Wikipedia - A wealth of knowledge

Wikipedia, what a phenomenon!  An encyclopaedia at your finger tips.  As I don't have a particular subject, I just found myself wandering around, putting in different topics, just to see what would come up.  What is great about this resource is that you can probably type in any subject you want and it will be there, right at your fingertips but it also has links to elaborate on particular topics, people, events as well as other resources.  For example, if you search "History of Australia", it covers numerous topics from: Aboriginal Australians, WW II, Federation, Convicts, politics etc, but it provides links to elaborate on these particular topics within Wikipedia.  It also provides links to the Australian portal which has links to the portals of different states/territories. 

Providing students with weblinks to wikipedia would be a great startng point for students who are required to conduct research for a topic because it provides quick and easy access to the background knowledge of a subject.  And it can be accessed at home or at school. 

I also think it would be great (in an ideal world) that if a topic was being discussed and students' pose questions that teachers cannot answer, that the student who posed the question could get straight onto wikipedia and find an answer.  It would show that we as teachers value student inquiry, it would add value to the topic and the transfer of information would be smooth, kept in context and without delay.  If we could do this, then students may be more motivated to pose questions to expand their knowledge and understanding.  We are also encouraging students to be responsible for their learning.

It would also demonstrate to students that teachers do not have all the answers and that learning is a collaborative process.  We are not the 'gate keepers' of knowledge but managers of the learning experience as suggested by Smith, Lynch & Mienczakowski (2003, p. 4). 

Outside of the school setting, students could be more proactive in their learning as we have armed them with a tool for the easy acquisition of information rather than using a search engine and this tool can be used beyond school. 

Reference:
Smith, R., Lynch, D. & Mienczakowski, J. (2003). "The bachelor of learning management (BLM) and education capability": Why we do not prepare teachers anymore. Change: Transformations in Education, (6)(2): 23-37.