We have all frowned at that works cited list. Everyone knows the one that I am referring to. At the bottom of the page you see the dreaded "found at wikipedia.com". You have the idea in your head that Wikipedia is dangerous territory for viable research and legitimate facts. Anyone can add to it? I can think of 10 kids in my class who would jump at the chance to add questionable material about a number of subjects to the Wiki world. However, there is hope on the horizon and we just have to recognize it. Will Richardson spends a solid 15 pages defending the infamous site, with his main point being there is a vast number of people who want to help the world and only a few who are looking to hurt the collective information. After this past weekend, I had never bothered looking at the discussion tab intently before (thank you Nick!), but after investigating that information you really get the sense that there is a collective effort to get the best and most accurate information to the general populace.
Now that the veil has been lifted from our eyes, Robertson walks us through the benefits of Wikis in a classroom environment. Thinking a little more critically about the typical classroom setup, it really is not difficult to envision where a Wiki can fit in. How many times are small group sessions used throughout a curriculum unit so people can collaborate and benefit from their group's collective ideas? Frequently. Wikis are simply extending this idea into the Web 2.0 classroom, where collaboration between not only students, but schools, states, and even countries is becoming more of a reality every passing day. More importantly, Wikis are created for a very specific reason, to help people! Whether it is students collaborating throughout the year to create the ultimate study guide for a final exam, or two schools are working together to create a contrasting study about their two cultures, Wikis are an incredible source of information that is meant to be shared by all. How long before spiral bound notebooks are a thing of the past? Handouts are no longer used in lieu of a organic website created by the students in the class. Viva la revolucion!
When I read those three dreaded words, "works cited list" I literally groaned out loud…seriously. What a nuisance they are, but an important service they do indeed serve. Anyway, I agree with you Bryan that we shouldn't moan and groan when we see Wikipedia show up in a students reference list (unless it is the only item in the list). Maybe in the past Wikipedia was building on unsound ground, but I think their foundation is a lot stronger and more reliable today.
ReplyDeleteIn our discussion round tables last weekend, I realized that information and facts are always going to be subject to review, debate and change regardless of the source. We need to have faith that the majority of Wikipedia's contributors are out to do good by all of us. We just need to go after those students of ours who would post "questionable material" and persuade them leave the dark side of the wiki-force.
My book has also dedicated a chapter to Wikipedia. I have always used wikipedia as a resource, probably not for writing a research paper, but for general information on a topic. I have almost never found questionable information on a topic. It is nice to see that the "experts" agree that these sites are valuable. Wikipedia seems like a great resource for students as they learn to navigate and analyze sites for accurate information.
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