This Course
|
Wikipedia Resources
|
Connect
Questions? Ask us:
contact |
![]() | 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. |
We’re accustomed to, and quite comfortable, thinking of technology as a tool—we use it and it makes our lives (hopefully) easier; we put it down, and it no longer impacts us. But tools embody values, and values shape our behaviors, actions, and finally our sense of self (e,g., we <3 efficiency and so our tools help us move and communicate faster, and when’s the last time you “unplugged” and felt comfortable in your solitude?). So technology is not only a tool; it’s also a cultural force.
This course seeks to investigate how technology has shaped and is shaping us in particular relation to our media. What happens to the way we read and write, to the way even that we think, when computer and Internet technologies enter our means of communication? What new forms of media are produced? What new kinds of self are introduced?
In some ways, the study of new media is a recent field. The advances in technology have rapidly changed how media is created, distributed and stored. But, of course, media itself isn’t new; neither is technology. Many people studying new media today harken back to the enormous changes our culture went through with the invention of the printing press. They suggest that we, too, are going through such a sea change today. Are we?
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 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 handout:
OPTIONAL -- This could be a fun and interactive way to gain mad Wikipedia skills!
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course 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.
Choose an article. Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article.
Resources
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:
OPTIONAL -- This could be a fun and interactive way to gain mad Wikipedia skills!
Wikipedia's article on Faulkner's novel,
Absalom, Absalom!, has been given a rating of "start" quality and "high" importance. Alternatively, its article on Faulkner's novel,
Light in August, has been nominated as a "good" article of "high" importance. Why does Absalom, Absalom! fall so short?
Look at both articles carefully. Check out the Talk Pages for each. Imagine you were preparing to improve Absalom, Absalom! in both content and in style. Draft a brief plan of action in your sandbox:
Individually,
Keep in mind that the final assignment will require you to, at a minimum,
Together with your team,
As a team,
Individually, complete the Plagiarism training module.
As a team, revisit your plan of action. Of the sources you've identified, which 5-7 sources will best help you accomplish your plan?
Read those sources carefully. Feel free to divide and conquer.
Provide a 3-4 sentence summary of each. Bullet point key elements you will use when synthesizing this source with others. This should all be in your own words to help avoid plagiarism down the road.
In your team's designated sandbox, annotate your previous bibliography. In other words, find the MLA citation for the source you've been working on and paste the summary and bullet points beneath it.
For today's class, four of the 5-7 sources should be annotated.
Finish annotating your bibliography. By today's class, all 5-7 sources should be annotated.
Come to class prepared to talk with your team about the writing process: who will write what? will you write collaboratively? what challenges do you anticipate about the process? about the content? what concerns do you have about your sources?
Individually, complete the Sandboxes and Mainspace training module. Read pages 7–9 of
Editing Wikipedia.
As a team, keeping in mind the following, begin drafting the material for your article in your team's designated sandbox. (This might mean copying material from other Wikipedia editors into your sandbox. I will still be able to tell what new material has been added by each student as long as you're signed into your account.)
Final contributions to creating or improving an article should, at a minimum:
You might also find the following resource helpful: a guide on how to edit Wikipedia articles about books.
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
As a team,
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
As a team,
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."
Editing an existing article?
Creating a new article?
Given the dynamic, collaborative nature of Wikipedia, you may feel there are still gaps or weaknesses in your overall article. That’s ok. You should aim instead to feel secure in your contributions as a group member, who also helped others in the group do their best work by challenging and provoking and upbuilding them. Additionally, you should feel proud of what you've put forward for others to build upon and you should be excited for editors outside our class to contribute in the future. In fact, part of your assignment for today is to post, as a group, what you think still needs improvement in the article.
As a team,
I will look for certain criteria when grading. My eye will be on your team’s contributions. In other words, I will not lower your grade for significant amounts of content by other Wikipedians. At the same time, if there are weaknesses elsewhere in the article (content or style), I will expect to see you comment on this in the Talk Page, and that does contribute to your grade.
Apart from exceptional circumstances, group members will share the grade for this portion of the assignment. Please know that your grade is not dependent on whether the article is accepted/published/remains on Wikipedia.
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.
This Course
|
Wikipedia Resources
|
Connect
Questions? Ask us:
contact |
![]() | 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. |
We’re accustomed to, and quite comfortable, thinking of technology as a tool—we use it and it makes our lives (hopefully) easier; we put it down, and it no longer impacts us. But tools embody values, and values shape our behaviors, actions, and finally our sense of self (e,g., we <3 efficiency and so our tools help us move and communicate faster, and when’s the last time you “unplugged” and felt comfortable in your solitude?). So technology is not only a tool; it’s also a cultural force.
This course seeks to investigate how technology has shaped and is shaping us in particular relation to our media. What happens to the way we read and write, to the way even that we think, when computer and Internet technologies enter our means of communication? What new forms of media are produced? What new kinds of self are introduced?
In some ways, the study of new media is a recent field. The advances in technology have rapidly changed how media is created, distributed and stored. But, of course, media itself isn’t new; neither is technology. Many people studying new media today harken back to the enormous changes our culture went through with the invention of the printing press. They suggest that we, too, are going through such a sea change today. Are we?
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 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 handout:
OPTIONAL -- This could be a fun and interactive way to gain mad Wikipedia skills!
This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article related to the course 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.
Choose an article. Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article.
Resources
Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:
OPTIONAL -- This could be a fun and interactive way to gain mad Wikipedia skills!
Wikipedia's article on Faulkner's novel,
Absalom, Absalom!, has been given a rating of "start" quality and "high" importance. Alternatively, its article on Faulkner's novel,
Light in August, has been nominated as a "good" article of "high" importance. Why does Absalom, Absalom! fall so short?
Look at both articles carefully. Check out the Talk Pages for each. Imagine you were preparing to improve Absalom, Absalom! in both content and in style. Draft a brief plan of action in your sandbox:
Individually,
Keep in mind that the final assignment will require you to, at a minimum,
Together with your team,
As a team,
Individually, complete the Plagiarism training module.
As a team, revisit your plan of action. Of the sources you've identified, which 5-7 sources will best help you accomplish your plan?
Read those sources carefully. Feel free to divide and conquer.
Provide a 3-4 sentence summary of each. Bullet point key elements you will use when synthesizing this source with others. This should all be in your own words to help avoid plagiarism down the road.
In your team's designated sandbox, annotate your previous bibliography. In other words, find the MLA citation for the source you've been working on and paste the summary and bullet points beneath it.
For today's class, four of the 5-7 sources should be annotated.
Finish annotating your bibliography. By today's class, all 5-7 sources should be annotated.
Come to class prepared to talk with your team about the writing process: who will write what? will you write collaboratively? what challenges do you anticipate about the process? about the content? what concerns do you have about your sources?
Individually, complete the Sandboxes and Mainspace training module. Read pages 7–9 of
Editing Wikipedia.
As a team, keeping in mind the following, begin drafting the material for your article in your team's designated sandbox. (This might mean copying material from other Wikipedia editors into your sandbox. I will still be able to tell what new material has been added by each student as long as you're signed into your account.)
Final contributions to creating or improving an article should, at a minimum:
You might also find the following resource helpful: a guide on how to edit Wikipedia articles about books.
Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.
As a team,
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
As a team,
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."
Editing an existing article?
Creating a new article?
Given the dynamic, collaborative nature of Wikipedia, you may feel there are still gaps or weaknesses in your overall article. That’s ok. You should aim instead to feel secure in your contributions as a group member, who also helped others in the group do their best work by challenging and provoking and upbuilding them. Additionally, you should feel proud of what you've put forward for others to build upon and you should be excited for editors outside our class to contribute in the future. In fact, part of your assignment for today is to post, as a group, what you think still needs improvement in the article.
As a team,
I will look for certain criteria when grading. My eye will be on your team’s contributions. In other words, I will not lower your grade for significant amounts of content by other Wikipedians. At the same time, if there are weaknesses elsewhere in the article (content or style), I will expect to see you comment on this in the Talk Page, and that does contribute to your grade.
Apart from exceptional circumstances, group members will share the grade for this portion of the assignment. Please know that your grade is not dependent on whether the article is accepted/published/remains on Wikipedia.
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.