by Jennifer Geigel Mikulay
http://blog.wikimedia.org/2012/10/12/learning-from-wikipedia/
Learning from Wikipedia
<http://blog.wikimedia.org/2012/10/12/learning-from-wikipedia/>
Students regularly use Wikipedia, and so do teachers. Whether we're
looking for information related to a class project, seeking an
illustration for a paper, or reading background material so we can
better understand an assigned text, free knowledge shared digitally is
now a major component of education. Because Wikipedia is such a
ubiquitous and influential source of information for my students, I feel
quite annoyed when I find gaps in coverage and participation.
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SpiritofCommerce1881.jpg>
Alverno College students use Wikipedia to share information about
Milwaukee public art.
Missing information is what initially motivated me to become an editor.
I wanted my students to be able to find information easily about public
art, about the monuments and sculptures they walk past everyday on
campus, in city parks and in their home towns. After writing a few short
articles about sculptures I knew well, I realized that trying to fill
the gaps myself would be a long, lonely process. Then I realized that my
students could help.
Since 2008, I have used Wikipedia regularly in my courses. Working in
collaboration with editors involved with WikiProject Public Art
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Public_Art> and
WikiProject Lights Camera Wiki
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Lights_Camera_Wiki>,
my students and I have developed hundreds of Wikipedia articles about
public artworks, and we've created and contributed more than 50 short
videos
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Videos_by_Alverno_College_Advanced_Media_Studies>
through Wikimedia Commons to illustrate article content.
My deepening involvement with Wikipedia as a movement put me in touch
with another gap: gender. Fortunately, my students also help with that.
I've now introduced close to 100 students to editing Wikipedia, and all
of them are women. (One of my students was even previously featured on
this blog
<http://blog.wikimedia.org/2011/12/30/milwaukee-brise-soleil-video-featured-thanks-to-student/>!)
My students are not typical Wikipedia editors--and not just because of
their gender. Many are working women who have returned to school after
starting families and careers. Many are graduates of under-funded public
school districts that lag in access to digital technology. Many do not
have their own computers and rely instead on smartphones and campus
labs. While all are familiar with what Wikipedia is, none of them has
prior experience editing it, and few have participated in online
communities beyond Facebook.
Getting students started editing Wikipedia is easy, but keeping those
students connected to the open knowledge movement as active contributors
is more challenging. To participate consistently, students need
motivation, opportunity and encouragement. For an initial editing
experience, a class project provides the motivation of a focus and
deadline, a computer lab offers the opportunity of access and the
close-knit community of a classroom provides the structure and
encouragement.
Alverno College <http://www.alverno.edu>, where I teach now, contributes
a unique support in the form of its innovative ability-based curriculum.
At Alverno, students work to develop eight core abilities, including the
problem solving skills they need to navigate new technologies and the
habits of effective citizenship they need to engage in the "good faith
collaboration" <http://reagle.org/joseph/2010/gfc/> that Wikipedia's
norms require. Beyond my classroom at Alverno, students receive support
through initiatives like the Wikipedia Education Program
<http://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_Education_Program>, Campus
Ambassadors, and the Wikipedia Teahouse
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Teahouse>.
A few of the women who learned to edit in my classes are barnstar
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Barnstars> rock stars and I like
to think that many more are getting ready to shine. Today, I'm motivated
to teach with Wikipedia because I want to learn how to better support
women to share their expertise and build community around their
intellectual interests. I'm grateful to the organizers of the
WikiWomen's Collaborative
<https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/WikiWomen%27s_Collaborative> for
bringing needed attention and resources to the vexing problem of gender
inequity among editors. I'm optimistic that this effort will bring me in
contact with models to inspire my students to continue editing and fill
the gaps. Keeping women active as editors is one important way to create
a more welcoming environment within the movement.
/Jennifer Geigel Mikulay
<http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Jgmikulay>, Alverno College, Milwaukee/
* Copyright notes: "SpiritofCommerce1881"
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SpiritofCommerce1881.jpg> by
Ilona Gonzalez, under Public domain
<http://copyright.cornell.edu/resources/publicdomain.cfm>, from
Wikimedia Commons
--
*Sarah Stierch*
*/Museumist and open culture advocate/*
>Visit
sarahstierch.com
<http://sarahstierch.com><<