Category - Internet
Topic - Wikipedia Alternatives
Issue - Other information resources
Tiptoid -
Jason and I were reading an article in the Washington Post called “Defining Reliability in a Wild Wiki World.” Wikipedia is a very popular web resource used by students for studying and learning. The article stated that many teachers are alarmed that their students are relying exclusively on www.wikipedia.com. There are those who argue that Wikipedia does not always give accurate and complete information.
We were shocked, but we read on. The article suggested that we Wikipedia users should always cross-check our information. The following are alternative websites we recommend. These sites offer information suitable for research, and include many interactive challenges to test out learning.
This site is aimed at teachers as a safe place to direct their students for reliable information. It is built for elementary, middle, and high school education content, broken down by grade level. You can search for information on lots of curriculum topics, and the site includes lesson plans, tutorials and research sources. The site is constantly screened by educators. We especially liked the game sections, which showed us entertaining ways to understand the academic material.
This site is for parents who want to help their kids with homework. It has been recommended by parents, who report they have been frustrated with information generated from Wikipedia in particular. The approach at this site is very interactive and game-oriented. You'll find tons of ways to learn through puzzles, mindbenders and quiz show activities. Learning game challenges include – Text Twist, Shape Shifter, Widgets, and Leon 's Math Dojo. Some of the curriculum content topics include – global environments, space, dinosaurs, nutrition, citizenship, and geometry.
This site supports the learning needs of the 1st through 8th grader, with cool games and great articles about subjects like math division or science gravity. We searched for algebra equations and the site came up with an instructional video clip about how to solve certain math equations. The video was really helpful, especially since we're writing our Algebra SOLs this year!
For alternative information resources and interactive learning challenges, as well as the opportunity to cross-check and confirm information accuracy, Jason and I recommend that you check out these internet resources - in addition to Wikipedia - when working on school projects.
It's important to be accurate and thorough in your school work. Besides, your teachers expect you to be!
Glossary -
alternative - a choice limited of one or more possibilities
exclusively - limited to the object or objects designated
cross-check - to determine the accuracy of something by checking various sources
Find Out More -
“Defining Reliability in a Wild Wiki World,” The Washington Post, August 16, 2006.
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Submitted by - Jason Nguyen and Paiyaum Bibizadeh
Site Managers - Chris Bednar, Chanel Franklin, Erin Gallagher
June 2007