Week 10a

Activity 1
Please read Baker’s How I fell in love with Wikipedia. As you do so, consider the following:

• Is there anything new for you in the article? There was nothinbg that I didn't already know but I liked the way the article shared thew experiences of using Wikipedia how obsessive a person can become when contibuting to it.
• Does it make you more or less likely to consult Wikipedia, or does it make no difference? I'll continue as I did before. I've always taken what is in the Wikipedia as being an 'open to discussion' forum, even being based on hearsay so I don't rely heavily on it even though I know its moderated. I don't usually reference from the Wikipedia.
• If you have used Wikipedia in the past few weeks – whether for H800 or for other reasons – review your use of it. Its given interesting info which I take with a pinch of salt!
• Where have you found it most and least valuable? I've found it more valuable when searching for general info that would be found in the public domain as its quick and concise and can lead me to more detailed info. I find it least valuable as a reliable tool for academic research.
• Are there certain types of topic that you feel happy looking up in Wikipedia? For example, do you consult it for factual information such as names and dates, and/or explanations of technologies, and/or insights into broad topics such as ‘learning’? Tend to use it for personal use rather than for work or study.
• Why is a Wikipedia entry not generally regarded as acceptable as a reference in an academic journal? For one view on this, you could search on ‘citing Wikipedia’ within Wikipedia itself! Although moderated it unlikely the moderator is an expert in that field.
• And if you are involved in supporting learners in some capacity – interpreting ‘support’ very broadly to include professional and personal contexts – what advice would you give them about how they could use Wikipedia? It gives a good overview but it may be based on hearsay or personal opinion rather than on fact or research. No harm in using it but keep an open mind.
• How does your use of Wikipedia compare with, say, your use of Google or GoogleScholar? You may like to think back to your tutor group discussion of the graph in Week 1a Activity 4.
  And if you haven’t used Wikipedia recently, think about why that is. Are you using other online sources, or books, or…? I use it far less than google or books etc. This may just be because of habit or I'm more comfortable in the way I research at the minute.