Archive:Stories: Difference between revisions

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+{{cquote|I'm a designer, an educator, a parent. I used to go to my textbooks and my encyclopedia to find out about the world around me- the past and the present, maybe a hint of the future. Then I went to the internet, to the usual suspects, the search engines; until it seemed clear that the first info one would find, would often be the entity who could afford to pay for first position- not necessarily the best info.
+And then I discovered Wikipedia.  It's democratic, it's progressive. Its invaluable. Ideas, facts, personalities, places that one could never find even the slightest mention of in most places are there. Things that the people of the world feel are noteworthy are regularly under consideration for inclusion. The possibility that an individual could play a part in writing their own story or at least be accountable for fact checking- it's just great.
+I send my students there. They find what they need. They learn the proper structure for creating footnotes and bibliographies. My daughter even submitted an entry pretty recently. It was incomplete, so she's still got to work on it, but the fact that she and the other kids know that they can add to the internet encyclopedia, that they know what a wiki is, that they can be a part of telling a story of our world and our history, instead of just reading about it, that's just incredible, totally empowering. Thank you. There's a real sense of community and hopefulness in the broader understanding of the underlying concept of Wikipedia and how powerful it is because of the scope of the audience who uses it.}}
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 {{cquote|I suffer from a rare form of varicella zoster, called zoster sine herpete. Though there are many sites that offer info, there was nothing on preventative care/possibilities> it was not until I happened to read the page created on Wikipedia that I read about a study that discovered that three or more servings of FRUIT per day, could help prevent/reduce reoccurance of this seriously painful condition. I went on to read the study, which was well done, and showed that taking viatims or supplements didn't cut it, only real fruits. I cannot express the relief that at least I can TRY something (ok, something I should have been doing anyway, in a structured fashion) to boost my immune system to fight this horrible condition. Thank you Wikipedia and the wonderful author who posted this study!!! I am so grateful.}}