Wikimedia projects as teaching tools

Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects have enormous potential as teaching tools. This page is a preliminary effort to outline possible areas in which Wikimedia projects can add value as tools, and how this may be done. It is a work in progress so please do add any examples or ideas you may have.

Languages

For language students, the translation of Wikipedia articles is an excellent way to sharpen linguistic and translation skills. It also offers the chance to review spelling and grammar and the use of language by native speakers. Contributing to the Simple English Wikipedia is another way in which language skill can be improved via the application of particular writing techniques.

Digital literacy

Some academics are concerned that students are arriving at university without critical thinking skills, research skills. Editing Wikipedia is a great way to learn these skills. Referencing articles is excellent for learning research methods, understanding verifiability is equally important. This is particularly true of online sources, which vary hugely in their reliability. Therefore teaching to do's and Don'ts of citing online sources should be a central theme. The basics of wiki markup provide a solid foundation for those wanting to learn to code. In a way this could be the first time many students see 'under the bonnet' of the internet, and learn to engage and interact with it in a constructive way.

Photography

Those wanting to improve their photography skills can use Wikimedia Commons as a way of gaining an audience for their work and being able to discuss different techniques and skills.

Subject knowledge

Wikipedia's referencing system provides easy access to aggregated, useful content on any given topic.