Wikipedia

Wikipedia is an free online encyclopedia. It is made up of openly edited information and that sometimes raises concerns to do with its accuracy. Wikipedia uses a number of quality control processes to ensure the information is accurate and reliable. Wikipedia is currently among the ten most popular websites and there is a good reason for that.

While I often use wikipedia to check out words or processes I am unsure of, I have never thought to use it to gather resources until now. To test how well it would work if I used a specific lesson type, and developed the lesson using resources from wikipedia, I decided to see what was available for NXT robotics.

I was blown away by what I found. I have always tried to get relevant youtube for the students but wikipedia linked me to youtube videos that were much more practical than any I had located on my own. I learnt many things about the NXT system which I had not previously known. These can be used to help students program their robots with less difficulty while at the same time stretching their perceptions on what is possible. And I was able to find links to groups on Robotics ranging from experts to school run programs to robotic events that students could enter and compete in.

As I like to remind the children, they are not playing with a toy but with the same level of technology NASA used to design the sensors in the space shuttles. The wikipedia page also linked me to other robotic groups with which we can collaborate, compete against and (for those who like programming) share code.

My experiment was a complete success and I was amazed at how long I had considered this resource in the same way I had thought of a paper encyclopedia. Wikipedia is so much more than that.

This made me consider what would happen if I opened wikipedia up as a resource to the students in my class. Would they benefit as much as I did from using wikipedia?

Absolutely! Connectivism learning theory (Siemens , 2004) explains that students must learn to navigate the internet and its masses of information for them to really benefit from it. Accurate, up-to-date knowledge is the intent of all connectivist learning activities and we have firmly established that wikipedia would definitely qualify a learning support for students in that area.

Also important though is that students come to understand the fluid nature of information in the technological age. They must understand that what they learn today as correct may not be tomorrow and wiki is an awesome example of this happening right in front of them. Wiki is getting updated by millions of people on a daily basis so that it has current up to date information and there is nothing to stop our students actually experiencing this process themselves by making their own educated and informed donations to wikipedia.

Imagine the day when your student comes to you and tells you they think they found a mistake in wikipedia. What once was educators excuse for never taking advantage of this e-learning tool has now presented itself as an opportunity for learning and an authentic learning experience in its own right.

Web links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lego_Mindstorms

http://www.educause.edu/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutWikip/161666

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:About

Reference:

Siemens, G. (2004). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning. [Electronic Resource] Retrieved December, 2009, from
http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm