Schools & Wikipedia
Wikipedia offers many benefits to schools. Sadly, many schools overlook the fact that this tool offers current information on just about everything. Wikipedia can be used to teach students not only how to glean from the collective knowledge, but how to add to it - and let us not forget that it’s free. How many schools can really afford to turn down such a valuable, free resource such as this?
Apparently, many schools feel they can do without because they’ve banned it. Either it’s been officially banned, blocked by the IT department, and/or teachers remind students Wikipedia is not an acceptable source when issuing assignments. This is true even though many of those who support the ban are not Wiki-intelligent, meaning they have not used a Wiki for research, have not added content, and/or have not studied the benefits of doing so.
Check out this NY Times article on a Wikipedia ban enforced at a college after professors discovered students were using the tool and receiving incorrect information. What an opportunity to teach and reinforce the value of thorough research!
K-12 schools are following suit in mass.
Wikipedia, on the other hand, acted quite responsibly when students misused its site. See the ban Wikipedia placed on an entire school to stop vandalism. Although the ban was placed, Wikipedia offered these remedies: vandals could clean up the vandalism and individual teachers & students could still apply for personal accounts. Now this is how you teach responsible use.
