What to do about Wikis

Wikipedia is a reference site that allows users to submit and edit encyclopedia-type content. The service is free to anyone, anywhere, unlike Encyclopedia Britannica, which charges users for access to its material. The journal Nature reported that both encyclopedias had numerous errors, "but among 42 entries tested, the difference in accuracy was not particularly great" (Giles, 2005). The difference between these two sites is that anyone using Wikipedia can "edit, delete, or modify content that has been placed on a site--including the work of previous authors--using only a browser interface" (Riddell, 2006). A team of volunteers strives to verify information and keep the site as error-free as possible. At Britannica, a paid staff of experts writes the articles and checks for accuracy--users have read-only access.

A visit this morning to Alexa.com, a site which tracks web traffic, found that Wikipedia currently ranks #1 in online reference sites, and is globally the 22nd most visited site on the web. These rankings are higher than those reported just three weeks ago in an eSchool News article (Riddell, 2006). The increasing popularity of this type of reference site is causing a stir in schools as educators debate its validity and reliability as a reference tool. The benefit of Wikipedia is the "speed at which it can be updated" (Giles 2005) to reflect the rapid changes in today's world, especially in the areas of technology and pop culture. The concern is the level of accuracy, and whether students can discern good information from bad. Wikipedia, and other similar sites, present a unique opportunity for students to learn and practice information literacy skills.

Educators must stress to students the importance of confirming the validity of their research. Students must be able to identify possible sources of information, then determine the most appropriate ones for the task. "Students should be taught not to rely too much on a single source and to cross-reference sources against each other" (Riddell, 2006). As Giles (2005) points out, even our "gold standard" resources like Britannica are not error free and must be carefully evaluated. Educators must emphasize the "old school" skills of close reading and use of multiple sources in order to help students navigate through the ever-changing world of information (Riddell, 2006).

References

Giles, J. (2005). Internet encyclopaedias go head to head. Nature. Retrieved February 18, 2006, from http://npg.nature.com/news/2005/051212/full/438900a.html

Riddell, R. (2006) Wikis test students' research skills. eSchool News. Retrieved February 18, 2006, from http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStory.cfm?ArticleID=6069

Links

http://www.alexa.com

http://www.wikipedia.org