I was warned to stay away from Wikipedia before I even knew what it was.
The controversial user-supplied information system came into being sometime during my high school experience. My teachers lumped it into the same characterization as Cliffs and Sparks notes. I was only just starting to use the internet as a resource; the computer's primary functions were the following:
1. Word Processor
2. Warcraft 2 (later 3)
3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
4. Civilization 4
If I needed to cite a source, I would go to the Farmington Public Library, within walking distance of my house. Additionally, I did not want to be bothered with the insanity that was MLA formatting of websites before the Purdue OWL. As a result, I was unaware of Wikipedia's potential as a debatable database.
Now that I know better, my opinion of secondhand information sites has changed considerably. My view of Wikipedia became clearer when one of my history professors at Central Michigan used the site as a primary resource in class. I was appalled when the site was shown on a projector and lauded by my professor. The professor revealed that he felt confident using the site in class because he had personally input the information, and he personally edited the pages we would be viewing. He produced books that he had written on the subject; it is not uncommon for professors to assign books they wrote themselves, although I do find it a bit pretentious and presumptive.
My personal view of Wikipedia boils down to this: it is a great jumping-off point for discussions. While I don't believe that any information on Wikipedia can be seen as incontrovertible proof, the assertions made on Wikipedia can be proven through more reputable sites. What Wikipedia does, though, is pretty much the same job that clickbait articles do: provide easily-accessed food-for-thought articles that help readers indulge curiosities and encourage future research.
Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteI shared similar experiences to yours, in that I was taught from an early age that Wikipedia was not appropriate for anything, and that the information on there amounted to little more than a conversation one might hold with a friend who had little knowledge on the topic. I love how you worded at the end of your post that Wikipedia helps readers "indulge curiosities and encourage further research." In my classroom, I often encourage students to go to this resource first, as it often provides a significant amount of background information on a topic. Further, students can then identify additional key words to help them narrow down their research on a topic further.
In our reading this week, Deters et. al found that most teachers tended to view Wikis positively when they felt confident in their ability to use them. I think this is true of students as well, though I also agree that students would need much more structure than adults when trying to tackle a collaborative project using a Wiki page. Given your experience as a teacher and our brief time with Wikis so far, how do you think you could use them in your instruction?
Personally, I have used wiki creation sites to make databases, such as an internet and fair use database my computers classes made last year. The students performed a web quest wherein they found reputable sites that related to a particular issue within the field of fair use. They then made a presentation that was placed on the wiki. Students were able to use other students' projects to resolve right-to-use and copyright issues with articles, videos, and images.
DeleteUp until this class, my opinion regarding Wikis was steadfast, they cannot be used as a reputable source. Keeping that thought in mind I never viewed it as being reputable. However, now that I have learned that unreputable information can be removed from wikis, my view of them has slightly shifted. Additionally, as an answer to your question, in my capacity as a special education teacher, I would teach my students that wikis should be viewed as a source and that further research into other sources couldn't hurt to solidify the reputation of any information they may be looking up.
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ReplyDeleteJeremy I was very surprised to hear a professor had confidence in Wikipedia. I can only hope the information you received was good.
ReplyDeleteThe other point you made about the limited knowledge about website. I have only had to search for journal articles and books when it comes to college. Personally, I enjoy movies, facebook and how to... websites. I am definitely learning a great deal from this class
The professor using Wikipedia was particularly insightful because he mentioned that he had personally updated the wiki database, so he could assure us of its validity. Essentially, it was like having a living textbook.
DeleteI am glad that you are learning a great deal from this class. I have learned a great deal from you, too!
The other thing to consider is that none of us would disagree that we tell our students that we should consider multiple sources when conducting research. I'm wondering how, given the discussion over the past two weeks, do we place Wikipedia ON PAR with other resources, or below/above?
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