I maybe use Wikipedia for research 50% of the time. Ever since I found out it was a website anyone could post on I probably have started using it less. Now when I do my research online the very first thing I do is Google the topic and try to see what web pages it brings up. I like to see if the page has an author but if not I make sure it has a date and some sort of supervisor or credible source backing it up.
As a teacher I would have to say I wouldn't allow Wikipedia as a source. If you look at most Wikipedia pages you can see sources are cited. If a student is going to go through the effort to find the information on a Wikipedia page they should be able to use the references from the original source and check to see if the information is indeed accurate. This article has a point in stating that there is more information on Wikipedia than an encyclopedia. You can find all sorts of off the wall stuff. The thing is that the people who post on there get their information from somewhere. Wherever that information comes from it is accessible and that means whoever is doing the research needs to find similar or the same credible sources. The article supports my position I feel.
I support internet research. The use of computers is the norm now and it makes it easy to research things. Credibility and plagarism have to be closely monitored though. Anyone can make a website now. Websites need to have a credible author or supervisor or editor. Something that gives the credentials and origin of the information is important. If you don't know where the information comes from then how do you determine its accuracy. A date is key too. You need to know how old the information is and if it is up to date. These are all key as well as if the paper is opinionated or not. Articles should argue both sides and have a good amount of facts over opinions. These are the kinds of policies I would follow in allowing use of internet research on projects. The internet can be a useful tool if used properly.
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Hey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your post. Wikipedia should not be allowed as a reference for papers. I use it as a starting point in my research to get some basic facts. If I find anything interesting on the wikipedia page I write it down and then try to find it on another site that is a credible source. I have never used wikipedia as a reference I always back up anything I find on there with another article. It defnitely is important to find dates on research articles or websites because you might be looking at an article that was written 20 years ago and might be out of date and have information that is no longer correct. Great post!
Kyle
The internet can be a useful tool is used properly, I totally agree. It is our jobs as teachers to help students with that. You have some great ideas for your future management of this in your classroom.
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