21st Century Pedagogy using Wikipedia

Abstract

When the era of Constructivismis laced with a broad range of Web2.0 tools, a new form of learning has evolved. Knowledge construction and deconstruction has become easier as the means to write and rewrite information has continued to evolve. Wikipedia is one of the most powerful instruments through which this digital revolution of knowledge creation, co-creation and access has been redefined. This paper is a treatise, exploring the ease with which Wikipedia can be assimilated within the curriculum and how even a secondary school student can add to the immense world of knowledge.

Wikipedia is a free access, free content platform that offers every person the capability and easy-to-use tools to become a contributor of knowledge. Since its inception in 2001, the online encyclopaedia hasgrown with a burgeoning number of articles being added, modified and reviewed by contributors worldwide by the second. The very nature of the website is collaborative, thus enabling collective learning and cooperative exchange of information. Placing a student in this infinite space as a collaborative contributor of information, which is governed by the website’s stringent governance policies and is open to review and critique across the world, makes him or her a conscientious creator of verified knowledge which consolidates the learning at the highest taxonomic level of education. This curricular integration of Wikipedia could thus be the very essence of constructivism, making it a highly desirable and viable method of digitising any pedagogy.