Wiki Platforms for Teaching in the Humanities
Ongoing experiments in the Liceo “De Cosmi” in Palermo
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.6092/issn.2532-8816/21227Keywords:
AIUCD2024, Digital Education, Wikipedia, Wikibooks, De Cosmi High School of PalermoAbstract
In recent years, AIUCD, in collaboration with other associations, including AICC, has expanded its efforts to train humanities teachers in schools. This paper presents and reflects on two ongoing experiments at the Liceo "G. A. De Cosmi" in Palermo, which emerged in part from a teacher training course on the educational use of Wikipedia and Wikisource, organized by AIUCD and AICC. In the first experiment, students were guided in creating or editing Wikipedia pages related to Italian literature and modern history. In the second, they developed an Atlas of European Cultural Lexicon, a hypertext presented as a Wikibook, featuring analyses of key terms essential for the study of European history, philosophy, and literature. This paper explores the pedagogical foundations, conceptual framework, and objectives of these initiatives while also assessing their outcomes. It highlights critical challenges, areas for improvement, and the actual impact on students' education. The creation of teaching materials in the form of Wikipedia articles or Wikibooks is particularly relevant at 'De Cosmi' High School, located in a suburban area of Palermo, a Mediterranean city facing significant challenges related to social inequality and urban cohesion, as many students at 'De Cosmi' come from disadvantaged sociocultural backgrounds and do not have access to textbooks.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Paolo Monella, Antonino Fiorino, Francesca Saieva, Antonella Sorci
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