Wikipedia

There has been some really interesting points made on the ETL501 forum about Wikipedia.

Personally, I support the use of Wikipedia - I would be a hypocrite if I did not. I refer to it on a regular basis if I need to quickly find out a piece of information. I do not however support its use as the sole source of information when it comes to important matters - and I think it should always be used with a degree of caution, and the awareness that it may not be correct. I believe teachers should have expectations of their students that Wikipedia can be used as a starting point, but multiple references are needed to support a fact or argument.

On the forum Chenelle suggested discussing Wikipedia with students carefully, looking at the following web page: 'Wikipedia: Researching with Wikipedia'. She also suggested the creation of a wiki as a class, so that students become aware of just how easy it is for people to change the information - I think these are both great ideas. Glad she is in my group for ETL504!