Personally, Wikipedia shouldn't be used as a direct source in research papers or for any type of research. I would have to disagree with any scholars or any article that says Wikipedia can be used as a direct source since anyone can edit (which can lead to a lot of inaccurate information). As a starting point, however, Wikipedia can be a useful tool. Wikipedia does link to outside sources, such as Government websites, New York Times articles, or other resources that students (or anyone else that might need to do any sort of research) might be unaware of their existence. If I were teaching a class, I would not allow my students to directly quote Wikipedia.
The case of YouTube, it really depends. YouTube (and similar websites) do have Professors and other institutions that occasionally post information on there. There are also other nonprofit organizations and research institutions that also post educational videos (and since it's free unlike some other websites and can reach a mass audience, that would benefit not only a specific organization, but the audiences as well.) Those organizations and professors post useful and educational videos that can be used for term papers or even quoted in other educational presentations. I would definitely allow those videos in my classroom since they can add onto other classroom multimedia tools that are available. Those videos also would be allowed in projects since there could be additional information that go above and beyond material covered in textbooks and handouts.
Hey Erica, as always enjoy reading your spirited responses and this is no exception. It looks like we are on the same page again about using Wikipedia as a starting point for gathering information about something. Take care. rdavenport
ReplyDeleteWikipedia can definitely be a useful tool as long as students know how to use it correctly. I've never had a professor that allowed Wikipedia to be used on any paper, honestly. I've definitely used it as a starting point if I was going into an assignment or a topic completely blind and didn't know where to start, however and needed links to scholarly resources and websites that I didn't know existed.
DeleteErica, I understand your point of view about Wikipedia however there is a lot of reputable information that can be verified with other references to make sure the information Is creditable . This is a good source for a point of reference just like YouTube. Most school districts block YouTube to make sure students are not looking at inappropriate sites. I think as long as the instructor monitors both sites they can be used for educational purposes.
ReplyDeleteI just don't think Wikipedia should be quoted directly. I understand there are links to outside resources, but some information that's on Wikipedia lacks those links, which is where the problem lies. I have no issue with students using the links that Wikipedia use (which may link to NY Times, etc), but I have issues with students using Wikipedia itself. I definitely see how school districts block sites to make sure students don't look at anything inappropriate, but monitoring and filtering software should take care of most of the problem (it can't take care of everything, however, as students always find ways around it.)
DeleteReally students need to taught about all the tools of technology the good and the bad so they know that some things on the website could be harmful . Such as going out on dating sites, chatting with strangers and giving them your personal information. Yes there are a lot of sites blocked but there are a lot of sites that schools don't think students will go on that are not blocked so I try to educate my students on both sides. There is a lot of crazy stuff out there on YouTube that needs to be monitored but I think if we talk about it in class we can use almost anything in a educational manner.
DeleteI personally wouldn't argue in favor of citing Wikipedia in a research paper. I think that is a slippery and dangerous slope, however I think WIkipedia is a good place to go to follow to outside, more "reputable" sources. Students need to be guided in their use of these sources so they are familiar with how to follow and cite information within Wikipedia.
DeleteAndrea, I totally agree that students need to be taught about the internet in general. Technology, when used correctly is a good thing. I just don't think schools should block general websites like Youtube.
DeleteMatt, I definitely agree with you with Wikipedia. It can be a great learning tool. Some of the information is correct, such as a President's date of birth, some facts on Geography, etc. For general information, yes, Wikipedia can help with knowledge. But for actually doing a written assignment then students should look elsewhere.
Given the comments of the group, consider the amount of retractions and errors in other, so-called 'reputable' sources. Journals do retract articles from time to time, and the major news publications (both online and offline) publish corrections more frequently than you might imagine. Also consider the bias in some news outlets, particularly ones that seem to follow a particular political slant. They have no monitoring from the 'other side', so if average Joe is watching news on the channel, and only that channel, they take it as fact, even though other news sites are presenting the information differently.
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