Wiki's can be Wicked

Well, To all educators who have used wiki websites in their classroom, you know that wikis can provide students with a wonderful opportunity to apply what they have learned about a variety of topics. It combines student use of knowledge, computer skills, and critical thinking to develop a website that demonstrate comprehension of the subject matter.

Yet, there is still the perspective that wikis can really be wicked. They are composed of user imputed information that may not be well researched even if speculated to be factual. Even though these sights might be carefully monitored, like wikipedia is, for erroneous information or opinionated subject matter, it still can be misleading if you check the information during a time when the wrong information is still posted.

In my experience with college professors and the collegiate educational environment, it seems that many professor hold the opinion that this sort of website does not lend itself well to thorough research. I tend to agree with this line of thinking. Even assuming that the information on a wiki site is totally correct, we are still left with the fact that sites like wikipedia do not present information meant for much more than general knowledge. The information may not be for research or delving deeper into a situation. Not unlike using any encyclopedia. this is an unacceptable form of research for this age group. No college professor would teach researching by using an encyclopedia. That was covered in elementary school and middle school. There are a variety of sources written with a variety of perspectives and designed for research purposed that would serve this purpose much better. It is no wonder that many professor do not agree with the use of such sites for legitimate research assignments.

In using wikipedia like sites I have found that they are great starting points to gain general information about subjects and to find links to other sources that expand on these subjects. This is where wiki sites prove useful and less wicked for researchers. For students learning to research they will quickly find that a simple google search on a topic will lead to a time consuming process of filtering through lots of unreliable information. Having a place to being, and links to work with right off from the start leads to a more productive research experience. Thus, I would not discount wiki sites as entirely wicked, they just need a little critical thinking to interpret the best way to utilize them. Not unlike researching any topic and the sources, you can't take things simply at face value. Wiki sources, even when checked for information, cannot be used as a sole source of information. They were not designed to be used this way.