Obviously this IT professor does not believe in the wisdom of crowds. Wikipedia is still in its infancy, and has a ways to go before its entries merit citation; however, discouraging students from using it hampers progress. Wikipedia should be used as a starting point, as posted earlier, and the citations provided on the relevant page should lead the researcher in a more factual direction. Just because we cannot verify the integrity of the writer does not mean that the post is erroneous. I can guarantee you that more Phd's have posted on Wikipedia than those that write entries in Brittanica's encyclopedia (bring on the fire). In addition Wikipedia caters to the long tail of information, there is no limit to how many entries it can have and it already surpasses mainstream encyclopedias by the thousands. I encourage students to use Wikipedia as a starting point, build their knowledge base further elsewhere, and foster progress by posting and citing your findings. I agree that using it as a sole source for credible information is imprudent. This professor's emphasis on Wikipedia's misuse is hampering the progress of what may soon be the most complete informative resource available. Cheers to you tyrant professor, use your position of power to prevent progress. Maybe an entry for Professor Lichtenstein is in order?
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Obviously this IT professor does not believe in the wisdom of crowds. Wikipedia is still in its infancy, and has a ways to go before its entries merit citation; however, discouraging students from using it hampers progress. Wikipedia should be used as a starting point, as posted earlier, and the citations provided on the relevant page should lead the researcher in a more factual direction. Just because we cannot verify the integrity of the writer does not mean that the post is erroneous. I can guarantee you that more Phd's have posted on Wikipedia than those that write entries in Brittanica's encyclopedia (bring on the fire). In addition Wikipedia caters to the long tail of information, there is no limit to how many entries it can have and it already surpasses mainstream encyclopedias by the thousands. I encourage students to use Wikipedia as a starting point, build their knowledge base further elsewhere, and foster progress by posting and citing your findings. I agree that using it as a sole source for credible information is imprudent. This professor's emphasis on Wikipedia's misuse is hampering the progress of what may soon be the most complete informative resource available. Cheers to you tyrant professor, use your position of power to prevent progress. Maybe an entry for Professor Lichtenstein is in order?