Links and info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Pfctdayelise/Safe_wiki Wikipedia, the free online encyclopaedia that anyone can edit, has long been criticised by educators and even banned from schools. However, an "abstinence only" technique is bound to fail: even if Wikipedia can successfully be banished from a single classroom, this approach doesn’t enable the student to use Wikipedia appropriately later on. As Wikipedia is now one of the top ten most visited websites around the world, it seems safe to say that like sex, avoiding it completely is not realistic. This talk highlights little-known aspects of Wikipedia that help to understand how it works (and fails), and analytical tools that can be used to evaluate a Wikipedia article’s reliability. It also provides an overview of potential projects for Wikipedia in the classroom, and Wikipedia norms relevant to its inclusion in the HSC English syllabus.

1. “Safe wiki ”:
Teaching
responsible
use of
Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher
Wikimedia Australia
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

2. Brianna Laugher:

Wikipedia editor since 2005

Wikimania attendee, speaker

Blogger: http://brianna.modernthings.org/

Wikimedia Australia ctte
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 2
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

3. Educational landscape
School TV, radio, newspapers,
TAFE magazines
University Family, friends
Adult/comm. Wikipedia + ?www
education Public libraries
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 3
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

4. Wikipedia:
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 4
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

5. Wikipedia:
1: encyclopedia
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 5
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

7. Wikipedia:
1: encyclopedia
2: website
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 7
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

8. Wikipedia:
1: encyclopedia
2: website
3: not for profit
Wikimedia Foundation = Wikipedia +
Wikinews, Wikibooks, Wikiversity,
Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikispecies,
Wikiquote, Wikimedia Commons
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 8
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

9. Wikipedia:
1: encyclopedia 4: multilingual
2: website
3: not for profit
Wikimedia Foundation = Wikipedia +
Wikinews, Wikibooks, Wikiversity,
Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikispecies,
Wikiquote, Wikimedia Commons
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 9
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

10. Wikipedia:
1: encyclopedia 4: multilingual
2: website 5: wiki
3: not for profit (community)
Wikimedia Foundation = Wikipedia +
Wikinews, Wikibooks, Wikiversity,
Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikispecies,
Wikiquote, Wikimedia Commons
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 10
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

11. Wikipedia:
1: encyclopedia 4: multilingual
2: website 5: wiki
3: not for profit (community)
Wikimedia Foundation = Wikipedia +
Wikinews, Wikibooks, Wikiversity,
Wikisource, Wiktionary, Wikispecies,
6: free content
Wikiquote, Wikimedia Commons
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 11
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

12. Anatomy of an article:
Tabs:

Article
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 12
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

13. Anatomy of an article:
Tabs:

Article

Discussion
(Talk)
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 13
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

14. Anatomy of an article:
Tabs:

Article 
Edit this page

Discussion
(Talk)
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 14
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

17. WikiEd
syntax
high-
lighting

18. Anatomy of an article:
Tabs:

Article 
Edit this page

Discussion 
History
(Talk)
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 18
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

19. timestamp user/IP edit summary

20. Diff view Timestamp, user/IP
edit summary
,
Removed text

21. Timestamp, user/IP,
Diff view edit summary
Added text

22. Analysing histories:

Wikipedia Page History Statistics
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 22
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

23. Analysing histories:

Wikipedia Page History Statistics

WikiBlame
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 23
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

24. Analysing histories:

Wikipedia Page History Statistics

WikiBlame

Wikipedia
Trust Project
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 24
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

25. Analysing histories:

Wikipedia Page History Statistics

WikiBlame

Wikipedia Trust Project

WikiChanges
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 25
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

27. What types of projects?

Referencing
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 27
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

28. “Wikipedian Protestor”
http://xkcd.com/285/

29. What types of projects?

Referencing

Evaluating articles
accuracy, coverage, depth
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 29
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

30. What types of projects?

Referencing

Evaluating articles

Improving/creating articles
Work with WikiProjects!
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 30
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

31. What types of projects?

Referencing

Evaluating articles

Improving/creating articles

Analysing collaborative authoring
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 31
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

32. HSC English
Don Carter, the English inspector at the
Board of Studies, said the course was
intended to teach students skills of
analysis to enable them to be more
discerning about content they found on
the web.
quot;It was felt that Wikipedia reflected notions
of the global village; that fluidity, of being
up to date and changing in a way that
other websites don't do.quot;
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 32
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

33. HSC English
{{globalize}}: (2,500+ articles)
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 33
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

35. HSC English

Wikipedia:List of controversial issues

Wikipedia:Naming conflict

Wikipedia:Naming conventions (geographic names)
“Safe wiki”: Teaching responsible use of Wikipedia
Brianna Laugher (Wikimedia Australia), ACEC 2008 35
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/

36. WP:LAME

37. Thank you!
Brianna Laugher
brianna @ modernthings.org
http://brianna.modernthings.org/
Wikimedia Australia
http://www.wikimedia.org.au/
contact @ wikimedia.org.au