[CASL-L] Fwd: [aaslforum] Wikipedia assignment

[Debbie Abilock]

Sorry I'm late to respond, Patricia, but I guess I'd like to raise the
question: Is fact checking the equivalent of reliability?

Yes facts are one measure of reliability - but there are other serious
problems with a source besides finding factual errors.

   1. What about the argument?
   2. What about using facts to make a contestable claim?
   3. What about misrepresenting what the number mean?

Just one offhand example because I've been doing some research on
pandemics.  Some facts are there and correct - but this is a case of a
distortion of our understanding of certain countries and a disease.

   1. Do a "Find" in the article on China
   <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China> for the word "cholera" and you get
   "Diseases such as cholera <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera>,
   typhoid <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typhoid> and scarlet fever
   <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_fever>, which were previously
   rife in China, were nearly eradicated by the campaign."
   2. Compare that to "The Role of China in the Global Spread of the
   Current Cholera Pandemic <http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25768799>
   which says that between 1960 and 1990 China "was thus both a sink and
   source during the pandemic spread of V. cholerae, and needs to be included
   in reconstructions of the global patterns of spread of cholera.
   3. Indeed under-reporting of cholera
   <http://www.scidev.net/global/health/news/countries-failing-to-report-cholera-outbreaks-says-report-1.html>
   is a common problem in countries like China and India according to WHO
   4. So, Wikipedia is under-reporting cholera in countries and, just in
   case you think it's an omission, see this article specifically about
   Health in India <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_India>
   5. Or this Cholera article <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cholera> in
   Wikipedia

I think when kids are solely on a fact-checking quest, they may misconstrue
what we mean by credible / reliable.

best,
Debbie Abilock
*NoodleTools/NoodleTeach*



On Sun, Mar 13, 2016 at 2:01 PM, Kwidz <kwidz at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> FYI
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> *From:* Paige Jaeger <paigejaeger at gmail.com>
> *Date:* March 13, 2016 at 9:22:18 AM EDT
> *To:* aaslforum at lists.ala.org
> *Subject:* *Re: [aaslforum] Wikipedia assignment*
> *Reply-To:* aaslforum at lists.ala.org
>
> 'Love this practical "crowd-sourced" lesson!
>
> One other thought:  Why not frame this in an Essential Question (EQ) such
> as;  *EQ: How can we determine if something is Accurate, Biased, Credible
> and/or reliable? *
>
> This will give you an opportunity to assess their learning as they may not
> be able to answer this at the beginning of the lesson, but will be able to
> at the end.
>
> Also -- You could layer an element of "real world" and t*ell them they
> are being trained for the Snopes community and will have to become a
> "Fact-checker"  *That might bring a fun element to it.
>
> Enjoy and I commend you for sharing.  Everyone knows our millennial
> students are hanging out on Wikipedia, anyway.
>
> --Paige
>
> *Paige Jaeger *
> paigejaeger at gmail.com
> InfoLit4U at Twitter
> 518.588.9192
>
> Co-author:  Rx for the Common Core; Think Tank Library
> Available via ABC Clio, Libraries Unlimited
>
> On Sat, Mar 12, 2016 at 7:20 AM, Sarles Patricia (18K500) <
> PSarles at schools.nyc.gov> wrote:
>
>> I want to thank EVERYONE for their feedback. Based on feedback both on
>> and off list, both warm and cool, I have re-tweaked the assignment. I
>> really do appreciate the time everyone took to look at my assignment and
>> respond to it. Librarians are wonderful people! Some people felt, why
>> bother with Wikipedia at all since the students are not allowed to use it.
>> It is true, we don't really want students using it, but the reality is that
>> students are most likely going to use it anyway, so why not teach them how
>> to use it critically. Personally (and professionally), I also think it
>> really is a great place to get background information and most especially
>> some of the vocabulary (i.e., keywords) used around that topic.
>>
>> I have taken several suggestions and compiled them into a single
>> assignment. Some suggestions I will use for a second assignment, e.g., to
>> learn to check the history of an article and the talk feature. However, I
>> must admit that there is more I need to learn myself about Wikipedia beyond
>> just being able to read an article and check the references.
>>
>> Here is the re-tweaked assignment:
>>
>>
>> http://collegeresearchskills.pbworks.com/w/page/106074129/Sample%20Wikipedia%20assignment%202
>>
>> Meanwhile, does anyone have a "finding a keyword" assignment or "subject
>> vs. keyword" assignment they are willing to share?
>>
>> Thank you again everyone for your kindness and your help.
>>
>> Patricia
>>
>>
>>
>> ____________________________________________
>> Patricia Sarles, MA (Anthropology), MLS
>> Librarian, Lifelong Learner
>> Jerome Parker Campus Library
>> 100 Essex Drive
>> Staten Island, NY 10314
>> 718-370-6900 x1322
>> psarles at schools.nyc.gov
>> http://jeromeparkercampus.libguides.com/home
>> http://helpingandkindness.blogspot.com/
>>
>>
>> When we diminish a child's reading choice, we diminish the child who made
>> that choice. - Donalyn Miller
>>
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
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