[WikiEN-l] Wikipedia isn't just a good idea - it's compulsory

[Sam Korn]

On Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 10:14 PM, doc <doc.wikipedia at ntlworld.com> wrote:
> The idea of wikipedia anywhere near a school curriculum, except perhaps
> in a brief IT lesson, horrifies me. The idea of children using wikipedia
> to challenge the "official truth" of a qualified teacher with "but sir,
> it says on wikipedia", is laughable.
>
> I think that most of this discussion has missed the point that the
> English Ofsted chap in no way suggested that Wikipedia should be used as
> a teaching supplement at all, or that he had anything to do with
> informing people about history or politics. Rather he seems to suggest
> that certain internet skills "blogging, podcasts, Wikipedia and Twitter"
> should be taught in schools, and children should be familiar with how to
> access their information. So, we no more get Wikipedia as a source of
> knowledge than Twitter, and your local blog.
>
> The reaction "this shows the WMF should go into schools" is as
> ridiculous a conclusion as it is a typical wikicentric "OMG they want
> us, they really do - we always said they would".

As ever, I'm a little more optimistic than you, Scott.  I think there
is a potential use for members of the Wikipedia community to go into
schools and explain how Wikipedia should be used because

1. children /will/ encounter Wikipedia;
2. they need to know how it can be helpful and how it can be harmful; and
3. teachers are unlikely to be able to impart this knowledge.

> You want to train wikipedians in a primary school? Turn off the PCs and
> give them grammar and dictation.

And Latin.

-- 
Sam
PGP public key: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Sam_Korn/public_key