Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface explains Wikipedia in less than six minutes
April 23, 2009
Wikipedia is just something we use and we know, so there’s no need to really know where it comes from. It is just internet magic. Okay, so you really must know more about Wikipedia? Are you ready for things to get really meta-abstract? Wikipedia has an entry on wikis, an About page for their site and a Wikipedia page for Wikipedia! Does your brain feel like Swiss cheese yet?
That’s probably too much info jamming you up right now. That was my point — I inflict some information overload, then while you’ve vulnerable to suggestion I hit you with the link I really want you to visit. Check out this tutorial from North Carolina State University Libraries. In under 6 minutes “Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface” offers up a great overview on this collaborative community.
What I found really engaging about this video was its focus on the discussion and history tabs. Many readers might just read the article on their subject, gather whatever info they want to know and they’re on their merry way. The discussion and history really help give the reader insight to the zeitgeist of an issue, such as how some people prefer modern pulsating nasal irrigation devices over traditional neti pots. Really. You might also explore issues like Wikiality, vandalism and misinformation.
Wikipedia has the dubious distinction of being the place students go when taking certain liberties for writing papers. The Wikipedia community can also be a place to help illustrate proper citation and research — irony completed. Your students might soon be on their way to reading between the lines in Wikipedia articles. -NICK YINGLING
Wikipedia: Beneath the Surface
Related stuff:
Murder, Mystery, and Mayhem on Wikipedia: A Template For Collaborative Student Research
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