Wikipedia: Stepping Stone or Main Source?

Wikipedia in my opinion should be used to obtain information that helps to produce highly credible information from other credible sources. The thing about wikipedia is that one is able to add additional information and post the sources of which they obtained this information. The part that adds comfort to users of wikipedia might be the idea that editors control the information. When something is posted that is false, the editors remove the content off the site.

When wikipedia was initiated, it was not catered to students. It was deemed as place of freedom to post information, a sense of utopia.

While in undergrad, I was told by professors not to use wikipedia. But I still skimmed for information on wikipedia to use to find other credible sources and build my paper from there. I was always under the impression due to teachers inputs that this site lets anyone write anything and most of it isn't true. I guess I never really thought about the idea of editors double checking what someone writes because I was already brainwashed with other people thoughts.

I found St. University website to contain to contain all necessary information of the five W's.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words.....chapter 2

       Constructivist teaching method helps to teach children based on what they already know using the knowledge they have to further more knowledge. In chapter two, in extending children’s knowledge of how the earth revolves around the sun, the teacher takes her students outside on a sunny day and has them trace the shadows of different objects. The shadows movements are than compared throughout the day, thus the children are eager to further their knowledge on what is causing the movements of the shadow. The active learning is an effective way of children to learn because they are involved in a process versus listening to someone lecture, reading out of a book or watching a video.

        I am in all support of this method of teaching. While growing up, my favorite part of my day in school was going to science class, biology lab, chemistry lab and most of math class. This is because in the science classes, the instructor allowed us to experiment and see different images under a microscope. We were also able to mix different chemicals and see how it would react. This helped to enforce what we learned through reading textbooks or lectures.

        Math class provided the opportunity to use numbers and find the solutions to various types of problems. Once the teacher taught you the process and steps to reaching the correct answer, we were able to use what we learned, input the numbers where ever they belonged and solve for an answer. When you checked your answer by inputting your answer back in the equation and it was the correct solution, the joy of being able to solve that problem you thought was hard at first was your reward. Also in math, the knowledge you obtained in one topic of a subject has to be used in the next stage. If you didn’t fully understand the previous, you wouldn’t be able to move forward. So working out problems and understanding what you are doing instead of memorization only helps your development.

         When a teacher is able to relate what they are teaching to on hands activities it is a great thing because of the effect it has on the learning process of a student.

Chapter 1 Thoughts

       I found it quite interesting that "adolescents spend an average of 6.5 hours a day with media.", and "Across the seven days of the week, this amounts to the equivalent of a full time job, with a few hours thrown in for overtime." Now lets think about this for a second, when you were an adolescent, do you remember spending this much time with media? If I did such a thing, I would have never imagined that's how much time I consumed. Through a seven day work week, the hours amount to a full time job with hours that can be added into overtime...it amazes me that a person can spend so much time indulged in those activities, but when it comes to waking up early and doing what you need to do, it seems impossible.

       To even further this interesting fact, "According to Prensky, an average college graduate has spent some 10,000 hours playing video games and 20,000 hours watching television compared to 5,000 hours engaged in reading.". I must say, I totally dislike playing video games but the watching my favorite shows on television, I am guilt of.

       This chapter discussed that teachers tend to teach the way they were taught. They use whole group instruction, arranging desks in rows. The students are usually taking listening, taking notes, or completing worksheets, causing the teacher to lose the students interest and fail to engage them. Teachers need to be aware that teaching methods that were effective for them, may not still be effective for the generation of which they are currently teaching.

Believe and Achieve

• Who am I designing for?
• What am I designing?
• What is my final product?

I would design for the students of which I am teaching for they are the ones who are moving forward and those to come in behind. Students would be able to carry the techniques learned onto the next course. Incoming students will take what was taught previous, absorb it and transform the knowledge.

Questions will be free to ask, no one will be scared or feel they will be charged a penalty for asking  question. Implementing "there is no such thing as a dumb question" is priority. "If you believe, you will achieve" will be proven true. "The sky is the limit", I was able to overcome some of the toughest obstacles through believing in myself and you can too. "Never give up", for you will never get to where you want and need to b.

Final product is a motivated student who isn't afraid to try!

                                                                                                                                                                    

From todays in class discussion, I have realized that a person can be an instructional designer but cannot be a teacher, while a teacher has the ability to be an instructional designer and a teacher.