Guest Blogger Thoughts on Wikipedia

The quality of the multi-genre projects was all across the board. I was expecting the sophomores to do better than the freshmen but that was not always the case. The fact that we have mixed classes is really helpful. MG was a good exercise to familiarize students with the process of finding historical sources. We need, however, to work on the evaluative part. Kids are confusing simply finding sources with finding quality sources that will actually support or inform their theses. For example, we had a few cite websites that were created by junior high school students. Our humanities team (2 English and 2 social studies teachers) needs to sit down and rework this project for next year while it is still fresh in our minds.

Regarding Wikipedia; let’s admit it - we all love and use it. The difference, however, is that we know its limitations and students don’t. Even Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia said, "It is pretty good, but you have to be careful with it. It's good enough knowledge, depending on what your purpose is."

Here are some suggestions that I use for Wikipedia (please feel free to disagree):

Never cite Wikipedia in an academic context (our kids take college classes at the University of Toledo and Wikipedia is persona non grata there)

Wikipedia is not a bad place to start (the problem is when it is the final and only destination). Reading an entry can give you an overview, context and other search terms related to the topic.

Wiki articles vary in quality. Some are excellent and well-documented; others are rubbish. Look for articles with a lot of references cited.

Mine the links in the reference section. This will take you to the raw materials that the author used to write the article.

Some articles are flagged as “controversial” or “disputed” or “lacking references”; read the discussions and arguments related to these topics, they are fascinating and a learning opportunity in themselves.

Use the external links.

Wikipedia is a great source for images (but trace them back to their origins and use that for the citation).

Bottom Line: Kids are going to use Wikipedia. Let’s teach them to use it wisely with a critical eye.

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