Wikipedia+in+the+Classroom

While Wikipedia has its obvious benefits for students within a classroom, it also has its pitfalls. According to Jimmy Wales himself, he refers to the site as "pretty good." As an educator, I am not terribly comfortable with anything being pretty good. In all fairness to Wikipedia, it it just like anything else in education. Any strategy or resource must be time tested and reviewed in order to achieve maximum potential. Wikipedia may have a place in the classroom as a place to begin a search. In my opinion, I would not and do not recommend Wikipedia for research for my eighth grade students. I require my students to research and write a four page, double spaced research paper on issues surrounding the Holocaust during our "Anne Frank" unit. Considering the context of the Holocaust and the horrific events that happened during this time, I want to feel comfortable that my students are receiving factual information and not someone's opinion. I realize that Wikipedia corrects vandalism usually within 24 hours. However, with my luck, that would be the time frame one of my students accessed Wikipedia and received inaccurate information. I feel as teachers, we have many eyes on us as we are doing our jobs such as students, parents, administrators, school districts, and school boards. For this reason, I want to feel confident that my students are receiving the most accurate up to date information that I can provide for them. I would feel comfortable with students using Wikipedia as starting point for links to other sources, but certainly not as any academic article that could be cited in a paper. With all of this being said, I would also like to acknowledge that wikis do have a place in education. From the authoring and collaborating stand point, they are extremely valuable.
 * Wikipedia in the Classroom**