(Business schools) 5 Reasons Why Wikipedia is a Good Teaching Tool
No commentsBy kelliew
Every once in a while, we here our students cite great facts or topics from relevant websites or blogs. Im sure youve heard Wikipedia being mentioned every now and then.
For those of you who havent visited the site yet, Wikipedia is:
A free multilingual encyclopedia project supported by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation. Its name is a portmanteau of the words wiki (a technology for creating collaborative websites, from the Hawaiian word wiki, meaning quick) and encyclopedia. Wikipedias 12 million articles (2.8 million in the English Wikipedia) have been written collaboratively by volunteers around the world, and almost all of its articles can be edited by anyone who can access the Wikipedia website. Launched in January 2001 by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger, it is currently the most popular general reference work on the Internet.
So instead of the traditional large volumes of books you previously had in your shelf, the creators of Wikipedia have developed a system where a community of trusted editors (volunteers) works on informative articles on any available subject.
You might be thinking of adding this website as a magic wand in your teaching career and helping you with certain topics that textbooks may not have yet covered. But youre also probably thinking is it worth the try? Well, it certainly is.
Im not suggesting you consider Wikipedia as your sole source of information but as a valuable supplement.
Here are top 5 reasons why you should have Wikipedia as a good teaching tool:
Collaboration of Trusted Editors : There is a strict policy on editorial process for Wikipedia considering the fact that its an encyclopedia which is available for editing anonymously. But according to Wikipedia: Each entry in Wikipedia must be about a topic that is encyclopedic and thus is worthy of inclusion. A topic is deemed encyclopedic if it is notable in the Wikipedia jargon; i.e., if it has received significant coverage in secondary reliable sources (i.e., mainstream media or major academic journals) that are independent of the subject of the topic. With that in mind, you can expect topics and articles presented on Wikipedia to have that trusted credibility.
Selections of Languages : There are about 246 languages supported by Wikipedia. So if you want to have information to be derived in a non-English native language, the left Languages sidebar should help you translate in just one click.
Effective Search Engine : It may not be as competitive as Google, but Wikipedias search does have some useful results. For example if you search for teaching, aside from the article about teaching itself it also gives you: For university teachers, see professor. For extra-help teachers, see tutor. For Parapros, see Paraprofessional educator. These give you versatility when researching a topic and expand to other subjects of interest.
Notes and References to Different Sources : This is one of my favourite features in Wikipedia. At the bottom of each article you will have dozens or even hundreds of notes and references to the subject. These references could be from cited websites, online documents, newsletters, videos, etc.
Revision History : Although this feature doesnt get visits often, but it does help to know the timeline of revisions done to the article on the History section of Wikipedia. Especially for articles and topics which get updated or modified by certain events or other related facts.
About the Author : -
Dave Fuentes is an SEO Analyst/Consultant and is also contributing content for TheEducationProfessionals.Com Teaching Jobs, the number one online resource for those seeking an education career in Dubai and the Middle East.
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Scholarships As Income To Fuel Your Education
By Simon Ma
Scholarships are Excellent Source of Financial Aid
If you are getting ready to attend college I’m sure you are wondering how on earth you are going to pay for it. Even graduating high school students are more and more often finding that they need to contribute in some manner to their college educations. Whether you will be taking out student loans, applying for scholarships or grants, or praying for some sort of work study program to come along there are a few things you need to know about financial aid at the college level.
First of all, financial aid can be a tricky beast. For this reason it is best to apply early and keep records of everything you send to the financial aid office. The information age has made things easier on one level and yet has eliminated the personal factor on other levels. However, if you own a personal computer you will find that Internet is an excellent source for financial aid and scholarship information. While the government offers a wide array of financial aid resources, there are many opportunities for you to get an education that do not revolve around government funding. You simply need to spend the time finding them.
Your local community is an excellent resource and a good place to start when it comes to financial opportunities for those preparing to attend college. Civic organizations and local businesses like to give out scholarships to promising students. Many of these have very specific requirements and you should pay close attention that you meet the qualifications before applying. There is no sense in wasting your time and that of the scholarship committee by applying for scholarships for which you do not qualify. Scholarships are preferable to student loans, as they do not need to be repaid. This is one of the most important things you need to understand when seeking financial aid for college. Loans are killers to your income for the first several years after graduation. The fewer loans you can manage to take out for your education the better. They are however there for those who couldn’t possibly afford an education without them.
If you don’t find the scholarships you are hoping to at the local level, you should check with the county in which you live, your state, and the school you plan to attend. There are excellent resources for each of these when it comes to financial aid. Within the college you will be attending you should consult your department head (for your chosen major) in order to see if there are any scholarships available. You will be surprised at the number of scholarships for which you may qualify. Apply for all that you meet the requirements in order to apply. Competition for these scholarships is often fierce but you never know when your letter of application might spark the interest of one of the panel members or you simply might be the most impressive candidate.
When applying for scholarships remember to read all the instructions carefully, make sure you have all the necessary documentation, and that you have checked and rechecked everything for accuracy and clarity. It takes time to make corrections and they can often be the difference in your being awarded a scholarship and the honor going to another student. Scholarships are by far the best route to go when it comes to applying for financial aid but you should be careful that you aren’t placing all your eggs in one basket. Try for multiple scholarships, work-study programs, grants, and if necessary loans in order to achieve your educational goals.
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Excellent Reasons To Complete Your Degree
By Simon Ma
Great Reasons to Complete your Degree
A university education is one of the best possible ways to insure your earning power upon graduation. There are all kinds of fields and all kinds of majors, some paying higher than others but as a rule, college graduates will earn more money over the course of their lifetimes than those who do not have a college education or degree.
We live in a world that increasingly demands more of its citizens. We need to have the ability to hold academic conversations on the corporate level that go well beyond the score in last nights basketball games. Companies’ want well-rounded employees that epitomize all the great things that a four-year degree has to offer. For this reason, even those who have labored in order to gain an associate’s degree are getting left behind in favor of those who have a more ‘complete’ education.
If you have already entered the work force there is still the time to increase your earning potential by seeking higher education. Colleges and universities today are offering more options for students wishing to return to college than ever before. In fact we are seeing an increasing number of college students that are classified as non-traditional students. We are seeing many more adults returning for the education they didn’t receive the first time around, which is good news. It also means that more and more options are becoming available at night and on the weekends for those adults.
Even better is the fact that more and more often we are seeing courses being offered online for those who are seeking to complete their education. This allows even more options for those students who are desperately trying to balance careers, family, and education. As more and more opportunities such as these arise we will also see a growing number of graduate studies opportunities being offered in a similar fashion.
If you are thinking of returning to school after years of absence or perhaps attending for the very first time while managing an existing career there is no time like the present in order to do so. Not only will a college education give you greater earning potential in your lifetime it can also qualify you for promotions within the company for which you currently are employed.
The truth of the matter is that you really can’t go wrong when it comes to going back to college and getting or finishing your degree. You can increase your earning potential, your promotion potential, and most importantly your self-image. There is something about having a degree that makes you feel better about yourself and your ability to provide for your family. Even if you never actually use your degree for anything other than a plaque on the wall, you will have the knowledge that you accomplished something that only a small percentage of the population ever gets around to completing.
If nothing else, your college education is worth every penny you will pay in order to have it for the wonderful sense of accomplishment that goes along with getting it. Your college degree won’t make you a better person; just give you a better opinion of yourself as a person in many instances. If you need a confidence booster in your professional and your personal life, getting your college degree is often just the bump of confidence you need in order to accomplish many great things.
See also, How To Boost Your Metabolism and How To Lose Weight And Build Muscle
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 4:03 pm and is filed under education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
