Wikipedia is a great first reference point for any topic. It is often the easiest way to quickly look up facts, dates, personal profiles and any other information needed. Wikipedia does implement guidelines for the incluion/creation of information on its web pages with information being monitored for accuracy and breaches of copyright.
Due to this scrutiny the information attained on Wikipedia can be used with confidence (however not total as the goal of Wikipedia is content coverage and not 100% accuracy). Wikipedia has an easy user face with topics and facts easily found.
For pedagogical implementation this technology can be friendly to students and teachers. I believe the biggest use/advantage of Wikipedia is its ability to give fast facts on an abundance of topics. For example, a student asks the question 'What temperature is lava?'. I simple search in Wikipedia and the answer is there in front of you (Link to lava facts on wikipedia). For students it could be used as a great source for student centered learning as student could conduct their own searches for specific information.
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Hey Nick,
ReplyDeleteWikipedia certainly has everything that one can think of, and if it's not there... you have the option of making the page yourself!
I like the idea of open source web tools.
I think it's a great starting block for someone who has no idea about some subject. The references at the bottom and the hyperlinks on the page are fantastic tools for other information.