- Quote: Rather than banning Wikipedia, why not make studying what it does and does not do part of the research-and-methods portion of our courses? Instead of resorting to the “Delete” button for new forms of collaborative knowledge made possible by the Internet, why not make the practice of research in the digital age the object of study? That is already happening, of course, but we could do more. For example, some professors already ask students to pursue archival research for a paper and then to post their writing on a class wiki. It’s just another step to ask them to post their labors on Wikipedia, where they can learn to participate in a community of lifelong learners. That’s not as much a reach for students as it is for some of their professors.
Note: Great essay from Cathy Davidson from the Chronicle of Higer Education. As if:Book points out, here is a scholar defending the value of Wikipedia. Nice to see.
– post by willrich
In the Time magazine of 2 April 2007, a question posed to Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia is reported: “How can i persuade my teachers to allow me to use Wikipedia as a legitmate research source?”
The frank response of Wales is: “I would agree … that isn’t the right way to use Wikipedia. The site is a wonderful starting point for research. But it’s only a starting point becuase there’s always a chance that there’s something wrong, and you should check your sources if you are writing a paper.”
Quite an admission: Yes, use Wikipedia, but check whether what you read is true!