A classroom is a place for finding and exchanging information. With all of the technology tools and resources that are now available, information is abundant. So, finding information shouldn't challenging. Finding ways to use the information, should be our greatest focus.
Wikipedia can be a tool we use to find information simply and effectively. Then, we can focus on creating solutions to our world's most challenging problems. Since Wikipedia has over 20 million pages, and 90,000 active editors and contributors, it's a powerhouse of resources.
The question continues to be raised about whether Wikipedia is a reliable source, especially for students in the classroom. But, don't we all use it? When you're unsure of an answer or need a quick fact, don't you 'Google' it, and use one of the first few entries in the search? Isn't one of them a Wikipedia entry?
Doesn't that mean the answer you're reading has been read by so many other people that it appears as one of the top Google responses? Doesn't that mean that hundreds, thousands, or even millions of eyes have seen the answer and verified its contents?
My mother always said to, "Consider the source." Whether its the Encyclopedia Britannica or Webster's Dictionary, this is considered ONE source. But Wikipedia is different, it is open to the public and changeable by anyone. Which means ALL of us are the source.
The bottom line with Wikipedia is, if we're all using it, but refuse to admit it, we're still ALL using it, so why not allow it in education?
