Most students may have heard their teacher say in school, "Do not use Wikipedia as a source". However, I think that Wikipedia should be allowed as a tool in education.Wikipedia has its pros and cons, but I think that it could be an efficient tool in the classroom if other sources are involved with it as well. This website displays overall information on a topic, but for students to use this source on assignments they should have more details and background information on the topics that they are researching.
The advantages of students using Wikipedia is that it is used as a quick source to get exact information from. Another advantage of using Wikipedia is that it consists of various information. Today, you can go on to Wikipedia, type any subject or word you would like to know about, and it will instantaneously provide the information needed in a clear, understanding, manner. When the information needed appears on screen, you can then see many other links that are related to the particular topic. Wikipedia is also becoming more popular because it provides many different languages which causes it to have a higher advantage over many other sources.
A disadvantage that may come with the use of wikipedia in the classroom is that it may not always contain accurate information. Wikipedia pages have atually been known to be inconsistent, containing false information along with the actual facts. According to onlinelearningtips.com, " I can click the "Edit this Page" tab in Wikipedia and change an entry I'm searching on however I chooose". Therefore, if you are going to use Wikipedia as a tool to gain information from, make sure that you atleast use two other sources that contain the same information. Another disadvantage when students are using Wikipedia is that it does not contain all the sources necessary for certain assignments. Wikipedia is an overview of information, however, students that are doing an essay or any other project may need to include more details and sources.
Sources:
"Why You Shouldn’t Use Wikipedia for Research." Online Learning Tips. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 July 2016
I agree that Wikipedia has its pros and cons. I have used it as a starting point but never as a factual source because of the very fact that anyone can make changes or additions. I also agree that if you do use it as a source, you must first make sure the teacher will allow it and then you must find factual supporting research or documents that state the same information. That said, it is also important to never rely on only one source.
ReplyDeleteWikipedia is infamous for its abundance of information. Infamous because said information is not always factual. Perhaps students are discouraged from using Wikipedia because they take the information they find here and run with it instead of checking it's validity. The information found on Wikipedia is great in terms of quantity, quality not so much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you than an excellent compromise could be for teachers to allow the use of Wikipedia but along with at least 2 other, reputable sources. Great blog post.
ReplyDeleteI also agree and like your idea of having 2 other sources if Wikipedia is allowed. Since it is so well known for having false information, I think the 2 other sources would help prove the information one could find there to be valid.
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