Wikipedia. The very word may give you shivers. For many teachers those shivers are based on a sense that the information it contains is unreliable. For me, I get shivers thinking about how the largest encyclopedia has been written by volunteers, people who care deeply about the topics they monitor and contribute to. I'll admit, when it first showed up several years ago back when I was still in the classroom, I was a skeptic. But today I treat Wikipedia the same way I treated World Book and Britannica 10 years ago. I tell kids, "Wikipedia is a great place to start your research, and a horrible place to end it." (I didn't make that up. I heard a presenter say it at a conference, and it stuck with me.) I think ignoring Wikipedia's relevance does our students and our information culture a disservice. What do you think? After watching the video and taking a look at the resources I've linked to below, come back here and offer us your informed opinion about Wikipedia.
Resources
Common Craft Explanation of Wikipedia
Opinion Piece Begging Us Not to Ban Wikipedia
Wikipedia 101
