Thing #10 - Wikis

Original Post: Tuesday, March 25, 2008

O.K. so I am totally enamored with those Common Craft videos. I think they are awesome! They are so verbally and visually clear - in common (wo)man's terms! They are great tools for students, teachers, and the community at large! I am thinking of my parents who struggle so with the computer - simply getting them to send e-mails is really a challenge. These videos would be wonderful ways to explain different concepts to them! I also enjoyed the Web Junction article, "Using Wikis to Create Online Communites." Again, I thought the article effectively discussed the pros and cons of using wikis in common (wo)man's terms.

I edited the "23 Things on a Stick" wiki. It was fun, but as I have said earlier, I do not enjoy putting things out for the entire world to see and comment on.

As I always tell my students, wikis have their place. Sharing knowledge can be a good concept. However, many wikis are not edited by anyone who checks the accuracy of the information, nor are those who contribute to a wiki held accountable for their input. When doing educational research, then, students should be cautious about using something like wikipedia. If they do educational research by starting with a search engine like Google, rather than a database, I am concerned right away about their research practices. I tell them that wikis are fun to look at; they might even be a good place to start when doing research. However, the information they find in a wiki should be verified in other sources. That is not to say that information they find in a database might not be inaccurate as well. At least with a database they know where the information came from and can investigate the source.

I enjoyed looking at the Minnesota 150 exhibit wiki. My husband and I went to this exhibit at the History Museum and loved it. I purchased two copies of the book for our media center - the kids love them. As as I was walking through the exhibit, I wondered how in the world they chose some on the 150 things that symbolize Minnesota. For instance, as you enter/leave the exhibit, one of the things you are assaulted with is huge picture of Jesse Ventura - not one of the things that makes me proud to be a Minnesotan. So it was fun to see that one could comment on some of the choices that were and were not made for this exhibit!
Posted by bookthief at 2:10 PM 0 comments
Labels: wikis