This month, both the NEA publication, NEA Today and the AFT magazine, American Teacher, feature articles on Wikis and Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. The NEA article provides an in-depth look at Wikipedia, which strives to be a free, online reference allowing anyone to create entries—thus, says NEA Today, opening the medium for mistakes and vandals who intentionally post incorrect information. The AFT item presents the views of two teachers: one who views Wikipedia and Wikis in general (which students can create themselves) as a valuable learning tool, and another who says the use of Wikis by students promotes laziness and sloppy research. Also, take a look at Education Week’s April 2006 story on Wikis.
A version of this news article first appeared in the Around the Web blog.