What is your school’s current approach to using Wikipedia? Based on the readings for Module 5.1, what adjustments (if any) would you make to this policy? Is there an activity that you feel would engage students in learning how to use Wikipedia appropriately as a source?

Wikipedia is widely used by students at my school. Students have limited search skills. Unfortunately students take Wikipedia as gospel.

In research tasks I have banned students from using wikipedia so they are forced to look at other sources.

Our school has no policies about Wikipedia. I will be implementing information literacy lessons around search skills, resources and all things to aid students to successfully complete a research task.

I found the article “5 reasons to actually encourage students to use wikipedia” very interesting.

1. Introducing wikipedia as a starting place.
2. It is FREE!!!!!
3. Use the resources in the footnotes to find other valuable and reliable resources.
4. Because anyone can write and edit a wikipedia page, it is at the forefront of new information.
5. Students can even create new pages!!!!

Knowledge is power. If students fully understand the purpose and use of wikipedia then they can fully engage in thw wikipedia society.

 

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