The History Teacher and Wikipedia
Teaching and Learning in an Era of "Instant Historying"

Instant messaging, made possible by technological advancements and the Internet in particular, allows an author to immediately deliver text to an audience. The increasing popularity of websites like Wikipedia and Twitter further allows individuals -- often acting anonymously and in real-time -- the incredible ability to create and edit the electronic sources which society looks to for information. With encyclopedic entries updated within minutes if not seconds after news of an event breaks, historians and educators must navigate an ocean of opportunities and obstacles in this Era of "Instant Historying."

The Society for History Education is pleased to spotlight recent scholarship in The History Teacher on the specific use of Wikipedia in the history classroom. Historians/educators are encouraged to share their original research or activities with fellow teachers by publishing in the journal. View our Contributing Materials page for information on submissions.

"Raising the Stakes: Writing about Witchcraft on Wikipedia"
by Elizabeth Ann Pollard of San Diego State University
The History Teacher Vol. 42, No. 1 (November 2008): 9-24
The article examines the relationship of academia with Wikipedia by exploring how an assignment helped students become better historians. The assignment for History 400W students require students to create Wikipedia entries on witchcraft and magic accusations from the Greco-Roman period through Colonial America. It describes the assignments completed by the students. Rubric-based assessment has revealed that the assignment has fulfilled student learning goals including researching and writing about a specific historical research. The analysis has also found that supervised student participation on Wikipedia fulfills these student learning goals (EBSCO/Academic Search Elite).

"Wikipedia: How it Works and How it Can Work for You"
by Elizabeth M. Nix of the University of Baltimore
The History Teacher Vol. 43, No. 2 (February 2010): 259-264
In the article, the author discusses how Wikipedia works and how teachers can effectively use it in the classroom. The main problem with electronic encyclopedias is with the accuracy of the information. Since Wikipedia is maintained by volunteers rather than by qualified historians, the information can sometimes be inaccurate. The article notes that since Wikipedia use has greatly increased and has seen increased use by scholars and teachers, history teachers should find ways to use it in the classroom. The author describes the benefit of having students prepare and submit articles to Wikipedia (EBSCO/Academic Search Elite).

"Sleeping with the Enemy: Wikipedia in the College Classroom"
by Cullen J. Chandler and Alison S. Gregory of Lycoming College
The History Teacher Vol. 43, No. 2 (February 2010): 247-257
In this article, the author explains the pros and cons of the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia. The main drawback to the use of Wikipedia in the classroom is that it is maintained by volunteers with no qualifying credentials. The main benefit to the online encyclopedia is that it is continually updated, unlike print encyclopedias. A 2005 study of inaccuracies in Wikipedia and print encyclopedias showed that, with regard to scientific articles, only slightly more inaccuracies were found in Wikipedia. The article suggests how Wikipedia can be used effectively in the classroom (EBSCO/Academic Search Elite).