Teaching Tech-Savvy Kids Chapter 4 Wikipedia
Our now retired librarian categorically said Wikipedia may not be used as a source. She would say, “It’s no good, because anyone can write or edit the articles.” After reading this chapter, I’d still be reluctant to use Wikipedia as a source, however it can give a good overview on a topic and lead to good information sources.
In my other Lesley class I’m researching the use of technology in Project Based Learning (PBR). From the Wikipedia article on PBR, I found several good sites in the external links section below the article. I’ll have to consider the validity of each link, but I think this experience and this chapter have convinced me Wikipedia can be a helpful resource to get started on a research project.
From the Wikipedia homepage, I read Wikipedia’s “About Wikipedia” page. Currently, there are 17 million articles in 256 languages. It seems like this truly is the ultimate global web 2.0 collaboration tool. As Wikipedia says, “our missiion is to bring free knowledge to everyone.”
Tammy recommended going to the page “Ten Things you may not know about Wikipedia” The misconception I have is that you can change Wikipedia. You can’t you can only add to it!
Will Richardson, the author of the book I'm reading, only has high praise for Wikipedia and encourages its use in the classroom. The key points to consider, in addition to the one offered by Tammy, are that:
ReplyDelete-There are more contributors to Wikipedia who are out to do good then to do harm.
-Each entry has a references section at the end of the entry. Have students check out WHO was referenced.
-Check out the Discussion tab, located on every Wikipedia entry, to read up on any debates or questions about the validity of the information contained in the post.