site allows users to create web sites using a drag and drop type of method. They are intended to be easy to create and edit and do not require extensive knowledge of HMTL and XML. Wetpaint also allows for the creation of wikis. While Wetpaint is free to use, ads are placed on your page, yet Wetpaint claims they are contextually relevant to the page's content.
Another example of free open source wiki software is MediaWiki. This software was originally used on Wikipedia and is written using PHP. The LIS Wiki uses the MediaWiki software.
