Showdown in the "Wiki" State

Our next stop rests at the state that is sometimes considered the place of “debates”. In this state, there are issues that keep going like an energizer bunny. There are issues that will not rest, no matter who tries to step in and put the fire out. Newspaper after newspaper feature issues that are being propagated throughout the state. This state is officially called “Wikipedia”. In this state, it is useful to see the wealth of information embedded and also the number of people adding their knowledge to a growing pool. While this knowledge is sometimes deemed irrelevant and opinionated, a fresh breath comes after noticing the positives that can come out of this. As a student, Wikipedia was a site that I leaned on for support. It helped me clarify terms and theories. By researching other entities, I was firm in my belief that Wikipedia was useful and accurate. Colleagues say that Google is considered a woman’s boyfriend and a man’s girlfriend when it comes to education because of the broadness and the reliability. Google, a trusted site, produces Wikipedia as a top result for many searchable topics. While that has little bearing on the idea of Wikipedia becoming a trusted site, it shines light for students and strategies that could benefit them. In an attempt to have students think for themselves, the idea is that thinking for oneself provides avenues for self-learning and the solidarity of standing on one’s opinion versus believing everything one reads. By researching, it provides students with the drive to prove something for themselves and the confidence to present information to others. It is interesting to watch the expression on the face of a child who has a rebuttal against a teacher. The fire in their eyes as they strive to prove one wrong and the intuitiveness to back up their statement brings nothing but satisfaction. Their goal of “I’m smarter than the teacher” acts as a medal that they can show off to everyone. The challenge is getting that same drive and directing it towards learning about things they are interested in. The previous state of Twitter produced an interesting idea towards its incorporation into the classroom. This state of Wikipedia brings another avenue of active engagement with the idea of “wikis”. By seeing how Wikipedia works, students can form their own wiki and have people edit their work over time. By adding information to a wiki, it will be a way of watching the views of others on any given topic the student chooses. Having a student produce a wiki adds the pressure of making sure their information is correct and accurate. This sense of freedom, like twitter, makes this incorporation one that lasts more than a year. This can add an effect that travels with students for years to come. This is one of the ways to keep up with this ever-changing world of blogging.