Web 2.0 was a phrase I had never encountered until this blogging assignment. After reading more about it and talking to computer people (which I hope to be classified as after this class), I had a better understanding of its meaning. From my understanding, Web 2.0 is associated with the idea of sharing information interactively; designing, moving between operations, and collaborating through applications on the World Wide Web.
Wikipedia is one application of Web 2.0 and started with its own domain in 2001. It was initially set up as an online encyclopedia where people could access information from articles that had been written by qualified editors and placed online. Through time Wikipedia became a place where registered users can enter and update information about anything. Wikipedia is about sharing and finding knowledge and information by millions of people around the world. It is a live document, which means updates can happen at any time. Wikipedia is also available in over 200 languages and is a free online reference source. The editors of Wikipedia are volunteers who continually update and correct information that may have been cited incorrectly. Of course there is always room for error and some editors may have a fact or idea wrong. However, with the accessibility around the world for qualified individuals to correct that information it becomes an amazing process of sharing knowledge.
Wikipedia has over 18 million articles that include links to other sources, photos, timelines, and resources. It is amazing to me how big our world is but how much smaller it is becoming with the accessibility of information in the virtual world we now live in.
Wiki is an outstanding page!! It is true to the meaning of Web 2.0 by constatnly updating the information on the site. I can not tell you the number of times that I have referred to that site for information. There are so many things that you could do with that site in the classroom. You could make a trivia game, have kids post their own Wiki's or even give them an assginment to see how often certain information is updated. If I were you, since you are new to Wiki, go to the site and play around on it for awhile. I think that you will find it to be very useful and accurate. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi Carol,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your post on Web 2.0 Wikipedia. I am glad you clarified for the readers that Wikipedia is a live document or site that can be updated at any time. That is why I hesitate to use it. Now when I was doing my research for YouTube, there wasn't that many credible source that I could find or was familiar with besides Wikipedia. However; I always tell my students because of the nature of Wikipedia, they can not use it for class research. Despite that warning, I have often found useful and valuable information at Wikipedia that at least can get me started on concrete viable research. It is a quick reference source, not the Bible. Thank you for clearing that up for all.
Ceic is right there are some concerns with Wikipedia - I am taking the Research and Design class right now and the prof said absolutly no Wiki references. I was shocked recently at a book adoption meeting to see that the textbook had links which led to Wikipedia... although the rep told us that they had a team of techs who constantly reviewed what the links lead to in order to ensure that the information was accurate and that all links worked.
ReplyDeleteVolunteers???? What a tedious volunteer gig. I wonder how many times a day Wikipedia gets updated? I was checking out Wikipedia earlier today and clicked on "edit" just to see what happened. It gave me a login screen to login before editing. I didn't create a username but it made me wonder. If someone continuously updated Wikipedia with false and/or bogus information would anything happen to them? Is that against the site regulations and can you get in trouble for it?
ReplyDeleteI believe there are certain "protected" pages where you have to be logged in.
ReplyDeleteHowever, when I teach my research class I usually go to the wikipedia page for the college. It says something like "20,000" students attend each year. I click "edit" and change it to 200,000 students. I then refresh the page and the "gasps" from the students are fun! (I of course go back and edit the page to 20,000)
I usually finish by telling the students wikipedia can be a good place to "start" their research but they should confirm the information from a more credible source before using it in a paper.
After reading this blog and some of the comments that followed, I realize how misinformed I am as far as trusting Wikipedia. I have used it for personal things, not for students and I'm so glad I haven't. One thing is for sure if it's created by humans it needs to be checked and recheck. We are all subject to error period. The saying still stands true "never put your eggs all in one basket." There is a wealth of resources so why not check them out. Thank you for opening my eyes.
ReplyDeleteAs a high school English teacher, I constantly fight the battle of using Wikipedia as a reliable source of information. Whereas it is a great resouce for finding out basic facts like the capital of South Dakota, it isn't the best place to search for South Dakota's impact on national issues. What I tell students is that, if all other search options fail, they may scroll to the bottom the a Wikipedia page and check out the Refrences. From there, they may find a more reliable source of information.
ReplyDelete