Sam Korn wrote:
As ever, I'm a little more optimistic than you, Scott. I think there is a potential use for members of the Wikipedia community to go into schools and explain how Wikipedia should be used because
- children /will/ encounter Wikipedia;
- they need to know how it can be helpful and how it can be harmful; and
- teachers are unlikely to be able to impart this knowledge.
You want to train wikipedians in a primary school? Turn off the PCs and give them grammar and dictation.
And Latin.
Dum spiro, spero
However, Children will encounter many things that are helpful and harmful: MacDonalds, Disney, Microsoft, Celebrity Big Brother, and the blessed Royal Bank of Scotland.
Whilst the odd guest speaker from such organisations appearing for an hour on a dull Friday at the end of term no doubt has its merits, I wouldn't start developing your agenda for "Wikipedia Classes" anytime soon. Or maybe youtube should be there too.
If given a good general education, kids will, for the most, figure such stuff out for themselves. And in any case, the law of technological evolution says by the time primary kids hit the workplace, Wikipedia may well be as relevant as my intimate knowledge of the ZX Spectrum.
Scott