Takeaway message 03/10

Wikipedia can be a good starting off point for basic research and cross-referencing.  Some of the pages are pretty reputable when compared to other more prestigious references, and some of them are lackluster.  In the classroom I think students should be able to use Wikipedia, but should not rely on it exclusively or put too much creedence in every article they read.  Students need to be taught how to recognize information that is potentially misleading, whether it is deliberate or not.  I would, of course, prefer my students to use more scholarly reputable websites managed by universities or the governemtn (e.g. nyu.edu or library of congress).  This way, they can be more assured that the information is more accurate.