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I agree with most of this. But, while it does serve as a source of knowledge construction, is it useful knowledge construction? Social negotiation (Vygotsky) does help one make sense of the knowledge one has constructed, and hopefully, help one to come closer to understanding objective reality. This forum is just that. I am not sure if documenting this in Wikipedia serves the same cognitive function. Wikipedia is not free discourse. Check out the article history on Michael A. Bellesiles. Clearly there are a person intent on having only his viewpoint put across on Wikipedia. > From: Jeffrey L Jones <jeff@emck.net> > > Well, the fun just keeps coming! Really, I mean that sincerely. I > do hope that this particular thread also stays reasonably close to > cordial. EDTECH is over 20 years old. During its first 10 years, the > potential for flame wars were mostly over the "Mac Vs. PC" debates, with > the next 5 over Wikipedia. I strongly encourage all others who are tempted > to join this thread to search the EDTECH archives...lots of good stuff > there. > I'm neither a defender nor a detractor, but Maggi's reference to > the world of Web 2.0 is in the ballpark -- "social networking" as a model > for online knowledge construction is now pretty ubiquitous, and Wikipedia > is probably the most visible manifestation of that. It is also, as Maggi > mentions, a gold mine for teaching critical thinking and online resource > evaluation. That is exactly the focus of a chapter in one of my online PD > course designs. I ask folks to find and evaluate a Wikipedia page for > accuracy and documentation in an area in which they have specific > knowledge, and the exercise is usually quite eye-opening for folks on both > sides of the "Is Wikipedia useful?" debate. > Blocking it is, to me, just silly. At its worse it's a harmless > artifact of 21st century culture, a plaform where we can examine what > happens (rightly or wrongly) when mass consensus and credential'ed experts > collide. Of course, as a true exercise in knowledge construction, > selecting a Wikipedia page to research and rewrite is pretty much a > perfect classroom exercise. > That's my 2 bits... > Jeff > Jeffrey L. Jones, District Technology Resource Teacher > Coordinator, Virtual Classrooms and Communications, Fayette County Schools > Fayette's iSchool - http://ischool.fcps.net/ > The Point, a Fayette County Blogspot - https://edtech.fcps.net/blog/ > 701 East Main Street > Lexington, KY 40502 > (859)381-4124 > jeffrey.jones@fayette.kyschools.us > "You know," said Arthur, "it's at times like this, when I'm trapped in a > Vogon airlock with a man from Betelgeuse, and about to die of asphyxiation > in deep space, that I really wish I'd listened to what my mother told me > when I was young." > "Why, what did she tell you?" > "I don't know, I didn't listen." > - Douglas Adams (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy --- Edtech Archives, posting guidelines and other information are at: http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~edweb Please include your name, email address, and school or professional affiliation in each posting. To unsubscribe send the following command to: LISTSERV@H-NET.MSU.EDU SIGNOFF EDTECH
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