Wikipedia through the SAMR lens is worth the price of admission

 I admit I have been suckered into the Wikipedia donation more than once.  After today’s class, I feel so much better about the stewardship of my spending.  I never paused to try to understand the mission of Wikipedia, I just donated out of guilt that if I was using their product, I should pay for it in some way. Today however, I wanted to know more about this ‘free’ source, so I did a little research and found Wikipedia’s purpose defined, guess where..  Yes that’s right, on a Wikipedia page! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Purpose

Using the SAMR model, I would put this new technology into the Redefinition category.  As we introduce Wikipedia into the classroom as a reliable source of information, it could be viewed as just a substitution for encyclopedias, journals, textbooks or even the more modern google search.  Once our students learn how to become editors of the knowledge and begin to collaborate with other editors from around the globe to develop one comprehensive, factual body of knowledge, then their learning has been redefined.   They are now able to draw upon knowledge from people all around the world and conversely have their work and ideas viewed, reflected, and improved upon by people all around the world.  To bring this type of learning into the classroom makes my meager donation feel like money well spent.