Dear Carolyn: I was thinking about this the other day - let's take another perspective in it for a moment. I spent fifteen years working with the Inuit of Arctic Quebec. In the aboriginal circles, there is a sense that until the oral tradition is recognized by academia as valid (i.e.: just as reliable and important as "academic research" resources), then aboriginal culture will never be on equal footing with mainstream western culture.
Maybe what we're seeing is an extension of the cycle of knowing - and the "academic certainty" of "pure sources" is going to be part of a spectrum of all knowing and knowledge. Then we have to teach kids how to evaluate resources and include them in their own spectrum of ways of knowing. Wikipedia has its place - and it's especially important because it is a forum of understanding in which everyone can participate. Access is everything - and that must make the folks in the ivory tower a bit nervous. Who will say what is a valid source of research or understanding? Certainly what comes from the lips of lecturers in the most hallowed of halls is not always "pure"- in fact, what is? Academic argument is a form of protectionism, isn't it? Good discussion possibilities here - thanks for introducing the topic. Bob Turner Chairman: Conference Programme Committee GETEX Concurrent Conferences: The Middle East Forum on Learning Technology (Monday 10th April 2006) The Middle East Forum on Academic Research and Reflection (Wednesday, 12th April 2006) The Global Training and Human Resource Development Forum (Thursday, 13th April 2006) International Conferences & Exhibitions PO Box 29884, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971.4.3355001 Cell: +971.50.6568010 Fax: +971.4.3355141 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Riddle, Carolyn Sent: 08 August 2006 21:05 To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Subject: Re: [DDN] Wikipedia on low-costs PCs must be live! I have been following the discussion concerning Wikipedia for a while now. I enjoy browsing through it myself and find the information there to be mostly accurate. However, I have a problem with using it as a tool for introducing school children to research. It is not an acceptable citation for college level work, because it is not actually a verifiable resource. Once these children enter college they will have to abandon it and will be taught in library bibliographic instruction classes that it does not pass muster in terms of higher education website evaluation. How do you verify the veracity of authors and information from a site onto which anyone may post information? So I can see the value of Wikipedia in learning how to evaluate websites, but not in gleaning authoritative information for research. Am I way off the mark here? Does anyone know of universities whose faculty accept Wikipedia citations on student research papers? Peace, Carolyn Carolyn Riddle Big Bend Community College Library 7662 Chanute Street Moses Lake, Wa 98837 509-793-2356 509-762-2402 FAX -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Subbiah Arunachalam Sent: Sunday, August 06, 2006 9:26 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; Larry Press; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; The Digital Divide Network discussion group; [EMAIL PROTECTED] Cc: T.V.Gopal Subject: [DDN] Wikipedia on low-costs PCs must be live! Friends: Wikipedia in its present form also signals 'liveness' of content. On a lap-top it is a version of an e-content dated XX.YY.ZZ. We may have to capture the liveness property of Wikipedia on all low-cost computers meant for individuals. Otherwise, there is a good chance that this e-content is something like the books kept in the shelf. Some bibliophiles dust them occassionally. In other words, IMHO, we need some methods to induce the study of the content on Wikipedia. For school children, one may give a short exercise every week. Whether the teacher evaluates it or not, the children do the exercise. The teacher can take a look at them randomly to keep up the tempo. I need your kind advice [at your kind convenience] in the case of individuals who tend to look at a book in the shop and set a syllabus and question paper based on a given pattern. More importantly, those who carry the lap-top that has Wikipedia on it and deliver key-note addresses in conference [particularly National ones]. Thanks and Regards Gopal T V Anna University _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
