Hammond, Thomas and David Farhie (March/April 2009). Wikipedia: friend or foe?. Learning and Leading with Technology, 36, Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://www.learningandleading-digital.com/learning_leading/200904/
This article includes a point and counterpoint opinion on the use of Wikipedia as a classroom resource. Thomas Hammond says yes (friend), but that it needs to be used appropriately. Hammond says it is important to consider the nature of the curriculum. If the curriculum is specific and intended to transfer information then he would prefer to stick to text books. If the curriculum content is open and encourages critical thinking then using Wikipedia as a structure, rather than an information source, by which students are aware of the source credibility, comparison, and bias works for him.
David Farhie says that Wikipedia does not belong in his classroom (foe) because he questions credibility. He says facts are only as reliable as the sources and Wikipedia's sources are an ever-changing and edited contribution of knowledge. Farhie agrees with Hammond on the importance of not relying on Wikipedia as a complete information source, but he goes beyond this to explain the implication this has for his students. Farhie teaches his students the importance in determining credible sources, to be aware of stated online "facts" and "truths," and to wisely use resources like these as blocks to building their own knowledge rather than absolute truths.
Question 1: Online resources are tough to control in a Web 2.0 environment where students are able to access information in many ways and from many sources. What ways can a teacher encourage students to differentiate between credible and non-credible sources?
Answer 1: I was recently observing a 6th grade class and above the 15 class computers there was a poster on the wall titled "How to find a credible site?" Among many tips, one idea is to understand where the information is coming from by the website address. For example, a website ending in .gov, .ca, or .us is a government hosted website and probably can be considered credible.
Question 2: What does Wikipedia say about the information credibility and it's appropriateness in classrooms?
Answer 2: In an article written by the Chronicle in 2006 titled Wikipedia Founder Discourages Academic Use of His Creation, Jimmy Wales is quoted discouraging college students from using Wikipedia for class projects or serious research.
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