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Wikipedia is no stranger to us. We have all used it now and then. And we have all marveled at the crowd-sourced information that it comes loaded with.
Created by Wikimedia, a non-profit organization, Wikipedia serves up articles in over 285 different languages. In the English language alone, the article count has exceeded 3 million. Wikipedia is like an encyclopedia of information curated from over the Internet. It is an online platform for knowledge sharing. The articles in Wikipedia are written collaboratively by its users.
As the name suggests, Wikipedia is built on a ‘wiki’ platform. This means that the articles can be edited by anyone. However, the fact that articles on Wikipedia can be altered has called into question the reliability and accuracy of the platform. Many think that since it is an open platform, it is susceptible to error. But if you come to think of it, there is enough evidence against this misconception.
Here are two of those:
Judging by the resourcefulness of Wikipedia, it can be used for a legion of educational purposes. But before we get into that, there are a few things that you would need to know.
Things to Keep in Mind While Using Wikipedia
As trusted a resource Wikipedia might seem to be, you must always educate your students to stay one step ahead while using it. Here’s what they can do:
If you go through a Wikipedia article carefully, you will come across a few references. These are mentioned as numbers within third brackets beside certain words in the article. If you scroll down to the bottom of the article, you will find the source links being listed in order under ‘References’. These are the sources that the information have been taken from. It is important to go through these before using the article as a resource.
A sure way to identify if an article on Wikipedia is reliable or not is to look for the citations. If you find no citation in an article, it is a confirmation that the said article should not be used as a resource. You can also make a class assignment out of that by asking your students to pick up the slack.
Right below the ‘References’, you will find a section titled ‘Further reading’. This is the bibliography of the article it is listed under. This list contains information about:
You can use this information to locate the books that have been used as resources.
Each of the external links used in Wikipedia may not be trusted ones. You can rely on popular websites like ‘thetelegraph.com’, ‘bbc.com’, and so on. But sometimes you might come across dodgy website names that immediately sound a blaring “Abort mission” alarm. Chances are these websites are not credible. The safest thing to do would be to stay away from those.
If you are wondering how to judge the same, there are a few parameters that can come to your rescue. Find those here.
Even though Wikipedia offers a wealth of information at your fingertips, you are going to be in the dark about when and by whom an article you are meaning to cite has been edited. So, even if you can learn from the website, it is best not to cite a Wikipedia article altogether.
Do not forget to gather a complete know-how about Wikipedia before urging your students to use it as a resource. If you still have unanswered questions, then you can check out Wikipedia: FAQ/Schools.
Guidelines for Uploading Contents on Wikipedia
Wikipedia has a few specific guidelines for every editor. Be sure to make your students aware of those before they step into the realm of Wikipedia-behind-the-scenes.
Wikipedia takes plagiarism very seriously. You cannot copy and paste an article from the Internet. Since the articles on Wikipedia are a part of the commons, a disputable article like that is going to be a blinding violation of the rules. Therefore, make sure the articles your students publish are original and so are the edits.
Before elaborating on a topic, it is important to find out if it is worthy of inclusion in Wikipedia’s long list of articles. For an article to cross the inspection filter successfully, you would need to make sure that it follows the notability guidelinesstipulated by Wikipedia.
If you go through a few articles on Wikipedia, you will find that each of them has been written without bias. Wikipedia is simply a vending machine of facts that does not include opinions or judgment. Teach your students to put aside stance before plunging neck-deep into writing or editing articles.
Since your students will be editing articles written by someone before, a clash in opinions could seep into the scenario. It is important to maintain appropriate behavior at this moment. Outspoken disagreement will make the situation worse. Ask your students to exercise a neutral standpoint and deal with it in the most polite way possible.
How to Use Wikipedia in the Classroom?
There can be a number of ways to experiment with Wikipedia in the classroom. Some of these include the following:
Wikipedia is commonly used as a research tool. You can encourage your students to gather information about a topic from Wikipedia. They can incorporate these into their projects and assignments. However, make sure that before they step into this, they are completely aware of the measures they should take before using the information provided.
Apart from assignments, Wikipedia can also be employed for further research on the topics being taught in class. For example, if you look up Abraham Lincoln in Wikipedia, you will find a number of additional facts apart from the ones elaborated on in the History book. That is surely going to scoop up brownie points if you use those in examinations.
Wikipedia for Schools is a great place to start.
Spring of 2008 saw Professor Jon Beasley-Murray at University of British Columbia assign students the task of creating articles on the books they have read in his class, “Murder, Madness, and Mayhem: Latin American Literature in Translation”. These articles were meant to be published on Wikipedia.
They took every measure to make this attempt shine through. The prize at the end of the line was an “A” for the “Good Article” label and an “A+” for a “Featured Article” label on Wikipedia. For those who are wondering what that means: Wikipedia assigns “Good Article” and “Featured Article” status to exceptional works published in the platform. While 1 in every 800 articles can bag the “Good Articles” status, only 1 in every 1200 articles reach the “Featured Article” level.
The results were incredible. His class produced three Featured Articles and eight Good Articles!
Your class can be a part of this too. Before starting off, check the Wikipedia criteria to ensure that the articles being produced align with those.
If you look closely, you might come across a considerable amount of articles that are screaming for improvement. This can be your next classroom assignment option.
You can divide the class into groups and ask each group to choose an article on Wikipedia related to their curriculum that requires further edits. Once they come up with some topic ideas, you can review those and assign an article to every group, along with a deadline. Leave them to their own devices. You will be amazed at the wealth of information and editing possibilities they come up with. The finished articles should contain correct citations, information, and enhancements. It should be complete and devoid of any glaring room for improvement.
Remember, the articles your students put up for publishing are only as good as the references they have used.
Now the best bet for a class assignment would be stub articles. These are short articles, which are not too exhaustive. You would find a list of those here.
Remember to steer clear of controversial and ‘Featured’ articles.
Wikipedia’s multilingual feature is highly useful for students who are learning a foreign language. The following can come in handy:
You can choose articles from these pages and assign those as classwork or homework to your students. This way they would remain in the loop of the learning curve even when they are using Wikipedia.
Do Not Forget to Review Your Students’ Works Thoroughly
Finally, no matter how you decide to integrate Wikipedia in your classroom, you should always review each and every student’s work thoroughly before you give them the green signal for publishing. You can tally each article with the one your students have built on and check whether the changes made are necessary. You can also conduct a discussion session with your students to convey your feedback and suggestions for improvement, if any.
For more insights on how you can integrate Wikipedia into your classroom, you can check out the 12-week syllabus that Wikipedia has put together for effective implementation.
What are your ideas of using Wikipedia in the classroom? Share those with us. We would love to hear from you.
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