Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Smith College/New Media and Participatory Culture (Fall 2016)
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- Course name
- New Media and Participatory Culture
- Institution
- Smith College
- Instructor
- Jennifer Malkowski
- Wikipedia Expert
- Ian (Wiki Ed)
- Subject
- Film and Media Studies
- Course dates
- 2016-09-12 00:00:00 UTC – 2016-12-15 23:59:59 UTC
- Approximate number of student editors
- 20
Among the claims made for the newness of new media is the assertion that they are interactive, turning the passive consumers of “old” media into active, engaged participants. This course explores the shape of this technologically-enabled “participatory culture” and will also investigate cracks in the foundation of the alleged digital utopia. To what extent are new technologies democratizing and to what extent do they offer new forms of surveillance and control to the powers that be? What social and economic factors govern convergence culture? How have fan cultures evolved as their material networks of conventions and zines go digital?
Timeline
Week 1
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 5 October 2016
- In class - Introduction to the Wikipedia project
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 Content 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 handouts:
- Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
- Evaluating Wikipedia
- Assignment - Practicing the basics
- Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you.
- It's time to dive into Wikipedia. Below, you'll find the first set of online trainings you'll need to take. New modules will appear on this timeline as you get to new milestones. Be sure to check back and complete them! Incomplete trainings will be reflected in your grade.
- When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
Week 2
- Course meetings
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- Wednesday, 12 October 2016
- In class - Discussion
- What's a content gap?
Now that you're thinking about what makes a "good" Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.
- Wikipedians often talk about "content gaps." What do you think a content gap is, and what are some possible ways to identify them?
- What are some reasons a content gap might arise? What are some ways to remedy them?
- Does it matter who writes Wikipedia?
- What does it mean to be "unbiased" on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of "bias"?
- Assignment - Choose possible topics
- Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
- Choose 2-3 potential articles that you can tackle, and post links to them on your Wikipedia user page. For articles that already exist, check the Talk page to see what other Wikipedians might be doing. Finally, present your choices to your instructor for feedback.
Week 3
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 17 October 2016 | Wednesday, 19 October 2016
- Assignment - Finalize your topic / start finding sources
- On the Students tab, assign your chosen topic to yourself.
- In your sandbox, write a few sentences about what you plan to contribute to the selected article.
- What can you add to this article? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too.
- Start making a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources that you will be able to use in your article. Post that list to the talk page of the article you'll be working on, and in your sandbox. Make sure to check in on the Talk page to see if anyone has advice on your bibliography. This list can be informal for now, as you will soon develop it into your Annotated Bibliography.
- In class - Discussion
- Thinking about Wikipedia
- What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of "neutrality"?
- What are the impacts and limits of Wikipedia as a source of information?
- On Wikipedia, all material must be attributable to reliable, published sources. What kinds of sources does this exclude? Can you think of any problems that might create?
- If Wikipedia was written 100 years ago, how might its content (and contributors) be different? What about 100 years from now?
Week 4
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 24 October 2016 | Wednesday, 26 October 2016
- Assignment - Create an Annotated Bibliography
(see assignment sheet on Moodle / handout)
Week 5
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 31 October 2016 | Wednesday, 2 November 2016
- Assignment - Draft your article
You've picked a topic and found your sources, and by now you have feedback from me on your Annotated Bibliography. Now it's time to start writing.
Creating a new article?
- Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's "lead section." Write it in your sandbox.
- A "lead" section is not a traditional introduction. It should summarize, very briefly, what the rest of the article will say in detail. The first paragraph should include important, broad facts about the subject. A good example is Ada Lovelace. See Editing Wikipedia page 9 for more ideas.
Improving an existing article?
- Identify what's missing from the current form of the article. Think back to the skills you learned while critiquing an article. Make notes for improvement in your sandbox.
Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.
If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the "Get Help" button in your sandbox to request notes.
Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9
Week 6
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 7 November 2016 | Wednesday, 9 November 2016
- Assignment - Peer review and copy edit
- First, take the "Peer Review" online training.
- Select a classmates’ article that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the article that you want to review, and then assign it to yourself in the Review column.
- Peer review your classmate's draft. Leave suggestions on the Talk page of the article, or sandbox, that your fellow student is working on. Other editors may be reviewing your work, so look for their comments! Be sure to acknowledge feedback from other Wikipedians.
- As you review, make spelling, grammar, and other adjustments. Pay attention to the tone of the article. Is it encyclopedic?
Week 7
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 14 November 2016 | Wednesday, 16 November 2016
- Assignment - Respond to your peer review and polish/expand your article
You probably have some feedback from other students and possibly other Wikipedians. It's time to work with that feedback to improve your article!
- Read Editing Wikipedia pages 12 and 14.
- Return to your draft or article and think about the suggestions. Decide which ones to start implementing. Reach out to your instructor or your Content Expert if you have any questions.
- As you revise/expand, read Editing Wikipedia page 12 to see how to create links from your article to others, and from other articles to your own. Try to link to 3–5 articles, and link to your article from 2–3 other articles.
- Assignment - Begin moving your work to Wikipedia
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?
- NEVER copy and paste your draft of an article over the entire article. Instead, edit small sections at a time.
- Copy your edits into the article. Make many small edits, saving each time, and leaving an edit summary. Never replace more than one to two sentences without saving!
Creating a new article?
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 13, and follow those steps to move your article from your Sandbox to Mainspace.
- You can also review the [[../../../training/students/sandboxes|Sandboxes and Mainspace]] online training.
Week 8
- Course meetings
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- Monday, 21 November 2016
- Assignment - Final article
It's the final week to develop your article, and you'll submit it by 11-22.
- Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your assignment.
- Don't forget that you can ask for help from your Content Expert at any time!