Technology's Saddest Condition

Ever had a desire to "live a bit dangerously?" Try voicing support for Wikipedia in a teacher workroom or library near you. You'll spark a passionate conversation about that won't be easy to settle!

The vast majority of educators don't trust what is quickly becoming one of the "go to" information resources for millions of Americans because it is the collaborative work of thousands of volunteer "experts" sharing their knowledge on topics of personal interest. Literally anyone can add to or edit a wiki.

This lack of trust--fueled by well publicized incidents of inaccuracies--has led some schools to ban the use of Wikipedia by student researchers. It has even led to the creation of Citizendium, which is being billed as "a more authoritative source of information" by its founder, Larry Sanger.

That's why I draw lots of strange looks when I present on how valuable wikis have been in my classroom instruction. You see, my sixth graders have generated nearly eighty pages of content covering topics ranging from conduction to Communism over the past few months. These pages have been collectively edited over 500 times by nearly every single one of my students.

This work has been remarkable in many ways. Perhaps most importantly, it has given my students the opportunity to be engaged as creators--rather than simply consumers--of online content. In a digital tomorrow, children will need to be comfortable with the collaborative power of the Internet.

As Nicholas Negroponte of Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab recently wrote, "In fact, one of the saddest but most common conditions in elementary school computer labs (when they exist in the developing world), is the children are being trained to use Word, Excel and PowerPoint. I consider that criminal, because children should be making things, communicating, exploring, sharing, not running office automation tools."

And our classroom wiki has been incredibly rewarding for the children in my classroom. In a recent survey, 100% of my students reported enjoying wiki work and feeling a sense of pride in what we are creating and 91% agree that our wiki has made them more interested in current events and classroom content. As one of my students wrote, “I like the wiki the best because everyone can participate in it at home and no one is left out…Wikis provide instant access to great information--- and the info you are looking for is always there!”

Does our wiki suffer from inaccuracies like those found on Wikipedia?

Sure. (I did mention that my students are sixth graders, right?)

But that creates built-in teachable moments about the reliability of online information. "Can you trust everything that you find online?" I'll ask. "What do you do when you come across information that isn't supported by links to reliable sources? How do we decide what sources we can trust?"

My students understand that we all have a responsibility for contributing new information, checking what is posted and making corrections whenever necessary. Not only does this engage my children in practical reflections about what we're learning in class, but they also have the opportunity to reinforce writing skills in a meaningful way.

Perhaps the greatest testament to the power of our wiki came the other day when my students realized that the school year was coming to an end. "What are you going to do with the wiki in July, Mr. Ferriter?" they asked.

"I'm not sure," I responded. "What do think I should do with it?"

"Leave it open for us! Let's see what it looks like at the end of eighth grade," they answered.

Posted by William Ferriter at 5:58 PM on February 25, 2007 | Leave Feedback

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