There is an article today in eSchool News Online.
Wikis Test Students' Research Skills
'Information literacy' is key in dealing with online sources
By Roger Riddell, Online Editor, eSchool News
"Wikipedia and other reference sites that allow users to submit and edit content themselves are creating new challenges for educators. Experts say the rise of these kinds of web sites underscores the need for educators to teach students strong information-literacy skills."And a sidebar in the article . . .
Study: Wikipedia as accurate as Britannica--at least on science
Nature conducted a side-by-side comparison of articles in covering a broad swath of the scientific spectrum
There is even a photo of Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia (in case you were wondering what he looks like). Thought you might be interested in taking a look.
It would be great if some of our science educator blog members would comment on this too. I'm interested to see what you think about the article above on the accuracy of Wikipedia on science topics.
2 comments:
As someone who has always questioned why and who said something I think that the fact that wikis and blogs are out there now is only pressing the issue of critically looking at information. The ability to judge a source and question the who's and whats of a source is something that should have always been taught in school. Not something that we need to start doing now.
As for the relevancy of wikis and science think of the amount of time it would have taken for a single scientist to have decoded DNA. With the ability to create a community of scientists that could work together they were able to decipher DNA quicker than anyone individual or group.
How does that translate to a wiki? I think it shows how powerful this type of technology can be. Imagine if we started a wiki with a group of kindergartners next year, and by the end of their K-12 education they could have a copy of the collective knowledge their class created? What possibilities does that present? Food for thought, and I am starting to get full:)
Imagine if we started a wiki with a group of kindergartners next year, and by the end of their K-12 education they could have a copy of the collective knowledge their class created? What possibilities does that present?
What a great idea, Tadge! I'm trying to promote some discussion on the topic of wikis in my study group blog and I plan to share your idea as a discussion starter. Thanks!
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