Wikipedia in the Classroom

As per the article by Robert Cummings from Inside Higher Ed, the discussion of the perception of Wikipedia in the classroom has changed over time. In the beginning, Wikipedia was discouraged and now it has become more accepted in the ways that Wikipedia can be used. I am still more focused on Wikipedia as a starting point rather than the primary source of information. For example, if a student were writing a paper on the topic of Facebook (which I do have one student researching), then they can start there for history, important people, dates, etc. However, I think that the Resources section at the bottom of the page is more useful! Instead of reading the Wikipedia article as a second-hand reader, go to the primary source yourself and interpret the findings! So, I think that Wikipedia has some place in the writing classroom (Even listening/speaking classrooms) but I would require more sources than just Wikipeda - books, e-books, journal articles, newspapers, and magazines. Which is not asking too much. From the SCSU Library website (lrts.stcloudstate.edu) you can search for Books and More (including videos), click on eBooks in the middle of the page. On tab next to the Books and More is Journals and Articles which takes you to EBSCOhost - searching academic journals, magazines AND newspapers! Then, you can view and save them to your own computer instead of physically going to the library! How simple!