ODU’s Kyle Nicholas Will Be Guest on ‘With Good Reason’ Show Sept. 6
August 30, 2012
Rather than ban Wikipedia in his classroom, Kyle Nicholas uses the online encyclopedia as a teaching tool.
The lecturer in Old Dominion University's Department of Communication and Theatre Arts gives his New Media Technologies students an assignment every semester to choose a Wikipedia page and edit it for accuracy.
Nicholas will discuss the lessons his students have learned about accuracy, objectivity and access to media on the public radio show "With Good Reason" Thursday, Sept. 6. The show airs at 1:30 p.m. on WHRV-FM, 89.5.
The skepticism or scorn with which Wikipedia is treated in academic circles makes it a valuable source of discussion about the modern media, Nicholas said. One of the key pieces of feedback he receives from students after the assignment is, "That was too easy to do." Nicholas said the lesson helps identify the cultural power we all have, and helps students wrestle with the question of what is a "fact."
Also appearing on the program the week of Sept. 1-8 will be Janine Hiller of Virginia Tech, discussing the balance between patient privacy and health rights, and community activist and blogger Waldo Jaquith, a pioneer in using the Web to foster more open and accessible government.
The show can be heard around the state on public radio stations, and in markets ranging from Atlanta to Alaska. Broadcast times are posted at http://www.withgoodreasonradio.org/when-to-listen/.
Audio files of the full program and its companion news feature will be posted the week of the show to the "With Good Reason" website. A permanent link can be found here: http://withgoodreasonradio.org/2012/09/democracy-online/.
Produced by the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, "With Good Reason" spotlights research being conducted at Virginia's public universities.
Faculty members are encouraged to join the "With Good Reason" Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/pages/With-Good-Reason-radio/203141233005, or subscribe to the show's podcast, www.tinyurl.com/wgrpodcast.
"With Good Reason" has twice won the Gabriel Award for Best Documentary/Public Affairs Program. It also is the recipient of top honors from the Virginia Association of Broadcasters and won a second-place award in the Public Radio News Directors competition.