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 * =Lynbrook Primary School =

How to create a wiki.
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Once you have set up an account, you can use it to create several wikis or become a member of other people’s wikis. ||  ||  ||
 * Wikispaces is a very simple way of creating an online presence for effective communication and information sharing. It is simple to use and is easily edited to suit your own style and required feel. Start by going to the website: http://www.wikispaces.com and create an account. The username and password need to be unique. This will not be the name of your wiki; that comes later. You need to add an email account that you regularly use. I suggest your edumail account.
 * [[image:screen2.gif width="616" height="488"]] ||  || To create a new wiki enter the name of the wiki you require. You cannot have any spaces, but you can have a dash or symbols. The name of your wiki will have .wikispaces.com on the end.

For example: msl-support.wikispaces.com

You then have three choices in regards to permissions. I suggest a protected wiki that members can edit but that can also be seen by the general public. You have to give the members permission to edit your wiki.

You must then select the Wiki Type. I suggest the K-12 Education. Further down the track this will allow you to add functionality and ultimately you are creating this wiki for your school. || This is your wiki and is ready for you to add content. You will see in the navigation line the name of your wiki. You will see at the top of your page your username and several different settings including “Help”. The first time your screen appears, the help box is open. The background is greyed out and there are several different links that will assist you.
 * Once you have created your wiki, you will be sent to this screen.

At this stage I suggest that you close the help box. You can return at any stage. ||  ||  ||
 * [[image:screen4.gif width="582" height="479"]] ||  || Click on your username in the top right hand corner of the screen.

When you enter your account page, you will see your new wiki in your favourites. It shows how many members you currently have, who has edited it and your role as the organiser. You can change your account settings at any time, change names, your profile and location. If you are a member of several different wikis, you will see them in the list. You can also create more wikis from here. Once your wiki is up and going, you can recieve mail and monitor edits on your wiki. You are in control and can make changes as you wish. Click on your new wiki and you can start managing and editing. || To change the overall feel and colour scheme, you need to click on the Manage Wiki button on the left hand side of the page. ||  ||  ||
 * The initial view of the wikispace is quite plain and most people will want to change the look and feel of the page to suit their needs and colours of their school. We will be using the Edit tab in the top right hand corner of the screen to change the plain white area of the page.
 * [[image:screen6.gif width="561" height="472"]] ||  || The screen will fill up with content options, member setting, tools and lots of information about your wiki. We will be focusing in on the Look and Feel button in the Settings section, but before we do that, we need to go to the dollar sign button called Subscription.

When you set up the wiki I suggested that you select K-12 education option. Now that the wiki is created, you can go to the Subscription button and look at your wiki settings. || I suggest that you use your school logo and your school colours. Someone in the school will have a copy of the logo or the IT technician should be able to get it for you. You can either find the exact school colours or make a pretty close guess. ||
 * This page shows the elements of the wiki that are currently available to us. It also shows extra features we can purchase if we would like to. We also have the ability to request a complimentary upgrade to the Plus package for K-12 education. Having selected K-12 in your initial setup and due to the fact that you are using this wiki for your school. I suggest you request this FREE upgrade. ||  || [[image:screen7.gif width="564" height="471"]] ||
 * [[image:screen8.gif width="562" height="460"]] ||  || Click the request button, tick the box and hit send. If you are successful, changing the look and feel of your wiki will become much more flexible with Custom Themes. ||
 * The last administration task, before you start editing your wiki is to check your email and confirm your email address. You will be sent your username, email and a link to click. Make sure you write down your username and password somewhere safe. ||  || [[image:screen8a.gif width="526" height="456"]] ||
 * [[image:screen9.gif width="527" height="466"]] ||  || After a short period of time, you will receive an email telling you that you have been approved for your wiki upgrade. This is great news, now you can begin to personalise the wiki. The first thing you need to do is have an idea about how you would like it to look. What colours do you want to use? Are you going to use your school logo and if so, where do you get it from? What format do the images need to be in and what are you going to write about? Are you going to create your own logo? How do you do that?
 * For the purpose of this course, I will be using a logo I have created. The wiki will be a place where you can come and ask questions, find answers and solve problems. I have chosen to use similar colours as Monash University and called the wiki MSL-Support.

Your original wiki will begin with its name and a pot plant as its logo in the top left hand corner. To start making your changes, go to the Manage Wiki button on the left hand side of the screen half way down. Then click on the Look and Feel button in the middle of the screen under the Setting heading.

You really need to have a good idea of the look you wish to achieve in the long run, because the changes you make here will work as a template for every page you add. ||  ||  || You can use any image manipulation software on either Mac or PC. I saved the logo as a .gif but you can also use a .jpg.
 * [[image:screen11a.gif width="560" height="461"]] ||  || I created my logo in Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop.

Once you enter the Look and Feel, go down to the logo section and click the upload button. You can then navigate your way to the location where you saved your logo. Upload the logo and click save. You will be given a screen preview. Sometimes you may need to go back and resize the logo to suit. The logo will also preview in the top left hand corner of the screen.

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 * Once you have placed the logo, click on the themes and colours section and you will be taken into a page where you can choose from thirteen different layouts. Click and try all of the different themes. Click on the different colour schemes and decide on the simple layout you would like.

Have a good look at how your logo looks in regards to the different themes and in regards to the initial idea you had in your head. Now you can start personalising the theme.

Under the pre-made colours you can click Preview and Customize. ||  ||  || You can change text, tabs, background and heading colours. If you know the exact web colours, you can enter the letter combination.
 * [[image:screen13.gif width="643" height="507"]] ||  || A colour wheel will appear and different web colour boxes with strange letter/number combinations. You can click on and scroll anywhere on the colour wheel to find your desired colour.

Now you have your logo placed, you have your page theme and you have your colours set. Next you need to add content and relevance. What will make people want to visit your page? How will you attract visitors and what information are you going to share? ||
 * Click on the Home button on the navigation section of your page. You will be taken to the initial page that all visitors will see. In the top right hand corner you will see an edit button. Click it.

A standard Editor panel will appear. It includes bold, italic, underline, etc. It also includes different type styles and buttons to add elements to your main content. You can add internet links to other pages, images and small animations. You can also attach files for download and type directly into the space provided.

You must remember to follow copyright laws when adding content and be very careful if adding student images. Never add a student image with a name or personal details. ||  ||  ||
 * [[image:screen15.gif width="597" height="484"]] ||  || I suggest that you start to use tables to add content. By creating a table with one row and three columns, you can change the simple layout of your page. Place an image in one column, text in another and use one to space out the page for visual effect.

To insert an image into a table, create the table first. Select the cell in which you want the image. Click the file button and you will then be able to navigate to your image on your computer. Upload the image. Once the image is uploaded, it will become part of a library of images that you have uploaded. Click on the desired image and it will be placed. Once again, you may need to resize images and manipulate them to suit your site. Follow the exact same process for Flash animations and other files. ||
 * To insert text into a cell, click in the desired cell and start typing. I suggest that you do all of your typing prior to changing the look and feel of the text. Once the text is in, you can highlight it and change the font, colour, size and layout.

Finally, I would like you to join my wiki. Here you will be able to ask questions, watch videos and get any support you need. If I do not know the answer to your question, I will endeavour to find out. Go to www.msl-support.wikispaces.com

Click on join this wiki and send a request. I will recieve an email and give you permission.

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