Wikihood for iPad is a free app that combines maps and Wikipedia entries. With the app installed and location services enabled Wikihood will determine your location then show you Wikipedia entries about places, people, and events near you. If you choose not to enable location services, you can just search the Wikihood map to learn about any place in the world. For example, I simply searched for “Iceland” then clicked through the Iceland entries to open summaries about famous people, culture, economy, and the physical geography of Iceland. I could have also jumped directly to the Wikipedia page about Iceland in general.
Wikihood could be a good iPad app for students to explore to learn about all kinds of places and events around the world. It’s kind of like having an encyclopedia and an atlas side by side. Geography teachers who assign students the task of researching a country may find that Wikihood enables students to get beyond general overview facts about a country and move into learning about the regional and or cultural differences within one country.
