Quote: ”Many educators express concern about young people’s increased reliance on Wikipedia as a resource for their homework assignments and research projects. These teachers worry that youth aren’t developing an appropriate level of skepticism about the kinds of information found on this particular site.”
Response: I can understand where educators are being concerned on the reliance of Wikipedia as a resource. I have always been told that any type of encyclopedia cannot be used as a reference. Any encyclopedia should only be used as a starting point for your research paper or homework assignment. It should only be used to get a general feel or knowledge of the topic. However, I do feel that Wikipedia is a good starting point for anyone seeking to learn something about any topic. I agree that it should never be cited or used at the only reference to the assignment. But Wikipedia is a very knowledgeable place to start. Experts help to create the article. They quote and use outside resources. And if they are wrong, other persons/peers can make changes, updates, or even have a discussion about the topic or dispute at hand. And the problematic topic is generally corrected in a short amount of time.
Bibliography:
- "Encyclopedia Britannica." Britannica | Encyclopedia Center | Your Encyclopedia Resource. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. <http://www.encyclopediacenter.com/Encyclopedia-Britannica-s/83.htm>.
- "WHAT WIKIPEDIA CAN TEACH US ABOUT THE NEW MEDIA LITERACIES (PART ONE)." Confessions of an Aca-Fan — — The Official Weblog of Henry Jenkins. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. <http://henryjenkins.org/2007/06/what_wikipedia
Strong understanding of how Wikipedia maintains a reasonable level of accuracy and why it can be used as a legitimate resource for research in the classroom!
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