Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Week 5

Wikipedia
We all have heard that we should not used Wikipedia as a source in any paper. Anyone can change facts and the "facts" can be any range of fact (or fiction.) I have never used Wikipedia as a source for any of my school reports or researches. I knew that people change the facts for fun or for benefits. One of my friends has actually told me that his friends in high school used to change facts to something ridiculous just to see how long it would take for someone to notice and change it back.
These articles that I read tell us about a man named Virgil Griffith and some of the work he has done with Wikipedia. Griffith wanted, after hearing that politicians change up their facts on Wikipedia, to see who else changes Wiki information. Griffith found a way to trace Wikipedia changes back to the groups who changed them. We can actually see exactly why our teachers have told us to never use Wikipedia.

What I've Learned This Year
This is a great blog for anyone who wants to be a teacher. Mr. McClung highlights and describes some if the major points that many future teacher may worry over or make mistakes about. He writes about what some of my best teachers have. They have to listen, be flexible, communicate, and learn.
We need to listen to our students and fellow workers. Hear what your students say like what problems they may have or what would help them further. Take advise from others. Your ideas may be good but another's may be better. Being a teacher does not mean you cannot learn from others, including your students. In fact, being a teacher just means that you have a bigger responsibility to learn. Any teacher who starts off thinking that they know everything and do not need to listen are going to get the shock of their life when they find out otherwise.

Comments 4 Kids
This week I visited Mrs. Cassidy's Classroom Blog and commented on Ryland's blog at this link. Ryland is learning how to read and write. I am so excited for him. Though I had always hated learn how to read and write, I now find them to be two of my favorite hobbies. I hope that he learns to enjoy them also!

3 comments:

  1. I have been told the same thing about the Wikipedia since I have been in the public school system as a youngster. I also, agree with what you said about the "What I've Leaned This Year". It is always good to learn ideas from students or your fellow workers. You made some good points.

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  2. Wikipedia is not all bad. I think it is a good place to start looking for information. I think whatever you read you should back up with more in-depth research.

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  3. My brother has actually done that on Wikipedia before. They caught him pretty quickly, but I still wouldn't use it as a source.

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