Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Reaction to Chapter 4 Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web tools for Classrooms

Chapter 4 had a lot of good information about Wikis, and how to use wikis in the classroom.  I do agree that Wikipedia is a very powerful website that offers some of the most up-to-date information but because anyone can edit the website, I do not use it as my only resource.   I had no idea that the word Wiki came from the Hawaiian term “wiki-wiki” meaning quick (Richardson, p. 55).  However, quick does not always mean correct and unless someone is always monitoring what is being writing in the wiki false information could be shown for a period of time.  I have used wiki’s in other courses and they are a good way to collaborate with people in different areas.  I also liked the Wiki Prayer at the end of the chapter, “Please grant me the serenity to accept the pages I cannot edit, the courage to edit the pages I can, and the wisdom to know the difference” (The Wiki Prayer, tinyurl.com/2t8fdf, p. 69).  This is such a true statement and an idea we need to teach our students and children about what is on the web.  Not everything is true and we need to give them the tools in order to know the difference.

 Recourse:

Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web tools for Classrooms, Will Richardson, 2010

2 comments:

  1. Hi Sarah,

    I enjoyed your comments on Chapter 4. I agree that Wikipedia is a good quick reference for finding information on a topic, but it should serve as starting point for further research. I found the Wiki Prayer to be humorous and I could relate to it as well. We always need to critically evaluate what we read on the internet.

    -Sam

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  2. Sarah, Chapter 4 had a lot of good pointers concerning Wikis. I stay away from Wikipedia as much as possible. My degree is in history and I can tell you I have never had a teacher that would except Wikipedia as a reference. Its good for general information and as a starting point, but teachers and students alike need to be careful when using it.

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