TeachersFirst: Wiki Walk-Through

Wiki tool feature comparison: PBwiki
URL for teacher accounts: http://pbwiki.com/education.wiki Click Create a wiki and select “education” as the type. Sample wiki using this tool: http://teachersfirst.pbwiki.com/ back
Features available:	Yes/no	What they call it, and how to find it	Reviewer comments
No cost version for classroom use	Y		Limited features and file space on free version
Safe, individual student accounts	limited		Are currently changing user accounts to use emails as log-in. Formerly had a single password (key) for all users of the wiki. New system requires user have a unique email address. A possible solution: set up a teacher gmail account with subaccounts for each student (explanation in the Help forum). This is cumbersome for teachers with many students and may violate school policies regarding student email access
Mass enrollment/registration of students and other wiki members	N		Currently being added for the premium version
Can “see” student passwords so teacher can help the forgetful or change	N
Multiple wikis for a single class or teacher	Y		Anyone can make a new wiki any time
Easy-to-find links to outside wikis and places possibly inappropriate for the classroom?	N (That's GOOD)		Selecting education as wiki type removes this option
Advertising free	Y
Control of access to VIEW wiki	Y	Make it “private” on set-up
Control of access to edit wiki	N		Free accounts allow all visitors to edit, etc. NO ability to “lock” pages.
Ability to track “vandalism” and reset to previous versions	N		NO ability to lock pages. Option to “tell” who makes changes depends on user entering this info voluntarily.
Selective permissions to certain pages within wiki	N
Customizable “look”	Y	Settgins> skins	Very limited options for free version
Page templates available	Y	Basic set of three options in free version
Self-created templates available	Y	Tag any page you make with the word template, and it will show as an available template
Includes blog features/tools	N		Does include a place for logged-in users to comment on a page
Supports images	Y		Free version limited to 10MB of file storage. That’s not much!
Supports audio files	sort of		Only by links to other web servers or file upload (quantities very limited)
Notifies admin (teacher) of changes via email	Y	Check “notify my of changes” box at log-in
RSS feed for changes available	Y	RSS icon at bottom of page
Supports video	sort of	Edit	Can embed videos hosted elsewhere, including built in connection to YouTube
Supports file upload	Y	Files button on each page	Storage limit of 10MB on free spaces
Image resizing tool included	N
Easy text editor	Y	Clickable editor	Also offers older “traditional” (coded) editing
Spell check available	N
Other features: "plug-ins" (widgets)	Y	From edit toolbar	Several categories: Productivity (such as calendar), Photos, PBMagic, Video, and Chat. Some connect to outside sites with content that may be blocked or not classroom-appropriate
Other features: generate portfolio from wiki	Y	Wiki information: portfolios	Can download as a pdf or slideshow “portfolio.” Very handy for teachers seeking to grade a wiki offline or in hard copy.
Other features: “snapshot” backup	Y	Admin> settings>backup	Paid versions get full backup. Free one is text-only.
Online support	Y	Help in upper right and in context on certain items	Connects to a user forum. Forum is a bit cluttered. There is also a blog.
Human support	some	PBWiki employees monitor the help boards.
Easy set-up (rate 1 to 5, 5 being easiest)	3	Quickstart 3 steps. Creating the wiki and defining its “key” (password) is very quick.	Steps are designed for general wiki use, not just for education, so instructions do not mention things a teacher might want to know. MANY mentions of upgrading for $.
Overall comments: Pro: Page editor toolbar is good and familiar looking for Word users. Quick set up. No “see other wikis” button readily visible for students to get into trouble. VERY easy to get started in higher ed or less restricted environment where users can self register and use the “key.” Very flexible font formatting and choices. Con: Free version does not allow for different levels of user. This is a great limitation to teachers, since students can “ruin” pages a teacher creates. Current change-over from a single key for each wiki to email log-ins is very confusing. (The setup procedure does not explain this well.) No page locking in free version. Accessibility to online tools that may have objectionable “public” content, such as YouTube. Some wiki pages and Support forum display poorly in IE6 (text overlap). Questions and buttons to upgrade peppered throughout the site and on every wiki page. (Might be difficult for some students to “see” past these.) Page saving appears slow to our reviewers. One page errored out. Reminders to upgrade to premium ubiquitous and annoying Comments button on all pages—anyone logged in can comment who can see it Log in requires email address Requires premium acct for individual passwords to a wiki Navigation area must be manually edited to add a new page to that area Navigation tab can get lost behind other tabs at the right
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