Wikipedia

One of my focuses in my prac classroom is testing students on their own subitizing skills. Looking at the Wikipedia website on subitizing I am able to get a clear meaning on what the term actually means which then gives me ideas on how I could be testing my students and what I need to be looking for. The article also gives references which can lead to further investigation of the subject.
I was always under the impression that Wikipedia was not a reliable source of investigation as others can edit articles to add inaccurate content. But just like a Wiki you would need to sign in to make comment and your comments would be tracked. As all websites one must be sure of the reliability of the content and safety of the site. If it sounds ridiculous it most likely is incorrect and you move on to the next article.
I would use this wiki in my classroom as one source of investigation. I don't think I would use it as my sole source of information. Just as we look at numerous texts, journal articles, websites to glean our information for our assignments it is vital to teach our students that Wikipedia is not the answer for every question. Sure, it can certainly be a starting point but not the end point. Wikipedia has its place in the classroom if used correctly and judged for what it is: One source of information that can lead to other sources.

How many Elephants?

• Subitizing refers to the rapid, accurate, and confident judgments of number performed for small numbers of items (wikipedia 2009).

References

Wikipedia Inc, 2009, Subitizing and counting, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subitizing, viewed 22nd August, 2009.