Wikipedia and student research

Writing in the Education Guardian this week, John Sutherland discusses the use of Wikipedia as a resource for research and the potential pitfalls of assuming all content is authorative. He makes the points well and goes on to highlight the advantages and disadvantages of this kind of resource for any form of research activity by students.

The debate about the content of Wikipedia has been running for a while. Like all "open" sources of information on the internet, there has always been the possibility that entries from contributing authors may be unreliable and biased.

In his piece, John Sutherland highlights the key and invaluable role of an author in the "wiki" enterprise and he argues conincingly that teachers should establish clear protocols for their students so they are aware that such content may be unbalanced and lack authenticity.

This is another timely reminder about a key role for all educators involved with new technologies. We all need to ensure that today's e-learners use such sources with a "wise head"!