This Course
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Wikipedia Resources
|
Connect
Questions? Ask us:
contactwikiedu.org |
This course page is an automatically-updated version of the main course page at dashboard.wikiedu.org. Please do not edit this page directly; any changes will be overwritten the next time the main course page gets updated. |
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.
This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.
Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
To get started, please review the following handouts:
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account. In addition, you will write a brief essay (double-spaced, 12-pt font, Times New Roman, at least two full pages) about Wikipedia and this class. Please address what you thought Wikipedia was and whether that has changed after this week, what you think the challenges may be in writing for Wikipedia, and what you think a purpose can be of your writing an article for Wikipedia. Print it out, and hand it in next Wednesday, 18 January.
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:
Choose an article. Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes--but don't limit yourself to that--think also phrasing, word choice, paragraph breaks. Stay out of the code and the fancy stuff: you'll see what I mean when you click on the "edit" button. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article, but just fixing one single comma or whatever isn't enough.
We will talk about article subjects and topics that are notable and suitable. Some subjects are inherently notable (countries, cities, animal species, monuments, presidents), but some are not (artists, books, rasslers)--these need to meet Wikipedia's guidelines for notability, and proving that they meet those guidelines needs to be done by way of references to reliable sources (there's those sources again).
Some people make a big deal out of claiming that "Wikipedia deleted my article!" To see how that might happen, have a look at
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion, and click on the "For articles nominated for deletion today, see..." link at the top of the page. The last thing you want is to end up there--
"Please please please don't delete because it's my class assignment" is not a valid reason to keep an article, I'm afraid.
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
Resources:
Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
In class, we'll discuss neutrality issues in our articles and look at sources.
Do the training and at least one of the peer reviews before class. We'll do the other one in class.
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Before class, go to
Wikipedia:The Wikipedia Library, and follow each of the first five blue links (under "Find sources").
In class, we'll discuss avenues for research, including Wikipedia's
"Resource Request", Google Books, and JSTOR.
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace."
Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique. Remember, we're no longer in the sandbox--we're live, and others will read and may edit "your" article. From this moment on, it's no longer "your" article for Wikipedia purposes.
Have a look at
Wikipedia:WikiProject and see what all projects there are--and what a "WikiProject" is. Find one or two that apply to you (for instance
Wikipedia:WikiProject College football), look over it to see what all's there, and then look at the talk page (in this case
Wikipedia talk:WikiProject College football) to see what's being discussed. Don't be disappointed: such discussions aren't about whether Michigan should have been in the playoffs; they're about Wikipedia articles and Wikipedia matters.
You won't be surprised there are significant disagreements between all those millions of Wikipedia editors, and tensions get high. How do you resolve conflicts? Many of them end up on various noticeboards, the most dramatic of them
Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents. Read over a few conversations and see what kinds of problems are brought up, and what kinds of solutions offered, if any. We'll talk governance and authoritay.
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. We'll do more peer review in class. Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
We will meet in the computer lab on the second floor of the library, past the reference desk. We won't have class on Wednesday.
This week we'll look at the Did You Know? process on Wikipedia. Before class, go to Wikipedia:Did you know and read the guidelines--what it is, and what it is not; and look at the long list at Template talk:Did you know. On Monday, each one of you will pick an article to review; on Wednesday, each of you will submit your own.
We will discuss accuracy in Wikipedia articles--compared to scholarly articles, various internet sites, and other encyclopedias. Pre-class readings TBA, but for this class day you must bring (however you bring it--on paper or as a URL) one article from a decent source (and not Wikipedia) that discusses Wikipedia accuracy, or about an important hoax that lived on Wikipedia for a while.
Everything is biased, they say these days. Facts are just opinions, and truthiness reigns (look it up: Truthiness, now a Featured Article--the highest quality class on Wikipedia). Let's talk bias, starting at Wikipedia:Systemic bias. Further pre-class readings TBA, but for this class day you must bring (however you bring it--on paper or as a URL) one article from a decent source (and not Wikipedia) that discusses Wikipedia bias.
Write a reflective essay (at least 4 pages, double-spaced, 12-pt font, Times New Roman) on your Wikipedia contributions and experience.
Final article presentation, in class.
Monday, 1 May, 8-10:30am, Final Exam: this is a Pass/Fail assignment.
This Course
|
Wikipedia Resources
|
Connect
Questions? Ask us:
contactwikiedu.org |
This course page is an automatically-updated version of the main course page at dashboard.wikiedu.org. Please do not edit this page directly; any changes will be overwritten the next time the main course page gets updated. |
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. Be sure to check with your instructor to see if there are other pages you should be following as well.
This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia.
Your course has also been assigned a Wikipedia Content Expert. Check your Talk page for notes from them. You can also reach them through the "Get Help" button on this page.
To get started, please review the following handouts:
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account. In addition, you will write a brief essay (double-spaced, 12-pt font, Times New Roman, at least two full pages) about Wikipedia and this class. Please address what you thought Wikipedia was and whether that has changed after this week, what you think the challenges may be in writing for Wikipedia, and what you think a purpose can be of your writing an article for Wikipedia. Print it out, and hand it in next Wednesday, 18 January.
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:
Choose an article. Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes--but don't limit yourself to that--think also phrasing, word choice, paragraph breaks. Stay out of the code and the fancy stuff: you'll see what I mean when you click on the "edit" button. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article, but just fixing one single comma or whatever isn't enough.
We will talk about article subjects and topics that are notable and suitable. Some subjects are inherently notable (countries, cities, animal species, monuments, presidents), but some are not (artists, books, rasslers)--these need to meet Wikipedia's guidelines for notability, and proving that they meet those guidelines needs to be done by way of references to reliable sources (there's those sources again).
Some people make a big deal out of claiming that "Wikipedia deleted my article!" To see how that might happen, have a look at
Wikipedia:Articles for deletion, and click on the "For articles nominated for deletion today, see..." link at the top of the page. The last thing you want is to end up there--
"Please please please don't delete because it's my class assignment" is not a valid reason to keep an article, I'm afraid.
You've picked a topic and found your sources. Now it's time to start writing.
Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
Resources:
Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
In class, we'll discuss neutrality issues in our articles and look at sources.
Do the training and at least one of the peer reviews before class. We'll do the other one in class.
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.
Before class, go to
Wikipedia:The Wikipedia Library, and follow each of the first five blue links (under "Find sources").
In class, we'll discuss avenues for research, including Wikipedia's
"Resource Request", Google Books, and JSTOR.
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the "mainspace."
Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique. Remember, we're no longer in the sandbox--we're live, and others will read and may edit "your" article. From this moment on, it's no longer "your" article for Wikipedia purposes.
Have a look at
Wikipedia:WikiProject and see what all projects there are--and what a "WikiProject" is. Find one or two that apply to you (for instance
Wikipedia:WikiProject College football), look over it to see what all's there, and then look at the talk page (in this case
Wikipedia talk:WikiProject College football) to see what's being discussed. Don't be disappointed: such discussions aren't about whether Michigan should have been in the playoffs; they're about Wikipedia articles and Wikipedia matters.
You won't be surprised there are significant disagreements between all those millions of Wikipedia editors, and tensions get high. How do you resolve conflicts? Many of them end up on various noticeboards, the most dramatic of them
Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents. Read over a few conversations and see what kinds of problems are brought up, and what kinds of solutions offered, if any. We'll talk governance and authoritay.
Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. We'll do more peer review in class. Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!
We will meet in the computer lab on the second floor of the library, past the reference desk. We won't have class on Wednesday.
This week we'll look at the Did You Know? process on Wikipedia. Before class, go to Wikipedia:Did you know and read the guidelines--what it is, and what it is not; and look at the long list at Template talk:Did you know. On Monday, each one of you will pick an article to review; on Wednesday, each of you will submit your own.
We will discuss accuracy in Wikipedia articles--compared to scholarly articles, various internet sites, and other encyclopedias. Pre-class readings TBA, but for this class day you must bring (however you bring it--on paper or as a URL) one article from a decent source (and not Wikipedia) that discusses Wikipedia accuracy, or about an important hoax that lived on Wikipedia for a while.
Everything is biased, they say these days. Facts are just opinions, and truthiness reigns (look it up: Truthiness, now a Featured Article--the highest quality class on Wikipedia). Let's talk bias, starting at Wikipedia:Systemic bias. Further pre-class readings TBA, but for this class day you must bring (however you bring it--on paper or as a URL) one article from a decent source (and not Wikipedia) that discusses Wikipedia bias.
Write a reflective essay (at least 4 pages, double-spaced, 12-pt font, Times New Roman) on your Wikipedia contributions and experience.
Final article presentation, in class.
Monday, 1 May, 8-10:30am, Final Exam: this is a Pass/Fail assignment.