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I just discovered something very cool which everyone else probably already knew about, but I am going to write about it here.... just in case.
I think that one of the most interesting things about Wikipedia is that it seems to self-edit constantly. Controversial articles are always changing and you can easily look and see what has happened to the article in the past. What I discovered was the way to flip back and see what has changed. If you click on the History tab at top you can then click on a button that says Compare Selected Versions. 
The two final versions are selected by default. What happens is that the changes appear at the top of the page so you can see EXACTLY what was changed. Often there are stupid changes (like someone inserting the word "butt") and you can see how quickly these errors are found and the article is reverted to the last good one. Sometimes though the changes have substance and this is where I think the richness of Wikipedia comes in. You can actually read through the changes and see two or more points of view and compare them yourself! Then if you are interested you can go to the Discussion tab at the top of the page and see why people made the changes they did and read their arguments for the changes. Wow!
I am so excited about the videos I just watched. They are done by Darren Wilson who is the technology director at an elementary school in Irving, TX. He talks about problems that I have thought about SO MUCH and has some really great ideas. He says we are at a crossroads and we need to change the way we are doing things, but acknowledges that we are not making progress. I think he HIT the nail on the head by saying that we have made progress, but are sort of stuck at this point. There are some great things happening, but by and large even though there are more computers there are not more computers being used well.Take a look at these videos and check out his blog too!http://inspiredclassrooms.wikispaces.com
It has been a long time since I have written. I have been reading and thinking, but I have not felt like writing. I think it may have to do with breaking my ankle... or at least I will blame it on that. I am on the mend and have a short thought to post today.With so many people posting Wikis today in order to collaborate on different topics why not find one that matches what you are doing and add to it rather than creating your own? The difficulty is finding other Wikis that actually meet your needs. This morning I ran across one that looks interesting. The Sandbox Wikihttp://thesandbox.pbwiki.com/
The last time I posted I mentioned my Childsafety Wiki. I was excited to hear from a friend that she plans to use it in a course she is teaching. I KNOW it will get better as people add to it and edit it!
I think that one of the most interesting things about Wikipedia is that it seems to self-edit constantly. Controversial articles are always changing and you can easily look and see what has happened to the article in the past. What I discovered was the way to flip back and see what has changed. If you click on the History tab at top you can then click on a button that says Compare Selected Versions. 
The two final versions are selected by default. What happens is that the changes appear at the top of the page so you can see EXACTLY what was changed. Often there are stupid changes (like someone inserting the word "butt") and you can see how quickly these errors are found and the article is reverted to the last good one. Sometimes though the changes have substance and this is where I think the richness of Wikipedia comes in. You can actually read through the changes and see two or more points of view and compare them yourself! Then if you are interested you can go to the Discussion tab at the top of the page and see why people made the changes they did and read their arguments for the changes. Wow!
