« Wiki Das Boot--Scott | Main | Wikipedia »
November 28, 2005
Suzanne's Wiki Experience
Hi Everyone,
I'm looking forward to seeing everyone in Arlington in a few hours. I did it! I created an account for myself in Wikipedia, and I added to the Further Readings section of the Great Awakening entry in less than 30 minutes. There were only 3 or 4 readings, so you can see what I added at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Awakening#Further_reading/
I'v added a few thoughts about Wiki and the article in my entry
If technically challenged people such as myself can edit wiki, does that make it too easy? This goes hand in hand with the question, if anyone with any level of expertise can edit wiki, does that make it a reliable source? Certainly, the students out there are using it. Every teenager I polled (not too many yet) said they use wiki and trust its information. They understand that they too could add or edit wiki, but they trust that "people who know what they're talking about" are writing the entries.
The article brings out very good points, both pro and con, for this implicit trust placed in wiki. At any given time, students could look at dates for the French and Indian War and instead of the accurate date they could find the 'trick date' placed by a professional historian testing wiki. Or they could quickly find the accurate information they need and move on. They might even read more or click on links to learn more.
I agree with the idea that more professionals, historians, scientists, writers, etc. should consider adding or editing their area of expertise in wiki. I'm a teacher so I believe in sharing your knowledge with the world. I also think students should be taught to think critically about wiki and challenged to search for the accuracy of the information. Not many will on their own, but what a great object lesson to put inaccurate information along with accurate information and challenge students to decide which is which.
I've only used or visited the site a couple times before this assignment (another thing I've learned and become comfortable with on the web), but wiki is another example of the student's use of the web NOT going away. Teachers and professional historians can find ways to use it effectively or ignore it, but it's not going away. Given my lack of experience with wiki, I was really nervous with the idea of adding to or editing an entry, but thanks to Nona, I realized I could start small with contributing to the Further Readings section hopefully without rocking anybody's boat.
See you soon
Posted by scarson1 at November 28, 2005 12:48 PM