5 reasons to do a Wikipedia writing assignment next term
1. Build your students’ intellectual confidence. When students can distill course topics into the essential information, translate that for a general audience, and then post that information in a public place – that feels good. Instructors who use our tools to assign students to create or expand Wikipedia articles often tell us about the confidence … Continued
5 career skills historians can achieve by writing for Wikipedia
The American Historical Association has identified five career diversity skills that historians with PhDs said they didn’t learn in grad school, but that have been vital to their success beyond the academy. Rarely does a single professional development experience hit on all five: communication, collaboration, quantitative literacy, intellectual self-confidence, and digital literacy. But Wiki Education is continually … Continued
5 things you didn’t know the Dashboard can do
Winter and Spring terms are officially underway. We already have 3,500 students enrolled who are already learning about, and contributing to, Wikipedia. But as an instructor, how are you supposed to keep up with all that work? Especially if you are just learning about Wikipedia for the first time yourself. Luckily, the Wiki Education Dashboard is here … Continued
Five reasons to donate to Wiki Education on Giving Tuesday
Today is Giving Tuesday, a U.S. holiday to encourage donations to worthy nonprofits. If you’re planning to make financial contributions this year, we hope you’ll consider supporting Wiki Education. Here’s why: 1. We’re dramatically improving the availability and accuracy of information available on Wikipedia. Since 2010, students in our program have added more than 35 million words to Wikipedia, … Continued
Five reasons you should donate to Wiki Education on Giving Tuesday
Today is Giving Tuesday, a U.S. holiday to encourage donations to worthy nonprofits. If you’re planning to make financial contributions this year, we hope you’ll consider supporting Wiki Education. Here’s why: 1. We’re dramatically improving the availability and accuracy of information available on Wikipedia. Since 2010, students in our program have added 25 million words … Continued
5 ways you can help Wiki Ed!
The Wiki Education Foundation is a wholly independent non-profit organization. Donations off banners at the top of Wikipedia articles don’t go to us (only donations at wikiedu.org/donate do). We don’t charge our program participants for our services (although support is always appreciated!). Instead, we rely on your enthusiasm to help us grow. We know time is a … Continued
5 reasons Wikipedia assignments boost science comms skills
Wikipedia, love it or loathe it, is one of the most-viewed sources of science information on Earth. Wikipedia is visited more often on mobile devices than USA Today, Fox News, and CNN combined. If students had an opportunity to communicate science with any of those audiences, most instructors would jump at the chance. Once those … Continued
7 ways the Year of Science is already making a difference
The Wikipedia Year of Science is a massive effort to mobilize students, instructors, and libraries from higher educational institutions to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of science. We’ve met countless scientists and supported the work of thousands of students in the USA and Canada. With the Year of Science entering the second round, we wanted to look back on the impact … Continued
Five ways the NWSA-Wiki Ed partnership has made an impact
Wiki Ed staff presented at the Wiki Diversity conference this summer, an event hosted by Wikimedia DC at the National Archives. Rosie Stephenson-Goodknight, co-founder of WikiProject Women in Red, and a driving force for writing women into Wikipedia, spoke as a keynote. The conference aimed to focus on “diversity issues throughout the Wikimedia movement.” Wiki Ed and Patti Provance … Continued
Five reasons Wikipedia belongs in History of Science courses
Wikipedia aims to collect “the sum of all knowledge.” But what counts as knowledge, and how we get it, is a complicated, and often untold, story. That’s why history of science courses can make a real difference on Wikipedia. The history of science calls on students to explore the roots of scientific concepts. They draw … Continued