Questioning Authority

I am teaching classes again, really (unless you count a few classes last semester) for the first time in about a year and a half.

Having been away from teaching that long, I can see big changes in how students are searching for and using information in classes.

One of the big changes is in the prominence and banning of Wikipedia. I somewhat understand why instructors are banning the use of Wikipedia as a source, but I don't think they are doing enough to explain to their students why they can't use it, beyond the, "It's untrustworthy" mantra.

In one of today's classes, I started off by asking my usual starting point, "Why do we require that you use library resources for your research?" In the midst of our discussion about quality, breadth and authority, one student said, "Because people of your generation don't understand the relevance of the resources we want to use." (or something like that)

The former middle school teacher in me would have normally shut him down for being, well, insolent. But I do think there is some truth in what he said, and so we went on to talk about it. I said that Wikipedia is a good example of this tension. In many respects, Wikipedia is an excellent resource. This article in the New York Times Magazine last week talks in depth about the massive, continual editing done on its pages. Yes, there are errors and untruths on there (especially on hot-button pages) but it doesn't last long.

To illustrate this point I brought up the Chris Benoit Wikipedia page, and talked about how news of the wrestler's wife's death was posted prior to the actual discovery of her body. It turns out that the person posting this, was simply by coincidence, posting a rumor, and was completely unconnected to the crime. The rumor was on the page for only up for 47 minutes before being corrected. Eventually, the actual news that Benoit's wife had, indeed been found dead was added. (and then vetted, again and again and again.)

The recency and dynamic relevance of Wikipedia (especially for breaking news) can't be ignored. How do we teach students about this and encourage them to think critically about its content in an atmosphere that outright bans the use of this resource?