This Wikipedia debate is, for some reason, still very hot, so I thought I’d include a link to this article from the latest issue of Perspectives, wherein the author describes his use of Wikipedia in an assignment.

My main goal was to expose students to the idea that historical knowledge is created. The whole Wikipedia controversy seemed to me to be a dispute over legitimate means by which knowledge is created and verified. On one side, we had academic historians claiming that their expertise gave their interpretations weight. On the other, we had the Wikipedia advocates who claimed that the “wisdom of the crowds” would ensure the accuracy and veracity of Wikipedia’s information. A study of Wikipedia would allow my class to explore the ways in which history is “created,” and to practice the skills of deciding between different sources of information.

Sounds good to me. It’s actually a pretty fascinating (if a bit lengthy) article. Check it out.