1. Did the class activity about Wikipedia and this article change your opinion about the value of Wikipedia to society in general and education specifically?
No. I still believe that Wikipedia can be a very valuable tool in online research. I don't believe it should be used as a source of information specifically but it can be a TOOL to use as a jumping off point to research. I have used it many times to just get a general understanding of a topic and from there I either use the references in the Wikipedia article, or I use the information there to further elaborate my research. I don't think Wikipedia can ever be credible scholastically but it can be a good start to a good research project.
2. Describe how you might direct students to use Wikipedia in your future classroom.
First I would explain Wikipedia to the students so they have an understanding that it is NOT a credible resource because there is no filter on who can edit an article. Once they understand that I would teach them that it is useful for getting a general idea of a topic and it is a good source of REAL scholarly sources. Before beginning any assignment using Wikipedia I would prepare my students with a lesson on how to tell a credible source from an academic one. Once students know the fundamentals of being critical of sources I would have no problem with them using Wikipedia as a jumping off point to more research. As long as they don't use the article itself for their research.
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