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I am bemused by the general condemnation of encyclopedias for graduate level work -- I was introduced to the wonderful historiography found in the classic encyclopedias of several different countries while attending a quite reputable graduate school! But that is not the subject. I do use wikipedia with my students, for one simple exercise -- google any discrete phrase from any article on history. That phrase will invariably turn up in at least two different places. This demonstrates to students that wikipedia is widely copied but not usually referenced, and that much of what is in wikipedia was in turn copied from other sources (notably, Encarta, where a google search very often finds similar phrases). My students then compare the content of the wikipedia article to that of Britannica. This is a very useful exercise in the reliability and ubiquity of the same information on the Internet, and makes quite plain the contrast between wikipedia's content and that of a more conventionally edited source. Tracey Trenam Professor, History Aims Community College Loveland, CO Tracey.trenam@aims.edu --- Edtech Archives, posting guidelines and other information are at: http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~edweb Please include your name, email address, and school or professional affiliation in each posting. To unsubscribe send the following command to: LISTSERV@H-NET.MSU.EDU SIGNOFF EDTECH
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