This document discusses how Wikipedia can be used for learning and teaching. It provides an overview of Wikipedia, noting that it is an online encyclopedia that is continually created and updated by users. It also highlights some specific Wikipedia resources like the Scots Language Wikipedia for teaching Scottish texts, Wikipedia for Schools which has content checked for schools, and Simple English Wikipedia for English language learners. The document encourages using Wikipedia to learn about historical events on a given date or facts related to a classroom topic through searching the site.

1. WIKIPEDIA in the classroom
DOYOU KNOW ALL IT CAN DO FOR LEARNING
ANDTEACHING?
Malcolm Wilson
ICT Curriculum Development Officer
Falkirk Council Children’s Services

2. So what isWikipedia?
https://www.wikipedia.org/
Ever-evolving online crowd-sourced encyclopedia with emphasis on reliable
references
One of the most visited websites in the world
Search for anything in a search engine -Wipedia entry likely to be first result
Continually created & updated - articles on historic events appearing within
minutes
Wikipedia’s goal is to offer “the sum of all human knowledge” in a format
which is legal to copy, modify and redistribute to all, at no cost

3. There's more to it than meets the eye...
more on that in following slides!
But first:
There's aWikipedia page aimed specifically at providing advice for
parents/carers or teachers of children and young people, about their use of
Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Advice_for_parents
Wikipedia is freely editable by anyone and everyone, but this does not mean
that anyone can write anything. Safeguards are in place.
Did you know you can see the history of contributions or editing of a
Wikipedia entry? Look for the “view history” tab

4. What happened on this day in history?
How about a fact of the day related to what you're teaching that day?
Just use your favourite search engine to search for today’s date
Wikipedia lists, for each and every day, anniversaries of notable events in
history as well as birthdays and deaths of those who have made a mark in
history, and special holidays or observances in different countries
And everything is linked to pages with more information - and references for
even greater in-depth study!

5. Scots LanguageWikipedia
https://sco.wikipedia.org/
Whether it's January around the birthday of Robert Burns or November and St
Andrew's Day, schools in Scotland look for texts in Scots
Tens of thousands of articles written in Scots
Whether news stories or topic articles Wikipedia in Scots provides texts which
show the language in current use

6. Wikipedia for Schools
http://schools-wikipedia.org/
Specifically aimed at schools in the UK and aimed at use by pupils
6000 articles, 26 million words and 50,000 images checked for use by schools
Categorised by school subject
You can also get a copy on USB memory stick for offline use

7. Simple EnglishWikipedia
https://simple.wikipedia.org/
Simpler English - shorter articles, simpler words, shorter sentences
Ideal for English language learners - young and old, children or adults where
English is second language

8. News today
Pillar ofWikipedia is non-bias - multiple-editor safeguards, and
referencing requirements
News and the links to related articles within Wikipedia give fuller
explanation on any topic

9. Want to know more?
Visit the blogpost aboutWikipedia in the Classroom
http://tiny.cc/wikipediainclassroom
Provides links with descriptions to a
range of ways in whichWikipedia can
be used in the classroom