Working with Wikis
We are seeing the rise of new, socially-oriented technologies that are changing the way people interact over the Web, and this trend has great potential for teaching and learning. The opportunity represented by the technologies collectively referred to as Web 2.0 revolves around putting more authority in the hands of users. While Blackboard recently announced our forthcoming Web 2.0 initiative, Blackboard Beyond™, one of the questions we’re asked most in Blackboard Support is how we plan on incorporating Web 2.0 technologies into our support model.
Web 2.0 allows users to use the Internet in a collaborative manner, customize the Web for their own needs and form valuable networks with other users who share the same interests, expertise and goals. Wikis are one example of the dynamic tools that Web 2.0 can offer. Pioneered by Ward Cunningham and named after the Hawaiian word for “quick,” a wiki is a Web site that makes it easy for anyone to contribute pages, and link them together. In recent years, wikis have become increasingly popular: as repositories of programming wisdom, social experiments, massive online encyclopedias, and increasingly as a simple but effective way to share content and information both inside organizations and out.
The benefits of using wikis certainly lend themselves to a support environment. They’re easy, efficient and intuitive to use. Every user gets a voice and everyone's contribution can be seen, heard and commented upon. Wikis get information to the right people and important information is available to the people who need it. Blackboard’s wiki is powered by Confluence, an enterprise wiki that makes it easy to collaborate and share knowledge in this manner.
Next month, Blackboard Client Support will launch a new Wiki Knowledge Base (WikiKB) for all clients worldwide. While Blackboard Learning System™ and Blackboard Commerce Suite™ users will enjoy a greatly enhanced version of their current knowledge base solution, this will mark the launch of the first-ever Blackboard-hosted KB for users of the Blackboard Learning System™ – CE and Vista Enterprise Licenses.
Blackboard’s new WikiKB is designed around client participation. Articles can be submitted for review and published once verified by Blackboard. Once published, clients will have the ability to comment on articles and even receive credit for authoring new ones. Additionally, this new solution will provide a collaborative space to document and share knowledge for Blackboard’s “Ask Dr. C” moderator and each of Blackboard’s Development Partners.
Some of the features clients can expect in the new WikiKB include:
- RSS Feed Builder – Decide when and in what format you want to receive RSS updates. From new article creation to every client comment, receive updates as often as you want on the products that matter most to you
- Single Sign On – Once logged into Behind the Blackboard™, the WikiKB will remember your user account and role
- Related Article Links – Articles will cross-reference each other for deeper and more focused troubleshooting
- Images, Charts, Source Code – Blackboard Technical Support Managers can post each in articles for clearer understanding of solutions
- Community Participation – Client comments and new article suggestions are welcome
CE and Vista administrators may remember the WebCT KB, which was disabled by WebCT Support in early 2006, prior to the merger between WebCT and Blackboard. Blackboard has completed an audit of those legacy articles and will be leveraging over 100 CE4 and Vista 3 articles in the new WikiKB.
More details coming soon, including a series of Webinar tours of the new Blackboard WikiKB. For additional information about this initiative, please contact Jason Minkoff, Blackboard Client Support at jminkoff@blackboard.com.