Wikipedia in the Classroom

If there is one thing that I remember from my time in high school it was this, Wikipedia is not a source! I bought into the logic and still somewhat agree with the basic idea behind it. Wikipedia is, at it's core, a wiki (which will be described in an upcoming blog post) and by it's nature a wiki is able to be edited by nearly anyone. Because of this Wikipedia itself cannot be trusted as a standalone source. However that does not mean that Wikipedia does not have a place in the world of education.

Beside the fact that Wikipedia is the easiest way to quickly delve into a topic and get a basic understanding of it, Wikipedia defers from most wikis in a very fundamental way. Wikipedia requires citations for facts that are entered. This means that for most major articles there is a list of citation acquired at the bottom of the article which can be very useful for students when looking for more proper sources or a way to check their facts.

Of course the fact that these citations exist does not mean that student will actually use them. So be sure to still stress the them that Wikipedia cannot be used as a standalone source but rather a way to find more sources relevant to their topic. So in conclusion be wary of turning students off Wikipedia all together but rather work to shape the way they use it in their projects and essays. Just like the rest of the web, we need to be sure that students know how to use it properly instead of assuming they will use it wrong and therefore restrict it's use altogether.

Got Suggestions? Email me! justinhanger+classroom20@gmail.com
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