I wonder, though, if the students are instructed on how Wikipedia erodes centuries of practice in scholarship, attribution, respect for copyrights, and more? I also wonder if the students are informed about how the Wikimedia Foundation spends on program services only 43 cents of every tax-exempt donated dollar, earning it one star (out of four) in program efficiency, according to Charity Navigator? I also wonder if the students are made aware of the history of Wikimedia projects publishing child pornography? You see, there is much more than meets the eye at Wikipedia, especially if educators plow forward with a pre-determined outcome in mind, then set their studenrs' expectations to fulfill that outcome. Would we teach marketing students about the practice by having them intern (for free) at a telemarketing firm? Would we teach urban studies students by assigning them a project of living as a homeless person for a week? Would we teach women's studies students by asking them to pose (for free) for Hustler magazine? I know these are fairly radical analogies, but by asking students to participate (for free) in an online community that not only undermines traditional academia but also has many, many distasteful skeletons in the closet, we're exploiting young adults without giving them a fair perspective on ALL SIDES of their experience.
I can't wait to begin that "conversation" that Dr. Gray seeks -- but first she has to disclose her information with the general public. Surely, she did not issue a press release based only on some haphazard observations she made when she tried a new thing in her classroom?
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I wonder, though, if the students are instructed on how Wikipedia erodes centuries of practice in scholarship, attribution, respect for copyrights, and more? I also wonder if the students are informed about how the Wikimedia Foundation spends on program services only 43 cents of every tax-exempt donated dollar, earning it one star (out of four) in program efficiency, according to Charity Navigator? I also wonder if the students are made aware of the history of Wikimedia projects publishing child pornography? You see, there is much more than meets the eye at Wikipedia, especially if educators plow forward with a pre-determined outcome in mind, then set their studenrs' expectations to fulfill that outcome. Would we teach marketing students about the practice by having them intern (for free) at a telemarketing firm? Would we teach urban studies students by assigning them a project of living as a homeless person for a week? Would we teach women's studies students by asking them to pose (for free) for Hustler magazine? I know these are fairly radical analogies, but by asking students to participate (for free) in an online community that not only undermines traditional academia but also has many, many distasteful skeletons in the closet, we're exploiting young adults without giving them a fair perspective on ALL SIDES of their experience.
I can't wait to begin that "conversation" that Dr. Gray seeks -- but first she has to disclose her information with the general public. Surely, she did not issue a press release based only on some haphazard observations she made when she tried a new thing in her classroom?
June 1, 2011 - 2:45pmThis Comment
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