This week we added yet another tool to our repertoire: wikis. Wikis are websites that anyone can post and edit on. I think that wikis are very similar to blogs because they provide information that is open to the general public to view, unlike Google Docs and Evernote, which are more private and are shared with selected people. Wikis are also similar to blogs in respect to the ability to comment on the post. Blogs and wikis both encourage discussion on the information being shared in order to acquire different perspectives and opinions. This helps the reader learn even more about the specific topic. In my opinion, the most beneficial thing about wikis is their convenience for conducting research. I have never had trouble finding a wiki about a topic that I am studying! However, I am sure most of you are aware of the dangers of wikis. Since wikis can be edited by anyone, there is no verification that the information you are receiving is correct. As a result, you should always try to find other sources to support the information you find on wikis! Even though I have always been told to be cautious about wikis, I have found that Wikipedia tends to be very good at monitoring the accuracy of the information that is shared on their website. You can never be too safe though!
This week, we also learned about the importance of rights and responsibilities to digital citizens. The legitimacy of wikis would be greatly improved if everyone obeyed good digital citizen rights and responsibilities! Sadly, this is not the case and people abuse the digital world every day. Here are the three most important rights and responsibilities, in my opinion, that would drastically change the Internet if everyone followed:
1) The right to posses you own material
2) The right to freedom of speech
3) The right to feel safe.
I also got to learn how to use Bubbl.us this week to brainstorm rights and responsibilities. I really enjoyed this part of the learning activities! This is what I came up with:
To learn more about wikis this week, I followed the Wikipedia Featured Articles Feed on Feedly. The featured article for March 8, 2015 was Lost Luggage (Video Game).
The article gives an overview of the game, the development of the game, and information about the release and reception of the game. It was an article that I would have never found without my Feedly, which goes to show how useful Feedly can be! It also shows how there is a wiki page on almost everything. Overall, I enjoyed exploring the Wikipedia Featured Articles Feed and finding random wiki pages, such as Lost Luggage, that I would have never learned about on my own.
Jesse
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