“Try editing Wikipedia; it’s fun.” By Mr. Keller
“Everything on Wikipedia should be taken with a significant grain of salt.” By Ms. Boucher
To Wiki or Not to Wiki?
An internet beast called Wikipedia has reared into the academic world; even Google results often come up with Wikipedia entries. How should teachers and students treat this monster--or is it a helpmate?
Mr. Keller, Dean of Students, said, “I love and hate Wikipedia.”
This is an odd type of relationship. On the one hand, Mr. Keller said, “I wish they had Wikipedia when I was a kid.” On the other hand, “You never know where the information is coming from and thus you have no idea where to go.” This lack of direction can be seen in articles with warnings like, “[The article] needs additional references or sources for verification. It may contain original research or unverifiable claims.”
The Wikipedia discussion for Mr. Keller centers around citation. Mr. Keller reasoned that a resource that does not have solid authors is not a solid resource.
Mr. Keller said, “It seems like it would be a great resource, but there are pages that have citations that still don't have an author.”
With an author, someone is accountable. Mr. Keller said that someone “can bark up their tree” if the author is wrong.
As to the accuracy of Wikipedia, Mr. Keller gave it a nine, but he said, “I love to sabotage Wikipedia, so it would be a 9.5 if I were never born.”
He continued, “Sabotage is kind of a strong word; I have fun with and gently poke at Wikipedia.”
Mr. Keller once wrote on Wikipedia that history teacher Mr. Osvald holds the record for longest performance of the Macarena.
Mr. Keller advised that students use Wikipedia “by the inverse proportion to the importance of what you are looking up.”
For example, he said, “In college, I think you would rather show up naked to class than cite Wikipedia for a source. You would be laughed out of the institution.”
Mr. Keller’s final analogy was that “research is a 5 course meal; you need meat and potatoes, not just appetizers.”
Compared to the infinite number of times Mr. Keller has visited Wikipedia, Academic Dean Mr. Lennertz said, “I think I have been on Wikipedia a dozen times.”
As to when a student should use Wikipedia, Mr. Lennertz said, “That is up to the faculty, [but] I know there are some faculty who feel that Wikipedia has no credibility.”
Math teacher Ms. Moe believed Wikipedia should be used “to inform yourself on basic information; [and] you should never assume it is fully correct, you should never cite it in a paper.”
According to Ms. Moe, “A lot of students go to Wikipedia and use it as fact; they should really search further, and not just stop there, which they often do.”
Ms. Moe uses Wikipedia when she wants “to get a little more info on some higher level math.”
Not a heavy user of Wikipedia, Mrs. Bleifuss said, “I don't know if it is good or bad.”
In contrast, the very impassioned art teacher and librarian Ms. Boucher said, “I hate it. I've been on it a few times for little random things. Why anyone would use it for an actual research paper is beyond me. You can't know if the info has been tampered with.”
According to Ms. Boucher, “Students like Wikipedia way more than they should.”
Latin teacher Dr. Lake held her tongue a few times, but still had tons to say. She believed Wikipedia should only be used “by someone seeking general information in a non-academic setting.”
As an over arching theme, Dr. Lake said, “There are some students who understand the benefits and drawbacks of Wikipedia; however, most do not understand the ephemeral nature of the internet and therefore do not put in the effort to discern fact from fiction.”
Dr. Lake concluded laughingly, “Wikipedia is evil.”
Short and to the point, American history teacher Ms. Alpaugh said, “Don't use Wikipedia; avoid it like the plague.\" For Ms. Alpaugh, Wikipedia's only redeeming quality is that “it is amusing for its inaccuracies.\"
Finally, the student users, abusers and observers of Wikipedia speak.
Senior Josh Hoeft said matter-of-factly, “You can use it for quick information, not for a research paper. The accuracy also depends on if you find it on a good day; and I know I have screwed it up before.”
As to what the faculty think of Wikipedia, Hoeft said, “Teachers hate it.” Freshman Brooke Schumann also said, “I think teachers are against it.”
Dezarae Avalos' insight into Wikipedia is that “it should be used if you need a definition; do not use it as a big, main source. You get some funny things when you let everyone edit Wikipedia.\"
Freshman Jackqueline Hill stated bluntly, “I don't think [Wikipedia] should be used; it is crap.”
An admirer of Wikipedia, sophomore Megan Connell said, “I love Wikipedia. It makes me so angry that Wiki can not be used as a source. That site is better than Google.”
As a side fact, Connell added, “I know Mr. Graham doesn't like it.”
Sophomore Stephanie Hill pointed out that her brother Tyler Hill \"found that Dr. Seuss is a sexy beast.”
Christy Rojas summarized the Wikipedia situation neatly: “It can help some people and mislead others.”
“Everything on Wikipedia should be taken with a significant grain of salt.” By Ms. Boucher
To Wiki or Not to Wiki?
An internet beast called Wikipedia has reared into the academic world; even Google results often come up with Wikipedia entries. How should teachers and students treat this monster--or is it a helpmate?
Mr. Keller, Dean of Students, said, “I love and hate Wikipedia.”
This is an odd type of relationship. On the one hand, Mr. Keller said, “I wish they had Wikipedia when I was a kid.” On the other hand, “You never know where the information is coming from and thus you have no idea where to go.” This lack of direction can be seen in articles with warnings like, “[The article] needs additional references or sources for verification. It may contain original research or unverifiable claims.”
The Wikipedia discussion for Mr. Keller centers around citation. Mr. Keller reasoned that a resource that does not have solid authors is not a solid resource.
Mr. Keller said, “It seems like it would be a great resource, but there are pages that have citations that still don't have an author.”
With an author, someone is accountable. Mr. Keller said that someone “can bark up their tree” if the author is wrong.
As to the accuracy of Wikipedia, Mr. Keller gave it a nine, but he said, “I love to sabotage Wikipedia, so it would be a 9.5 if I were never born.”
He continued, “Sabotage is kind of a strong word; I have fun with and gently poke at Wikipedia.”
Mr. Keller once wrote on Wikipedia that history teacher Mr. Osvald holds the record for longest performance of the Macarena.
Mr. Keller advised that students use Wikipedia “by the inverse proportion to the importance of what you are looking up.”
For example, he said, “In college, I think you would rather show up naked to class than cite Wikipedia for a source. You would be laughed out of the institution.”
Mr. Keller’s final analogy was that “research is a 5 course meal; you need meat and potatoes, not just appetizers.”
Compared to the infinite number of times Mr. Keller has visited Wikipedia, Academic Dean Mr. Lennertz said, “I think I have been on Wikipedia a dozen times.”
As to when a student should use Wikipedia, Mr. Lennertz said, “That is up to the faculty, [but] I know there are some faculty who feel that Wikipedia has no credibility.”
Math teacher Ms. Moe believed Wikipedia should be used “to inform yourself on basic information; [and] you should never assume it is fully correct, you should never cite it in a paper.”
According to Ms. Moe, “A lot of students go to Wikipedia and use it as fact; they should really search further, and not just stop there, which they often do.”
Ms. Moe uses Wikipedia when she wants “to get a little more info on some higher level math.”
Not a heavy user of Wikipedia, Mrs. Bleifuss said, “I don't know if it is good or bad.”
In contrast, the very impassioned art teacher and librarian Ms. Boucher said, “I hate it. I've been on it a few times for little random things. Why anyone would use it for an actual research paper is beyond me. You can't know if the info has been tampered with.”
According to Ms. Boucher, “Students like Wikipedia way more than they should.”
Latin teacher Dr. Lake held her tongue a few times, but still had tons to say. She believed Wikipedia should only be used “by someone seeking general information in a non-academic setting.”
As an over arching theme, Dr. Lake said, “There are some students who understand the benefits and drawbacks of Wikipedia; however, most do not understand the ephemeral nature of the internet and therefore do not put in the effort to discern fact from fiction.”
Dr. Lake concluded laughingly, “Wikipedia is evil.”
Short and to the point, American history teacher Ms. Alpaugh said, “Don't use Wikipedia; avoid it like the plague.\" For Ms. Alpaugh, Wikipedia's only redeeming quality is that “it is amusing for its inaccuracies.\"
Finally, the student users, abusers and observers of Wikipedia speak.
Senior Josh Hoeft said matter-of-factly, “You can use it for quick information, not for a research paper. The accuracy also depends on if you find it on a good day; and I know I have screwed it up before.”
As to what the faculty think of Wikipedia, Hoeft said, “Teachers hate it.” Freshman Brooke Schumann also said, “I think teachers are against it.”
Dezarae Avalos' insight into Wikipedia is that “it should be used if you need a definition; do not use it as a big, main source. You get some funny things when you let everyone edit Wikipedia.\"
Freshman Jackqueline Hill stated bluntly, “I don't think [Wikipedia] should be used; it is crap.”
An admirer of Wikipedia, sophomore Megan Connell said, “I love Wikipedia. It makes me so angry that Wiki can not be used as a source. That site is better than Google.”
As a side fact, Connell added, “I know Mr. Graham doesn't like it.”
Sophomore Stephanie Hill pointed out that her brother Tyler Hill \"found that Dr. Seuss is a sexy beast.”
Christy Rojas summarized the Wikipedia situation neatly: “It can help some people and mislead others.”
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