When I was in school, I constantly heard, “Wikipedia is unreliable.” It was blocked on my school’s computers, and in The Office, Michael Scott pointed out how ridiculous the concept is. And I agreed…until now. Now I understand that when used properly, Wikipedia can be a powerful tool for encouraging student writing. Wikipedia helps give students a purpose for their writing. When students know their writing is going to be on the internet, they take it more seriously As Andrew Stuhl points out, the students are not writing simply for a grade; instead, they are writing as scholars entering a conversation: “a long back-and-forth of ideas and interpretations and insights… [and they are writing] because they have something to say.” When writing for Wikipedia, students also realize they are not just writing for their teacher—they are writing for a global audience—and that global audience has standards. False information and bad writing will not last on Wikipedia. Students need to think carefully about how they craft their writing, use citations in an article, and collaborate with other scholars. As a future educator, I plan on using Wikipedia to empower my students to confidently create content. I really liked the idea that Jeff Utecht shared about a fourth-grade class writing the Wikipedia entry for a local, historical church. When I am teaching my elementary school students about Spokane and the state of Washington, I want to do a similar project to make their learning meaningful. The “Spokane Valley, Washington” Wikipedia page is currently at a “Start-Class” quality level. I bet some of my future CVSD students could change that.
"Wikipedia and Student Writing – Wiki Education." 14 Oct. 2014, https://wikiedu.org/blog/2014/10/14/wikipedia-student-writing/. Accessed 16 Jul. 2018.
Rachel, I love that you are wanting to take Jeff's example of that fourth grade classroom and use it in your own class! I think that's a truly amazing tool and it's such a great way to have 9-10 year olds get engaged and involved in the community around them through the Internet. Teaching kids how to use it safely and responsibly will open so many doors for them and their creativity now and later in life/schooling!
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