Wikipedia Tips
Just about every kid knows how to Wiki
- Wikipedia is the biggest multilingual free-content encyclopedia on the Internet
- There are more than 7 million articles in over 200 languages
- In a small study by an English lecturer, experts reviewing Wikipedia found errors in 13% of the entries, from spelling mistakes to factual ones
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Advice and Answers
Just about every kid knows how to Wiki.
Wikipedia.org is where millions of people stop first for information. It’s an ever-growing online encyclopedia, amazing in its depth and reach. Tools like Wiki are what make the Internet so valuable. But they also teach an important lesson, one you can start teaching your kids now, of not believing everything you read. Learning how to tell true information from false is the key to developing healthy critical thinking.What is it?
Wikipedia.org is an evolving collaborative online encyclopedia. There are no staff experts. Instead, anyone can contribute an article or ‘wiki.’ Kids go to Wikipedia first when then have to do a research project since it’s one-stop shopping and full of links to related articles. There are millions of entries on just about every topic or person imaginable.
While the site does have rigorous guidelines and a system to catch and eliminate false or irresponsible content, editors just can’t keep up with the millions of constantly changing entries. Malicious articles are removed as quickly as possible. Carefully researched, comprehensive entries do exist, but a disclaimer states that information may be wrong, and that people should use the site as just one of many reference tools.
Why it matters
Because the community creates the content, your kids can get caught flat-footed with incorrect or biased information if they don’t double-check their research. Young kids especially tend to believe what they read if a site looks authoritative, and Wikipedia sure does. Also, there are no filters on Wikipedia, so a kid can input just about anything and get just about anything back.
On the positive front, wikis are a great way for kids to contribute and collaborate. They can share their knowledge and participate in “crowd-sourcing,” which is just a fancy term for collective wisdom. Using Wikipedia can help your kids learn how to tell trustworthy entries from irresponsible or inaccurate ones.
Parent tips for younger kids
- Don’t let them search alone. No filters means lots of inappropriate content. Remember, the site is not designed for kids. Although there are plenty of kid-friendly entries, a lot of mature content and images exist.
Parent tips for middle and high school kids
- Help kids view content critically. Ask your kids how they know if something is true or not. Make sure they use other sources to verify information.
- Know the rules. Ask your kids or their teachers about school policies on using the site for reports.
- Teach kids how to flag inappropriate content. It’s totally cool to write in and report something irresponsible. It keeps the community safe and reliable.
- Find other resources. For reference sites that don’t require as much adult supervision, tell kids to visit SocialStudiesforKids.com, HomeworkSpot.com, and Britannica.com.
I use Wikipedia occasionally, although its a good idea to check the sources of the articles you read at the bottom of the page, and check out the websites they link to, make sure the information is correct. I actually enjoy looking up major battles of history every now and then, and the unique weapons and strategies that were used in each battle, and how they developed from generation to generation. It can be a lot more fun than you think!
Wikipedia is an amazing source, but you shouldn't use it as your main source of information. Always find another site that confirms the info you find. In my experience, Wikipedia is almost always correct. Articles about fan sites and entertainment are more likely to be wrong, because they get more traffic. Who is honestly going to falsely edit an article about the African Tree Grub??
The worst I've seen on it is a picture of Visser Three form the Animorphs TV show. Scary.... O_O
My school doesn't allow us to use Wikipedia because anybody can go on and edit any information they want. There is and "edit" button above the passage and if you click it, you can change any information that you want to. The editors do check it to make sure it's appropriate, but not to make sure it's true. As long as it sounds believable it stays there until someone else comes and changes it back.
I always use wikipedia because it's easy and when i search for something it always comes up. I'm doing a homework assigment about wolves it helping me and i'm also half done.
teachers don't want us to use wikipedia but don't enforce it unless a bibliography is required i usually use wikipedia if i want tovknow more about something that doesn't involve school (example: if i see a person in a tv show and they look familiar and i want to know what else they've been in i look them up on wikipedia)