WikiPedia!

Wikipedia is a good starting tool for students doing research. Because the credibility of Wikipedia isn't outstanding, the quality of information is questionable. Wikipedia articles have references of where they have got their information from and this is where students should begin. With sourced articles and scholarly authors.

I did a Wikipedia search on my previous topic dinosaurs. I got a large amount of information and pictures including bone structures and previously existing dinosaurs. There was also an extensive reference list. Wikipedia does provide a great source of information but from a teacher and student point of view, I wouldn't feel comfortable in directly quoting from Wikipedia unless I was referencing a picture source.

Dinosaurs on Wikipedia -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosaurs

In high school, Wikipedia was actually banned from a few classes for assignments because teachers didnt trust the information on the site. Students did continue to uses Wikipedia as a starting point for topics and pictures and for this purpose it provides a highly effective research tool.

PRO'S -

• References for more information
• Good pictures and thought provoking topics
• Accessible to anyone with no registration required

CON'S -

• Anyone signed up to Wikipedia can edit a site
• Not always scholarly and credible

USES IN THE CLASSROOM -

• Basis point for researching
• Topics for assessment
• Teaches students to pay attention to author credibility

Grace xx