WikiSummarizer is a Web-based application specializing in automatic summarization of Wikipedia articles. Automatic summarization is the creation of a shortened version of a text by a computer program. The result is a summary that presents the most important points of the original text.
What is a summary?
A summary is a shorter version of the original information. It highlights the major points from the much longer article. The purpose is to help the reader to rapidly get the essential points in a short period of time.
How does WikiSummarizer work?
The WikiSummarizer automatically summarizes the Wikipedia articles. The program identifies the most important keywords and ranks them by relevancy. For each keyword the most significant sentences in the original text are presented to the reader.
All the summaries are stored in the WikiSummarizer knowledge base. Users can easily search the knowledge base by keywords and download the summaries.
I am not a huge wiki fan, but I admit they are handy sometimes. My wiki Technology Keys Resources is a handy spot to, I use to add resources I find in categories as I find them. Plue other add to it.
Their “Free Wikis for Educators” program has given away some 980,000 free classroom wikis for K-12 education over the last five years. It is making a difference for in-the-classroom educators. Keeping it FREE for K-12 education is amazing, especially when so many other companies have started free, then moved to paid models–and most have not accommodated the individual educator much at all.
I am excited to learn that Wikispaces is announcing that their FREE education program is being extended to higher education. YEAH. I must admit I have felt bad saying I was K-12 to use the FREE. Actually I sorta am becasue I am working with Pre-service K-12 teachers.
They have a goal to give away 2 million total free wikis for education. Save educators money is always welcome and I applaud them for realizing how important we are, but Wikispaces has made a huge difference in the ability for educators and students to collaborate together.
I have to admit I am still amazed how many school I go to that wikis are blocked. Come on IT departments and whoever else is blocking these useful tools. Get with the program and let your teachers TEACH!!
More information on the education programs, including how to upgrade existing educational wikis to the free programs:
For K-12 - http://www.wikispaces.com/content/for/teachers
For Higher Education – http://www.wikispaces.com/content/for/highered
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This wiki is for basic number facts and includes downloadable pdfs and web sites to support learning basic facts in her class.
To download your year level just click on it and it should end up on your desktop. Allanah (could not find her last name) promises she will add more links and levels as she find them. Mostly for Primary and Elementary teachers.
Here is a great Wix website. The site was developed by Kelly Tenkely of iLearnTechnology.com Kelly has created a Web 2.0 Advent Calendar for use in the classroom. It reminds me of Mary Frazier’s wikispaces projects from last December. Thanks to Dean Mantz from sharing.
http://www.wix.com/ktenkely/advent
And here is a link to mary Fraizer’s Countdown to Christmas Advent Wiki from last year. It is also about learning technology.http://christmascountdown.wikispaces.com/
Recently, Wikispaces introduced a new resource for professional development. The Wikispaces’s PD Presenter Toolkit is a wiki that is designed to help you introduce other educators to wikis or even learn more about Wikispaces yourself. The PD Presenter Toolkit includes a presenter’s guide, slides, and a series of six graduated activities that you can use to learn how to use Wikispaces and how wikis in general can be used in education. The PD Presenter Toolkit also includes a list of wikis used in a variety of grade levels and content areas.
To create an Educator Wiki
