pdZone

What makes someone or something an authoritative source of information? Is it a function of possessing a vast store of information? Perhaps it has related to the number of sources cited. Maybe it has to do with the tradition associated with the name of particular “authorities”.

Whatever the case, it is difficult to argue with the validity of many of the resources available on the Internet. When I look at the Wikijunior book of the solar system, I am impressed by the breadth and depth of the articles found there. No, it is not Britannica, but it is also much more up-to-date than the Britannicas from 1978 that were sitting on the shelf in my classroom (I finally parted with them in June).

Having recently gone through the process of converting an old online project of mine into a wiki document, I can see the value in collaborative authoring of a text. No, it will not always be successful. However, I do hope that I can get some input from other teachers in my school/board to help update and improve the existing document. Will it be as impressive as any of the WikiBooks/Wikipedia sites? Hardly, but I hope that it can be a useful learning experience for myself and others in my organization.

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