On 4/5/07, gjzilla@gmail.com gjzilla@gmail.com wrote:
Another interesting group: "Abolish Abstinence-Only Wikipedia Education" (97 members):
"Is anyone else tired of listening to clueless teachers bash Wikipedia? They complain that it can't be used for research because it's "not a source." They tell you that anyone can write whatever they want, so it must be wrong. I've even heard teachers say that "the author" makes stuff up.
Our schools say "Sex is bad, but we're going to tell you how to do it safely just in case." Why don't they apply the same policy to Wikipedia-- teaching students about the proper way to use it instead of indiscriminately banning it. These teachers are well aware that students are going to continue using Wikipedia anyway. I'm convinced that they just don't understand what Wikipedia is or how to use it."
-- Oldak Quill (oldakquill@gmail.com)
My feelings exactly.
The conclusions reached are generally sound, but I don't think a group campaigning to cite Wikipedia as a reliable source should be supported. We're a patently unreliable source. We're a jumping off point for learning about a topic and finding sources - not a source in ourselves.
Johnleemk