Presentation at Emerging Learning Design conference, Montclair, NJ, June 3, 2016

1. BEYOND ACADEMIA
Teaching Life Skills with Wikipedia
Emerging Learning Design
June 3, 2016
Chanitra Bishop
Iris Finkel

2. I got my information on
Wikipedia

3. I did my research on Wikipedia
What do you tell the student(s)?

4. Activity
 You have two articles on the same topic
 Read them and compare/contrast the
two articles
 Questions:
 Do the articles have the same info?
 What’s the same? What’s different about the
two?
 Is one better than the other?

5. Why Wikipedia in Education?
 Accessible, everyone uses it, not just students
 Started in January 2001
 7th most popular website on the Internet
English Wikipedia Stats
http://rcmap.hatnote.com/#en

6. Why Wikipedia in Education?
 Accessible, everyone uses it, not just students
 Top source on mobile devices
Knight Foundation

7. Why Wikipedia in Education?
 Accessible, everyone uses it, not just students
 Top source of medical info
 Used by journalist & scholars
Knight Foundation
The Oxford Textbook of
Zoonoses Vs. Ebola Virus
chapter 31, “Marburg and Ebola
viruses,” written by Graham
Lloyd, works at the British
government-research facility
Porton Down
Pinsker, Joe. “The Covert World of People
Trying to Edit Wikipedia--For Pay.” The
Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company. 11
August, 2015. Web

8. Why Wikipedia in Education?
Provide opportunities for teaching literacies:
 Digital – learning technology skills
 Information – critical thinking, research,
evaluating information,
 Visual/Media – images, copyright
We can all be producers of information, not just
consumers
video - open access
image - open access

9. Wikipedia Editing
Assignments
Tips for editing assignments
 Learn more about Wikipedia -
https://wikiedu.org/for-instructors/
 Determine your learning objectives
 OK to start small
 Copy-editing
 Entire class edits an article
 Creating new articles vs. adding to an article
 Connect with the Wiki Education
Foundation
 https://wikiedu.org/for-instructors/
 dashboard.wikiedu.org

10. Other Assignments
 Getting Background info from
Wikipedia
 Compare Wikipedia article to
another source
 Evaluating Wikipedia Articles
 What references are used?
 Adding Images
 Tracking the evolution of an
article

11. Wikipedia in the Classroom

12. What students have to say
“...Discovering an article that was important but missing certain relevant
information, or perhaps had not covered all aspects of the topic equally or
fairly -- was very challenging and I have not often had to look for this type of
thing. I very much enjoyed researching Academic writing about the topic and
finding information to fill-in some of the holes in the article. Overall, It
produced in me a greater desire to edit Wikipedia articles in the future to help
counter misinformation incomplete representation of the truth of certain
topics.”
“...The assignment itself was challenging in that it forced me to stretch
the limits of my researching skills and to be more discerning in regards to my
chosen sources. Overall my experience with Wikipedia has given me a new
respect for the site and the editors who lend their expertise to add to its base of
knowledge. If ever in the future I decide to join their ranks, I know I’ll be sure I
have something worthwhile to add.”

13. Five Pillars
 Wikipedia is an encyclopedia
 Wikipedia has a neutral point of
view
 Wikipedia is free content
 Wikipedians should interact in a
respectful and civil manner
 Wikipedia does not have firm rules
other than these five general
principles

14. Who is the Wikipedia
Community?

15. Wikipedia: Behind the Scenes

16. Bibliography
 Altman, Thomas, Rosen, Daniel, Nadarajah, Siva, et.
al. Engaging Patients Through Social Media. New
Jersey: IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics,
2014. Web.
 Lynch, Jack. You Could Look it Up: The reference
shelf from Babylon to Wikipedia. NewYork:
Bloomsbury Press, 2016. Print.
 Pinsker, Joe. “The Covert World of People Trying to
Edit Wikipedia--For Pay.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media
Company. 11 August, 2015. Web.
 Thonemann, Peter. “The All-Conquering Wikipedia”
The Times Literary Supplement. 16, May 2016. Web

17. Additional Sources
 Dougherty, Jack, O’Donnell, Tennyson.Web
Writing: Why and How for Liberal Arts Teaching
and Learning, University of Michigan Press.
2015. Web.
 Nawrotzki , Kristen, Dougherty. Writing History
in the Digital Age. University of Michigan Press.
2013. Web.
 Wiki Education Foundation -wikiedu.org &
dashboard.wikiedu.org

18. Thank you!