Learning Activity: Wikipedia

Wikipedia

Wikipedia is a free on-line encyclopedia using wiki software. Wikipedia can be edited by anyone at anytime, therefore although it is not a true reference for University and research purposes, it does provide information on a large range of topics that are interesting and informative.  The information is quite comprehensive, and suitable for students from middle primary to use as a starting point for research of information.  The name wikipedia comes from the two names wiki (shared collaborative website) and pedia (from encyclopedia - a reference work or summary of information).

PLUS

1. Easy for students to use.
2. Starting point for research or initial information.
3. Vast range of information with hyperlinks to relating information.
4. Also contains images which makes it engaging for students.

MINUS

1. Majority is unreferencable as it can change due to its nature (the wiki aspect allows changes and contributions).

INTERESTING IMPROVE IMPLEMENT

I like wikipedia because it is quick and easy to use for simple definitions.  I think I have used it almost entirely for this blog to check exactly the definitions for digital tools, and used some links for further explanations if I needed them.
I would encourage students to use this as part of their initial investigations for research purposes.  The links allow students to access further information across the internet which otherwise they may not have found, or may have disregarded.  Students should be taught though that wikipedia entries can be changed (as discussed above) and therefore not all the information may be exactly right.  However the vastness of information, and the continued contribution of information from around the world only helps to build this data bank and add to its resources for students.

WHAT I THINK.
As stated I have used wiki a lot for this course.  I typed in the words Australian Money, as that is what my WebQuest will be on.  I was immediately re-directed from that to 'Australian Dollar' and this had a listing of information and graphics of Australian Notes along with information on Hisroty; Coins; Bank Notes (first series and polymer series); value of the dollar; and the exchange rate.  All of this information would be relevant to my WebQuest.   It also linked to other websites and pages that were of interest and helped me with research on the topic.  See the previous blog entry on moneytracker.