I am miffed that there has been such a huge push-back against Wikipedia. I can't count the number of times I have heard my teachers and professors say Wikipedia is unreliable. But why? Because anyone can edit it. While that may be true, it makes me wonder if academics and scholars and teachers are feeling threatened. Are we, myself included, feeling like we may become obsolete if learning can be found on the internet without teacher help? Maybe I'm on a tangent, but all that happens when I wonder about the pure contempt for Wikipedia is I question more things. Why aren't we teaching our students to use Wikipedia and access it's vast wealth of information? Why aren't we teaching our students to verify the rating by Wikipedia that has reviewed the information posted? Why must we go to outdated textbooks for learning? Why are we so afraid of change? Why must we hold students back? Why are we so backwards?
I won't be backwards, I will embrace the changes and ask my students to help me figure things out when it is something I don't understand. I'll figure out what technology and apps are important to my students and ask them to teach me to use them so I can connect with them and utilize their understanding and interests to make my classroom an accepting environment in which my students feel they can be themselves and ultimately learn. Technology should be a bridge, I should be a bridge, my students should be bridges. I don't know what exactly what we are bridging to, but when we layer upon each other and out resources, we are creating a future students want to be a part of, want to invest in, and will drive forward with their ideas and innovations.
Love how authentic your voice is in this post. I can hear your personality in every sentence and the humor is nice too. :) Seriously though, the transition from Google to Wikipedia is still blowing my mind. I had no idea there was a rating system which helps the credibility. So awesome! I wonder how many professors and educators know this? And perhaps this is where the push-back comes from, the lack of knowledge on this resource? I hear you though, if educators are truly feeling threatened that we will become obsolete from the resources across the internet. But it all comes back to community and having connections with the students. Technology should be a bridge, I agree, that help future students create and further their ideas.
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