Wikis test students' research skills

'Information literacy' is key in dealing with online sources

"Wikipedia and other reference sites that allow users to submit and edit content themselves are creating new challenges for educators. Experts say the rise of these kinds of web sites underscores the need for educators to teach students strong information-literacy skills.

January 25, 2006—The rise of Wikipedia and other communally aggregated reference materials on the internet has created a new set of challenges for educators: How accurate or reliable are these sources for student research, and what kind of policies should educators set regarding their use?

The emergence of Wikipedia and other similar online reference tools is too recent a phenomenon for most educators who spoke with eSchool News to have formed clear policies that address these sites, and opinions vary widely as to how useful or reliable such tools are for student research. But the educators we spoke with did agree on one thing: No matter what approach schools take, the use of these resources and their growing popularity underscore the need for students to learn and practice solid information-literacy skills."