Wikipedia myths…let’s take a look

Posted by Kira on September 22, 2010

Most teachers I know say, strongly and with pride, that they will not allow students to use Wikipedia as a class tool. Hmmmm.

I tell my students something different. I tell them they most certainly can use Wikipedia, as long as they back up what they find with another source. It can’t be their only citation on a subject. Also, if they use a Wiki for information, they must fully understand any terminology they write down. For example, if they are going to cite a line from Wiki that includes a vocabulary word they don’t know, they have to research the word and be prepared to tell the class what it means in regards to their research. Some Wiki entries are a bit above my students, you see.

Wikipedia, because of how it is curated, IS the most accurate written encyclopedia on planet Earth at this time. Sorry, folks, no, it is not all garbage posted by fools who just want to ruin the internet with their lies. Instead, it is a community-created, carefully curated resource for anyone to be able to quickly find accurate information on almost any topic. It includes photos, and references to other websites backing up and/or offering adjacent information.

I use the Wikipedia discussion as a time to talk about Good Digital Citizenship with my classes. This means, not only taking from the internet, but offering something back when possible. It also includes the concept of discretion. If something sounds out-of-this-world, it may be. So we need to back it up and find another source that agrees.

Here’s a link to a great little video by Common Craft to explain Wikipedia’s concept further. BTW, I was inspired to write about this by this article.

Bookmark It