teotwawki - looking to the future

I came across this great lesson idea on FactCheckED.org and had to share it. 

http://factchecked.org/LessonPlanDetails.aspx?myId=19

This lesson has students examine wikipedia to determine if it can be a reliable source of information. 

As teachers, how do we feel about allowing students to use wikipedia for research?  Many teachers will not allow it’s use and will give students failing grades for citing it.  I’m confused by this.  Isn’t the point of research to collect information and data from a variety of sources?  As long as students do not use just wikipedia then I don’t see the problem.  If what they read on a wikipedia site matches information read elsewhere, why can’t it not be used?  As educators we need to be more open-minded when students want to use web 2.0 tools in school.  Instead of denying their use, embrace them and make them work for you and your students.  Teach students how to determine the reliability of any website, whether it is a wiki or any other site. 

I just realized that one of my favorite magazines, Discover, now has an archive section dating back to 1992.  All of this is available on their website for free.  You don’t even need to subscribe and login to access the information.

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This magazine contains many interesting articles on a variety of subjects including Heath & Medicine, Technology, Space, Mind & Brain, Physics, Math, Living World and many others. This site could be in the classroom for student research along with other internet and library resources.