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I just want to share another experience with Wikipedia
that proves its value. This weekend we had visitors at our house from Holland. They were wonderful people and we enjoyed talking. At one point they asked us what the derivation of the word teetotaler was. We could tell them that it was a commonly used word and that most English speakers would know what it meant. We thought that maybe it had something to do with tea and wondered why it started with tee instead of tea.So, my husband decided to get online and do a Google search. Nothing... Even in the online encyclopedias there was no explanation of the word. So, he decided to go to Wikipedia and voila! there was a full article! It had some explanations that I was skeptical of, but right there in the article it mentioned that this was not confirmed fact.
I still think that it is terrible that many students are using it as a single source for research, but it is AMAZING how it changes our access to information!
The Second Annual K12 Online Conference is planned for this coming October. The call for presentations is out and I have seen it at several blogs I read, so I am just adding a link to Will Richardson's blog.
It sounds like there will be some interesting topics covered I am most interested in the strand on Professional Learning Communities and Obstacles to Opportunities. Hope to see you there!
I am on a trip visiting almost everyone I know on the mainland U.S. or it just seems that way. Actually, I have missed seeing quite a few people who mean a lot to me, but it is a strange trip (Austin-Boston-Columbia, MO-Fresno, CA-Austin). After living in Columbia, MO for 12 years we were able to spend 4 days basically going from friend to friend and eating more than we needed to there. It was really nice.
But you don’t want to hear all about that… The reason I am writing is because of a very interesting conversation that we had with one friend who is a university professor. She is even older than I am and definitely a part of the “digital immigrant” crowd, so I tend to take things she says about use of technology with a grain of salt. But this time it was different.
She was talking about students today having no idea how to do a research paper and the fact that they really appreciate that she introduced them to use of the library. She mentioned something that I have seen and know to be true. Students today, even in college, tend to go directly to Wikipedia for information-and no further.
This professor teaches a historical topic (medieval religion) and so some of the very best resources for a research paper can be found in books in the library, or in scholarly works that can be accessed by digital databases (either in the library or through their student accounts online). Many students today never go to the library. There is so much information that is easy to find right in their dorm room on their laptops or computers. One student told her that a professor had taught them to go to Wikipedia as a resource. Another student bragged that they got all of the information in their paper online from something like about.com.
Don’t misunderstand me… I think that Wikipedia is amazing and can play an important role in serious research. I explained to my friend about how current Wikipedia is compared to a paper encyclopedia and how each article can lead a person to other terrific online resources. However, libraries are FULL of treasures and students need to know how to find them. They also need to know how to evaluate what is online and when it is better to use an online resource or a book from the library. They need to know how important it is to be comparing several resources and they should be skeptical of what they read online (even in my blog!). Who is teaching kids these things now?
(the picture is of an anonymous graduate of the University of Missouri and his proud parents)
Yesterday I read this article and was not surprised, but I was disappointed and frustrated. AUKKKKK!!! Why don't people realize that when you try to do the same thing with new equipment it doesn't take advantage of the new equipment. What are computers good for?- Worldwide Connections and Networking
- Quick Communication
- Neat typing
- An extremely rich resource for information (IF you learn to sift and know how to look.)
What were the schools using the computers for (according to the article)?- typing
- improving test scores
What were the students using the computers for?- Quick communication
- networking
- creative solutions to problems (hacking!)
- Anything they were not supposed to be doing.
No wonder they were a barrier in the classroom. If you are still trying to do what you always did WHY use technology!!!??? It is too expensive, not to mention distracting. And yet... can we keep leaving schools behind? Is it right that school is the only place where the professionals in charge do not have to understand technology?
that proves its value. This weekend we had visitors at our house from Holland. They were wonderful people and we enjoyed talking. At one point they asked us what the derivation of the word teetotaler was. We could tell them that it was a commonly used word and that most English speakers would know what it meant. We thought that maybe it had something to do with tea and wondered why it started with tee instead of tea.
