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 Ratings
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| Reviewed: |
Feb 21, 2010 by Teacher Education |
| Overview: |
Wikimedia Commons is a media file repository making available public domain and freely-licensed educational media content (images, sound and video clips) to all. It acts as a common repository for the various projects of the Wikimedia Foundation, but membership is not required in order to use media hosted here. The repository is created and maintained by volunteers.
Wikimedia Commons uses the same wiki-technology as Wikipedia and everyone can edit it. Unlike media files uploaded to other projects, files uploaded to Wikimedia Commons can be embedded on pages of all Wikimedia projects without the need to separately upload them there. Unlike traditional media repositories, Wikimedia Commons is free. Everyone is allowed to copy, use and modify any files here freely as long as the source and the authors are credited and as long as users release their copies/improvements under the same freedom to others. |
| Learning Goals: |
The learning goals will be determined by the instructor. |
| Target Student Population: |
Teachers Pre-K through Adult Learners. Students from grade 4 through adult education. |
| Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills: |
Users will need basic web navigation and searching skills. They will also need to know how to download and insert media into their own documents. |
| Type of Material: |
Wikimedia Commons is a digital repository. |
| Recommended Uses: |
Wikimedia Commons can be used by teachers as a resource for adding media to their presentations. Students may also use the images, video, and audio files to their projects.
Teachers of all levels can find material that will boost student learning, especially the learning of English language learners. Students of all levels will also find the massive media collection to be beneficial. |
| Technical Requirements: |
Flash video, javascript, image handling capabilities, pdf reading ability. |
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| Strengths: |
Wikimedia Commons has over four million files and ninety thousand collections. Volunteers are continually tagging the media, making it easier to search for content. All files can be downloaded and used for free as long as appropriate credit is noted. |
| Concerns: |
As in all materials that have the "wiki" name attached to them, users should be cautioned by the fact that anyone can edit the material. Users of the materials should not assume its accuracy. |
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Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool |
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| Strengths: |
Teachers and students need to make sure their presentations and other documents contain media that is legally licensed to be used. In the past, this meant they would have to buy images or video clips. Wikimedia files are all free to use if properly cited.
The number of files is impressive. The search engine is effective. Media files from this site are easily threaded into teaching. |
| Concerns: |
There is still confusion on how to cite an image or other media file. It would be nice if there was citation information that could easily be copied and pasted into a document, with concise details on what needs to be done. |
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Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty |
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| Strengths: |
Each media page contains download and copyright information. There is valuable language information, as well as information about where the file is currently linked. One of the biggest strengths of this site is its sheer enormity. |
| Concerns: |
While the directions for downloading and using the files are clear to power users, novices may struggle to understand how to download images and how to give credit for use. |
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