[Year 12 IT Apps] Re: Wikipedia a NSW HSC English Text

[stephen at melbpc.org.au]

Jill kindly writes,

> Hi Stephen,
> 
> That's a really interesting development.
> 
> After hearing Jimmy Wales speak last year, we put up a page about
> Wikipedia on our CMIS website:
> http://www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval/curriculum/ict/wikipedia/
> 
> It includes ideas for use of Wikipedia in education that fit with some
> of the things raised in the article. Interestingly this page is by far
> the most popular link on our website!
> 
> Best wishes,
> 
> Jill
> 
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Jill Midolo Coordinator Evaluation (CMIS)
> Department of Education and Training
> 151 Royal Street EAST PERTH WA 6004
> Phone: 08 9264 4603 Fax: 08 9264 5708
> Email: jill.midolo at det.wa.edu.au
> URL: www.det.wa.edu.au/education/cmis/eval
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>
> On 5/26/08, stephen at melbpc.org.au <stephen at melbpc.org.au> wrote:
>
> > HSC students to get Wikipedia course
> >
> > Stephen Hutcheon May 26, 2008 - 10:56AM
> > http://www.theage.com.au/news/web/hsc-students-to-get-wikipedia-
> > course/2008/05/26/1211653895427.html
> >
> > In an Australian first, NSW HSC students will from next year be able to
> > take a course in studying Wikipedia, the online collaborative
> encyclopedia.
> >
> > Wikipedia, which ranks among the world's top-10 most visited sites, has
> > been listed by the NSW Board of Studies as prescribed text for an 
elective
> > course in the English syllabus for 2009-2012.
> >
> > The website is one of a number of "texts" - a choice that also 
includes a
> > book and a movie - which students can choose to study in an elective
> > called the Global Village, a course examining how the world's 
communities
> > communicate and interact.
> >
> > Don Carter, the English inspector at the Board of Studies, said the 
course
> > was intended to teach students skills of analysis to enable them to be
> > more discerning about content they found on the web.
> >
> > "It was felt that Wikipedia reflected notions of the global village; 
that
> > fluidity, of being up to date and changing in a way that other websites
> > don't do," he said in explaining the reasons behind the choice.
> >
> > Founded in 2001, Wikipedia is now available in 253 languages and 
attracts
> > about 700 million visitors annually. The English editon alone contains
> > nearly 2.5 million articles.
> >
> > Wikipedia is maintained by volunteers from all over the world and 
anyone
> > with an internet connection can create and edit articles and publish 
them
> > on the site.
> >
> > However, because the site allows authors and editors to use pseudonyms,
> > the system is open to abuse, vandalism and a selective telling of 
history
> > that reflects an author's bias.
> >
> > Greg Black, the CEO of education.au, a not-for-profit educational 
training
> > organisation run jointly by the Federal Government and the education
> > sector, has welcomed the decision.
> >
> > He said it marked the first time in Australia that the study of 
Wikipedia
> > had been formally included in a syllabus.
> >
> > "The reality is that, with one click of a mouse, you can get 
information
> > from anywhere at any time around the world, which is fantastic," he 
said.
> >
> > "But what the kids really need to learn about is whether it's fit for
> > purpose, the context, the relevance, whether there's an alternative 
view -
> > an understanding about how to use information in an effective way."
> >
> > Mr Black, whose organisation brought Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales 
to
> > Australia on a speaking engagement last year, said it was only in the 
past
> > couple of years that schools and education systems were coming to terms
> > with how to use the internet in a systematic way.
> >
> > He said that children were using the internet not just for study 
purposes
> > but increasingly for all manner of social and recreational activities.
> >
> > "The reality is that schools and schools systems are going to have to
> > engage with this whether they like it or not."
> >
> > The move was also welcomed by a local Wikipedia editor who writes under
> > the pen name name of Privatemusing.
> >
> > A long-time volunteer Wikipedia editor and a member of its soon-to-be
> > formed local chapter, he said that the best way to learn about new 
media
> > such as Wikipedia was to "plug in".
> >
> > Wikipedia should be seen as a first port of call that can "point you in
> > the direction of more authoritative resources".
> >
> > "Because of that, I have high hopes that it will be a very valuable
> > experience for high school students," he said, one that would expose 
them
> > to the "good, bad and ugly sides" of Wikipedia.
> >
> > --
> > Cheers people
> > Stephen Loosley
> > Victoria Australia
> >
> 


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