To Wiki, or not to Wiki? That is the Question.
Wikipedia and YouTube have always been strange bedfellows for educators:
Wikipedia
Today I find that Wikipedia is one of the best sources of information out there for students looking to get started on research. However, just because it is a great starting point, one has to be smart about how they allow it to be utilized in student research projects. As I teach middle school students, the first thing I do with every lesson is to model my expectations for the activity. I believe that Wikipedia is a great tool to begin research on a topic, so I direct students to use it to get background information on a topic and identify key words. However, if a student wants to use it for evidence, they must follow the footnote links to the actual source in order to cite it properly. In this way, students can show that a proven author has given the information rather than a potentially unverifiable resource.
YouTube
For YouTube, I do like to use the videos to aid my instruction, and a lot of Education 2.0 tools allow the use of YouTube exclusively for students to include video media inside of their presentations. The danger of this resource is that anyone can also post anything on YouTube, and as an educator I always struggle to ensure that my students aren't exposed to inappropriate material while I either show a video in class, or students use it to find supporting materials. Luckily, there are ways to combat this- for instance, I can use a resource like Quietube to block out suggested other videos and advertisements from my feed. However for my students, there is nothing I can do beyond hoping that they use appropriate judgment during their research.
Gender Gap
For educators using these resources today, there is another largely unknown factor to consider when determining their validity- the gender gap in online posting. According to the Freakonomics Podcast "Women are Not Men", though women actually outnumber men in online gaming and social media use, they are massively underrepresented in Wikipedia. The speakers argue that this is likely due to the fact that men and women have "different appetites for conflict", and that women may take rejection of their work by editors of a site like Wikipedia more personally than men would. Regardless of the reason, this has serious consequences depending on the topic of interest someone may peruse on the site. If predominantly (as high as 80%) of the editors on the website are men, than many topics that should have a woman's voice present (ie: women's rights, abortion) could be solely relayed by a male-bias. If a reader then comes across the text and treats it legitimately, there can be real concerns about the content and whether or not it is fair to the topic at hand.
I had never considered this issue prior to listening to this webcast (transcript available here) and it really made me question whether I can continue to use Wikipedia as an educational tool in any respect. However, if students are properly educated about these issues, and are taught how to properly use Wikipedia as more of a search engine than a factual website, they can prove the trustworthiness of the article simply by following the footnote and verifying the legitimacy of the original articles. In that vein, it is we must teach our students about the strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities that any online resource presents before we allow their usage in our classrooms.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteYour strategy for having students use wiki is to the point. As I was reading Deters_etal_2010, Howe mentions the process can be categorized as, "you make it, name it, work it and find it". If this process is explained to the students well, that would get them excited. As with the limitations, students have to get used to it. Once I gave an inquiry based project to my seniors on Exponential Functions, they really panicked. They told me, Mrs. Dave you have taught us anything about this, how can you give us a project? I think our students mindset is that they receive instruction, and they showcase their learning through assignments or homework. If we challenge them into work like wiki, it may create a lot of hoopla. Your idea about researching a topic through wiki is more doable.
It is interesting that students tend to panic when they haven't learned a topic yet and are expected to do research on their own first. This is likely because they are used to a specific pattern of instruction that we ingrain in them from their formative years. One way to combat this would be to give an example completed assignment on a similar topic, so that students could familiarize themselves with it prior to conducting their research.
DeleteDeters et al. also mentions that students often don't value Web 2.0 activities due to the lack of teacher support of the program. This is likely because we mistakenly treat them as something unique that we tackle once a semester as a class rather than as a common option for assignments. I think as a teacher, I need to identify tools that I think hold unique value, and I could then push them continuously throughout the year in order to establish their value and ensure student follow-through.
Thanks again for sharing your example, I am curious how did you manage to conquer your student concerns regarding the research project on Exponential Functions?
Alan, your view is along the lines of 'pedagogy vs. technology' rather than technology for technology's sake. If there is purpose in the technology, then it's probably useful in multiple spots. Thus, that should overcome the 'unique' problem.
DeleteSneha, your experience is not uncommon. Particularly to the high achieving students who are 'good at school', they are used to the process of receiving and regurgitating information. Shifting that process is scary for some, as they've become comfortable and successful with the 'old way'.
Alan, I wonder how much our concerns about students using YouTube is based on our content area. Teaching English and Social Studies, I'm guessing your students are much more likely to stumble across controversial or offensive material than my biology and chemistry students. I mostly worry about my chemistry students finding videos that encourage physically dangerous experimentation, which are sadly plentiful on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteI think your concern about the gender gap in Wikipedia contributions is well founded, and I was also troubled by the statistics given in the Freakonomics podcast, though not actually surprised. I had heard about how famously contentious Wikipedia editing can be from multiple sources, and I have to say this would likely drive me away, as well. Why would I want to spend my valuable (and scarce) free time writing information that will likely just be deleted? This seems to conflict with the findings of both Fu (2013) and Deters (2010), who found creation of wikis to be good for collaboration. I'm guessing this discrepancy may be due to that frustrating internet factor, where relative anonymity and a lack of oversight seem to result in users acting far less civilly than they ever would out in the world. Hopefully knowing each other in real life, as well as being aware that a teacher can see their edits, will keep this extreme competition at bay when using wiki creation in the classroom, and perhaps enable more even participation.
I completely agree! One way to eliminate the gender gap in adulthood could be properly teaching Wiki tools to students in a safe environment so they better know what they are getting into. The internet is unfortunately a bastion for trolls, but if we arm our students ahead of time with the proper mindset and practices in our classroom, over time this could lead to changes in the way online Wikis are treated as well.
DeleteI also never considered the fact that my topics would lead to more controversial choices, but that's a very interesting point. In terms of your chemistry students, do you specifically preach a warning about the inherent danger in the online experiments, or do you approach it on a case-by-case basis?
Thanks again for your comments!
Oh, I most certainly give a blanket statement warning students about these types of videos, but I still get many students watching them and then coming to ask me "is this actually dangerous?"
DeleteAlan,
ReplyDeleteI agree when students are learning about research, Wikipedia is a good starting. Deters_etal 2010 recognized, "Wikis can be used to facilitate ongoing thought-provoking discussions about many topics over the course of semesters or academic years." It is very wise of you as a teacher to make sure that the information the students give to you is crediIt help the student to do some good fact checking along the way.
Thank you for the kind words- Credibility is always a concern for me- even more now with our current political climate. I'm thinking about using some of the material in the news today to create a mini-unit next year around credibility and verifying appropriate sources of information as fact. How would you approach the Wikipedia conversation with students?
DeleteI think a LOT of teachers are incorporating these skills into their curriculum after the past 12 months.
Delete