Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Wikipedia: Friend or Foe?
Even before reading last night's article, my feelings on Wikipedia were split. As a sole source of information, Wikipedia is usually a foe. However, as a stepping stone for research, it is a friend in the classroom. I encourage my students to go to Wikipedia for basic, common knowledge and to use the References section of the entry to start them on their way to learning more about a topic and discovering new sources. Wikipedia can also be used as a worthwhile lesson in itself, and proves invaluable in taking on the task of teaching students to read critically and evaluate information. When used with caution, Wikipedia can be used successfully.
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Ashley, I absolutely agree that when used correctly Wikipedia can be a wonderful resource with students. I think that the most important thing is that teachers educate themselves on the website before bringing it into the classroom. I often use Wikipedia as a quick reference for information and I think that students could too as long as they understand exactly how the site is run. How do you think we can teach students benefits of Wikipedia as a reference to start a topic?
ReplyDeleteI think that a great way to show them how Wikipedia should be a jumping off point could be something like the Search Stories we were shown yesterday. The whole idea of searching and finding yourself caught in the "rabbit hole" is something that most of my students do almost unconsciously and making it explicit could be the first step. Aso, making it a point to directly point out the References section and to model how one might use those sources to continue their search is also important.
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