A day in the life of a student would not be able to be told without a textbook being mentioned. In school we went to class, were instructed to read important events and little more to it. I wish that my predecessors would have been more open minded to using the technology of the age. Today, the internet is a tool some of us take for granted, Wikipedia being a site too often overlooked. To many of us Wikipedia is a taboo, we could not use it for our homework in school as a reputable site. What would you say if I told you that Wikipedia can be a useful tool in the classroom?
Originally, Wikipedia was created to be a cheap alternative to expensive and immediately out of date text encyclopedias. Now, a Wiki for nearly anything and it serves as a quick reference guide for anyone with an internet connection. A video made by CommonCraft explains in detail a brief history of Wikipedia and how it can be used effectively. I am not saying that you should believe everything you read on the internet, Wikipedia included, because you may just happen upon an article that is still being worked on. After all, we have all have heard that Wikipedia is run basically by the whole world and just any old Joe can edit it. Although this is true their source must be reliable and sited. Each article is reviewed and receives a letter grade that reflects how true the information is, how bias , and overall importance of its content pertaining to the subject. Just as easily as Wikipedia can be added to, it can be corrected even quicker by those that monitor its articles. We can see now how Wikipedia may have gotten a bad rap, but through research we now know how closely monitored it is and can now be considered a credible source of general information.
On the other hand we have traditional textbooks and we all know how linear learning can be if all we have to work with is text. Through research of articles including textbook publishing controversy and teaching without a text I learned how the process of making a textbook is rather political. To make a long story short, textbook companies are out there as a business venture. In turn they cater to the states with the largest population: Florida, California, and Texas specifically. Whatever these golden three states chooses for their curriculum to be covered in various texts the entire nation must endure learning, there is no special circumstance for specific need of other states. In my opinion this is just plain unfair. Secondly, textbooks are written by hundreds of people, not just one author and are also written so as not to show bias which leads to confusing and vague writing. Lastly, the cost of textbooks has increased dramatically and updated versions are hard to afford for some schools, especially in rural areas. However, textbooks are not all bad. Growing up I remember that school books were packed full of colorful illustrations that corresponded to what I was reading. Since, I have some trouble learning from block text this helped me tremendously. Additionally, textbooks are designed so anyone of any age can take away pertinent information. In turn, this still makes textbooks a valuable part of the education process.
In conclusion, Wikipedia can be a useful tool in the classroom. As educators we can still stand by our old friend the textbook and utilize them as we always have but also introduce new ways of learning through technology. For example; to engage our students we can have them read on a topic they have knowledge about and allow them to edit information on a subject they are interested in. In turn students can get information straight from the source and realize that reliable information does not just come from books but can come from normal educated people from around the world.
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