Re: [Wikimedia-l] Editing Wikipedia for school community service hours
Content about businesses is potentially useful to people who need jobs. Television shows *are* cultural topics. I am uneasy about well intentioned attempts to define worthy and unworthy content. On 14 April 2015 at 02:28, Leigh Thelmadatter osama...@hotmail.com wrote: I agree that any community service type editing would have to be planned and done carefully as the type of work being done is everything. Obviously adding content about businesses and television shows would have no community impact, but documenting cultural topics, marginalized peoples, and the like very well could. Not to mention academic topics to the same communities as Wikipedia Zero serves. No sense students having free access if they information they need does not exist. Servicio social for Mexican universities also has an academic component, relating the service to their majors. María José has written a blog post, which is in the draft queue, about her experience which I hope gets published eventually. Leigh Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2015 21:03:50 -0400 From: aleksey.bilo...@gmail.com To: wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org CC: wikimedia-casca...@lists.wikimedia.org; wikimediau...@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Editing Wikipedia for school community service hours If editing Wikipedia counted as community service my school ought to start handing me plaques. Alas, it does not, for a host of legitimate reasons as I see it, ranging from academic uncertainty about the usefulness of doing so when it comes to community impact, to the sheer difficulty of actually measuring. More meaningful (and, in the spirit of things, selfless) to volunteer at a local Wikipedia editing event then to sit back in an armchair and do the whole first-world-netizen-at-a-computer thing. On Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 8:57 PM, Pine W wiki.p...@gmail.com wrote: Hi all, Many schools in the United States encourage or require students to perform community service hours, such as by cleaning up parks, caring for the disabled, or tutoring younger students. Sometimes more specialized requirements apply, such as university schools of education or health which may require experience that is applicable to a student's desired coursework. Contributing to Wikimedia is one form of accepted community service in a multi-campus Mexican university, and the practice seems to be gaining momentum (see https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/04/13/wiki-learning-edit-a-thon-mexico/). These community service programs are different from in-class assignments that require Wikipedia editing. Wikipedia can benefit from both kinds of activities. I am wondering, have other Wikimedia affiliates had success with encouraging students to complete community service requirements by contributing to Wikimedia? I am thinking that here in Cascadia, we might encourage schools to allow this option, and other affiliates also might want to explore this possibility. Thanks, Pine ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe -- Landline (UK) 01780 757 250 Mobile (UK) 0798 1995 792 ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Editing Wikipedia for school community service hours
I understand, but when you are selling this idea to an outside agency (in this case the Mexican education system) you have to focus on what they deem worthy to get their support/cooperation. Few educational institutions would argue that writing articles about art, history and science have impact on society but more than a few would raise eyebrows on articles about pop music or video games (although yes, there is always a portion today's junk entertainment that becomes tomorrow's classics.) There is so much that needs to be done on Wikipedia that there is a corner for just about everyone, but not everyone will see every topic area as worthwhile of course. One issue I have now with a couple students is that they want to do all of their hours with Wikipedia but they cannot. Because one thing the authorities want is for students to spend time with people outside the university, especially the under-priviledged, the classic idea of community service. Im working of ways to work with this. I hate losing experienced Wikipedians any sooner than I have to! Leigh Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2015 19:38:51 +0100 From: rich...@farmbrough.co.uk To: wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Editing Wikipedia for school community service hours Content about businesses is potentially useful to people who need jobs. Television shows *are* cultural topics. I am uneasy about well intentioned attempts to define worthy and unworthy content. On 14 April 2015 at 02:28, Leigh Thelmadatter osama...@hotmail.com wrote: I agree that any community service type editing would have to be planned and done carefully as the type of work being done is everything. Obviously adding content about businesses and television shows would have no community impact, but documenting cultural topics, marginalized peoples, and the like very well could. Not to mention academic topics to the same communities as Wikipedia Zero serves. No sense students having free access if they information they need does not exist. Servicio social for Mexican universities also has an academic component, relating the service to their majors. María José has written a blog post, which is in the draft queue, about her experience which I hope gets published eventually. Leigh Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2015 21:03:50 -0400 From: aleksey.bilo...@gmail.com To: wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org CC: wikimedia-casca...@lists.wikimedia.org; wikimediau...@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Editing Wikipedia for school community service hours If editing Wikipedia counted as community service my school ought to start handing me plaques. Alas, it does not, for a host of legitimate reasons as I see it, ranging from academic uncertainty about the usefulness of doing so when it comes to community impact, to the sheer difficulty of actually measuring. More meaningful (and, in the spirit of things, selfless) to volunteer at a local Wikipedia editing event then to sit back in an armchair and do the whole first-world-netizen-at-a-computer thing. On Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 8:57 PM, Pine W wiki.p...@gmail.com wrote: Hi all, Many schools in the United States encourage or require students to perform community service hours, such as by cleaning up parks, caring for the disabled, or tutoring younger students. Sometimes more specialized requirements apply, such as university schools of education or health which may require experience that is applicable to a student's desired coursework. Contributing to Wikimedia is one form of accepted community service in a multi-campus Mexican university, and the practice seems to be gaining momentum (see https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/04/13/wiki-learning-edit-a-thon-mexico/). These community service programs are different from in-class assignments that require Wikipedia editing. Wikipedia can benefit from both kinds of activities. I am wondering, have other Wikimedia affiliates had success with encouraging students to complete community service requirements by contributing to Wikimedia? I am thinking that here in Cascadia, we might encourage schools to allow this option, and other affiliates also might want to explore this possibility. Thanks, Pine ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org
Re: [Wikimedia-l] Editing Wikipedia for school community service hours
I agree that any community service type editing would have to be planned and done carefully as the type of work being done is everything. Obviously adding content about businesses and television shows would have no community impact, but documenting cultural topics, marginalized peoples, and the like very well could. Not to mention academic topics to the same communities as Wikipedia Zero serves. No sense students having free access if they information they need does not exist. Servicio social for Mexican universities also has an academic component, relating the service to their majors. María José has written a blog post, which is in the draft queue, about her experience which I hope gets published eventually. Leigh Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2015 21:03:50 -0400 From: aleksey.bilo...@gmail.com To: wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org CC: wikimedia-casca...@lists.wikimedia.org; wikimediau...@lists.wikimedia.org Subject: Re: [Wikimedia-l] Editing Wikipedia for school community service hours If editing Wikipedia counted as community service my school ought to start handing me plaques. Alas, it does not, for a host of legitimate reasons as I see it, ranging from academic uncertainty about the usefulness of doing so when it comes to community impact, to the sheer difficulty of actually measuring. More meaningful (and, in the spirit of things, selfless) to volunteer at a local Wikipedia editing event then to sit back in an armchair and do the whole first-world-netizen-at-a-computer thing. On Mon, Apr 13, 2015 at 8:57 PM, Pine W wiki.p...@gmail.com wrote: Hi all, Many schools in the United States encourage or require students to perform community service hours, such as by cleaning up parks, caring for the disabled, or tutoring younger students. Sometimes more specialized requirements apply, such as university schools of education or health which may require experience that is applicable to a student's desired coursework. Contributing to Wikimedia is one form of accepted community service in a multi-campus Mexican university, and the practice seems to be gaining momentum (see https://blog.wikimedia.org/2015/04/13/wiki-learning-edit-a-thon-mexico/). These community service programs are different from in-class assignments that require Wikipedia editing. Wikipedia can benefit from both kinds of activities. I am wondering, have other Wikimedia affiliates had success with encouraging students to complete community service requirements by contributing to Wikimedia? I am thinking that here in Cascadia, we might encourage schools to allow this option, and other affiliates also might want to explore this possibility. Thanks, Pine ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe ___ Wikimedia-l mailing list, guidelines at: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Mailing_lists/Guidelines Wikimedia-l@lists.wikimedia.org Unsubscribe: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikimedia-l, mailto:wikimedia-l-requ...@lists.wikimedia.org?subject=unsubscribe
