>>
>>>>>> Sent: Thu, November 18, 2010 12:56:55 AM
>>>>>>>> Subject: Qs regarding village school& WP
>>>>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Sundar / Ravishankar -
>> >>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Thanks for sharing this wonderful story below! What
a
>>>> great
>> >>>>>> example of how WP can be useful in schools.
>>>>>>>> So, I'm working on the development and
deployment of
>> >>> offline
>>>>>>>> Wikipedia, and the areas we think will be most
>> effective
>>>> to get
>> >>>>>> into are schools in areas without
consistent
access
> to
>> >> Internet.
>>>>>>>> To that end, hearing this story
raised a
couple
>> immediate
>>>>>>>> questions in my mind which I
thought
I'd ask
you:
>> >>>>>> (1) What was this school's connection to
the
Internet?
>>>> That is,
>>>>>>>> were they connecting to Wikipedia/Wiktionary
> online?
>>>>>>>> (2) What exactly is a "state-funded free
education
>>>> school"? Does
>>>>>>>> that just mean that students do not have to
pay
to
>> attend,
>>>> or is
>> >>>>>> this a specific type of school
(sorry, I
am
not
>> familiar
>>>> with the
>> >>>>>> phrase so just want to make
sure I
understand!)?
>> >>>>>> (3) Why did
Mr. Jothimani choose to use
>>>> Wikipedia/Wiktionary over
>> >>>>>> other sources?
>> >>>>>> (4) Do we know if the students had used
Wikipedia
prior
>
>
>> to
>>>> the
>>>>>>>> launch of this project? Had the teachers?
>>>>>>>>
>> >>>>>> Thank you both so much; what an awesome
story!
>>>>>>>> Jessie
>> >>>>>>
>> >>>>>> On 11/16/2010 8:15 PM, BalaSundaraRaman
wrote:
>>>>>>>> Hi Sue, I just got reminded of the following story
about
how
> students
>>>> and staff
>>>>>>>> of a village school benefited from Tamil
Wikipedia. We
found
this
>> from
>>>> an
>> >>>>>> article in a magazine called "pudhiya
thalaimurai"
(New
> Generation)
>
>> and
>>>> another
>>>>>>>> blogpost.[1] It is about how a school headmaster
Mr.Jothimani
>> transformed
>>>> the
>>>>>>>> state-funded free education school at a village
Mangudi
near
>> Kumbakonam
>>>> in
>>>>>>>> Tamil Nadu. Among others, it includes a section on
how
Tamil
>> Wikipedia
>>>> and
>>>>>>>> Wiktionary are being used by the students and
staff.
Subsequently,
> a
>>>> Tamil
>> >>>>>> Wikipedian Ravishankar Ayyakkannu
(User:Ravidreams)
called
>> Mr.Jothimani
>>>> over
>>>>>>>> phone and collected more information. He wrote the
findings in
the
>> Tamil
>> >>>>>> Wikipedia blogpost.[2] Translation of some
excerpts:
*
Students
> of
>>>> sixth,
>> >>>>>> seventh, and eighth standard (aged ~11-13) use
Tamil
Wikipedia.
> *
>
>> One
>>>> class
>>>>>>>> everyday is dedicated for Wikipedia during school
hours.
During
> this
>>>> period,
>> >>>>>> students research about the topics that they
learned
that
day in
>> other
>>>> classes
>> >>>>>> (examples below). If they need to access the
Wiki
for their
home
>> work,
>>>> writing
>> >>>>>> or speaking contests, students spend time
online
during
lunch or
>>>>>>> after hours.
>>>>>>>> * They find the information accessible most of the
time.
*
> Teachers
>
>> too
>>>> find it
>>>>>>>> useful. * They felt that they could use more of
local
information
>> about
>> >> their
>>>>>>>> district and about Tamil Nadu and India in
general. *
Example
> use
>> >> cases: if
>>>>>>>> the teacher gives a topic "statesmen",
students look for
Nehru,
>>>> Kamarajar,
>>>>>>>> etc., If they give a story writing contest of the
title "a
story
> of
>>>> itself told
>>>>>>>> by River Cauvery", they search for the article
on the
river and
> write
>> >> the
>>>>>>>> details in first person. They also go find other
interlinked
>> articles on
>> >> Coorg,
>>>>>>>> Poombuhar, etc., and get excited about their
findings. The
> headmaster
>> >> finds
>>>>>>>> that the students' creative expression has
clearly
increased
after
>> >> introducing
>>>>>>>> Tamil Wikipedia. A student who would write 20
sentences on
a
topic
>> now
>>>> writes
>>>>>>>> 60 sentences. * They also use the Tamil Wiktionary
which
has
> nearly
>
>> two
>>>> hundred
>> >>>>>> thousand entries including technical glossaries
donated by
the
> Tamil
>>>> Virtual
>> >>>>>> Academy. Given that typically students in
such
remote
villages
> do
>
>> not
>>>> have
>>>>>>>> access to much information, the utility of this
exposure
is
> immense.
>>>> Also, most
>>>>>>>> of the students of state-run schools come from
under-previleged
and
>>>> low-income
>> >>>>>> families. Given that, this helps to even out the
systemic
bias
>>>> somewhat. I've
>> >>>>>> taken the liberty to copy Ravishankar who spoke
to the
> headmaster. -
>>>>> Sundar
>>>>>>>> [1]
-http://infinityholes.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post.html
(in
>> Tamil)
>>>> [2] -
>> >>>>>>
http://tamilwikipedia.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post_5826.html
> (in
>>>> Tamil) "That
>>>>>>>> language is an instrument of human reason, and not
merely
a
medium
> for
>>>> the
>>>>>>>> expression of thought, is a truth generally
admitted." -
George
> Boole,
>>>> quoted in
>>>>>>>> Iverson's Turing Award Lecture -----
Original Message
----
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> From: Sue Gardner<sgardner(a)wikimedia.org>
To:
"Local
Chapters,
>> board
>>>> and
>> >>>>>>> officers coordination (closed
>> >> subscription)"<Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
>> >>>>>>> Sent: Thu, November 11, 2010 12:01:48 PM
Subject:
[Internal-l]
>> Looking
>>>> for
>> >>>>>>> stories of readers affected by Wikipedia
Hi folks,
Megan
> Hernandez
>
>> on
>> >> the
>>>>>>>>> staff is looking out for me, for stories of
readers
whose
>
have
>>>> been
>>>>>>>>> impacted by Wikipedia or the other projects.
(Donors
often
send
> us
>>>> stories like
>> >>>>>>> that, and I am often looking for stories
to tell
people
about
> the
>>>> projects. So
>> >>>>>>> I've asked her to send good ones to
me.) I was
writing
her a
> set
>
> of
>>>> criteria
>>>>>>>>> for the kinds of stories I want, and it occurred
to me
that you
>> might
>> >>>>>>> yourselves have some good stories of exactly
this
kind. So I
am
>> sending
>>>> along
>> >>>>>>> the criteria here too :-) If you have
stories that
fit
many/all
> of
>>>> these
>> >>>>>>> criteria, please send them to me, onlist
or off.
And
please
> forgive
>
>> my
>> >>>>>>> cross-posting to several lists at once.
Thanks, Sue
*
> Ideally,
>
>> they'd
>>>> be
>>>>>>>>> along the theme of "how Wikipedia made my
life better."
This
> might
>
>> be
>> >> an
>>>>>>>>> anecdote, or bigger-picture (ie, 'how
Wikipedia makes my
life
> better
>>>> every
>>>>>>>>> day'). * Ideally, they would be stories of
people
who
>>>>>>>>>
pre-exposure-to-Wikipedia would have had circumscribed
access
> to
>>>> information.
>>>>>>>>> Because they grew up in a small town with no
library,
because
> their
>>>> school
>>>>>>>>> didn't stock certain kinds of books,
because materials
in
their
>>>> language are of
>>>>>>>>> limited availability, because their government
limits
access
>>
certain
>> >> types
>>>>>>>>> of information -- in general, because their
>> >>>>>> economic/political/socio-cultural
>> >>>>>>> circumstances somehow impede(d) easy
access to
information. *
>> Ideally,
>>>> the
>>>>>>>>> information that Wikipedia gives them is
important, and
directly,
>>>> immediately
>>>>>>>>> useful. Like, it helped them better understand a
health
issue
>> they
>>
>>> were
>>> >> having,
>>>>>>>>>> or it equipped them to do some important
task better; it
>
them
>> >> understand
>>>>>>>>> a new situation or some aspect of themselves, or
enabled
them
to
>> solve
>>>> an
>>>>>>>>> important problem. Maybe it helped them get a
job they
otherwise
>>>> couldn't have
>> >>>>>>> gotten, or enabled them to avoid some
specific
danger or
risk.
> *
>>>> And/or, the
>>>>>>>>> information fed a general curiosity and desire
to
understand
the
>> world
>> >> better.
>>>>>>>>> It got them interested in going to college
which nobody
in
their
>>> family
>>>>> had
>>>>>>>>>> done before, it helped them develop a
more thoughtful
>> on a
>>>>> public
>>>>>>>>>> policy issue, it stimulated them to travel
or read more
> or
>
>> to
>>>> question
>>>>>>>>> assumptions they had been making. * Ideally,
their
lives are
> better
>>>> today
>> >>>>>>> because of the information they are exposed
to via
Wikipedia.
> Maybe
>>>> this would
>> >>>>>>> be better in some really specific way --
like, "Three
months
> later
>
> I
>>>> persuaded
>>>>>>>>> my doctor to let me try the new treatment, and
it
worked." Or,
it
>> might
>> >> be much
>>>>>>>>> more general. * It is fine if the information
they
found on
>> Wikipedia
>>>> might
>> >>>>>>> otherwise have been kept from them, either
deliberately
>
through
>
>> lack
>>>> of easy
>>>>>>>>> opportunity. It is fine if the information is
considered
risky
or
>>>> controversial
>>>>>>>>> in some way. Sue Gardner Executive
Director
Wikimedia
>> Foundation
>>>> 415 839
>> >>>>>>> 6885 office 415 816 9967 cell Imagine a
world in
which
every
> single
>>>> human
>> >>>>>>> being can freely share in the sum of all
knowledge.
Help
us
>> make it
>>
>>> a
>>> >>>>>>>
reality!http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate
>>> >>>>>>>
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