Like it or hate it, Wikipedia is the first place that many students go when given a topic to research. Wikipedia can be a good starting place for students when they don’t know much about the topic that they have to research. Wikipedia’s labeling system makes it easier than ever to identify articles that may have inaccuracies and or biases.
Unfortunately, some teachers, like the one at this David Warlick keynote, dismiss Wikipedia and do not allow students to use it at all. For those people that do not understand how Wikipedia works, this video from North Carolina State University Libraries gives a very good explanation in under six minutes. Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface explains the term “wiki” and how content is added to and altered on Wikipedia. The video is subtitled.
Another great explanation of wikis comes from Common Craft. The subtitled Dot-Sub version of Wikis in Plain English is embedded below.
Thanks to Instructify for sharing Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface.
