User:Amyehughes/sandbox/Timeline

Strategies for Success

 * Be sure you’re logged in when editing Wikipedia. Anyone can make an anonymous contribution to Wikipedia (in such cases, the IP address is listed in the “History” page of the article); but if you are not logged into your personal Wikipedia account, you cannot document the work you have completed, and therefore will not get credit for it. Be sure to maintain a “paper trail” of your contributions.
 * Set aside time every week to make headway on this project. We will be completing this project in stages, and there are tasks you must complete every week, on time, in order to receive full credit for your work. Some of the steps are wholly technical (e.g., learning how to format text in a wiki, how to use your “Sandbox” on Wikipedia, etc.). The earlier you begin editing text on Wikipedia, the easier completing this project will be.
 * Make use of your work on other assignments. For example, you need to do an in-class presentation about a primary source in this course (10% of grade). To maximize your efficiency and manage your time well, you could select one or more Wikipedia articles to create/edit that are somehow related to the subject of your presentation. Remember, all topics must be approved by me, but remember that I encourage you to make choices that will allow you to do thorough and valuable work.

Deadlines and Tasks
Work is due on the day it is listed.

February 26: Setting Up; Making a Small Dent

 * 1) Complete the Wikipedia Tutorial for students (it will take approximately one hour).
 * 2) If you don’t have a Wikipedia account: Create an account on Wikipedia.com and establish your user page (post a brief bio, etc.). For help, watch the video on creating an account and/or read the Account and user page creation handout.
 * 3) Log into your account on Wikipedia and complete the following three tasks:
 * 4) Make at least one improvement to the Brooklyn College article, the article about your hometown, or an article about any other school you have attended. (These resources provide guidance on the code used to format content on Wikipedia: Wikimarkup cheatsheet and Video on basic editing.)
 * 5) Introduce yourself to me and to at least one of your classmates by leaving message on their Talk pages. (See the Talk pages tutorial video for guidance.)
 * 6) “Enroll” in the assignment by adding your user name to the “Students” section at the bottom of the page.

February 13: Evaluating and Choosing Articles; Learning How to Cite Sources

 * 1) Watch the Verifiability and Neutral point of view video.
 * 2) Read the Referencing handout, the Evaluating Wikipedia article quality brochure, and the Referencing: Wikicode handout.
 * 3) Log into your account on Wikipedia and “claim” at least two articles you want to assess and potentially edit this semester: go to the list of articles on this page (below) and add your user name in the box next to your chosen topics. You are only required to work on one article, but I want you to explore at least two possibilities before deciding/committing on Feb 27.

February 20: Preliminary Bibliography; Setting Up Your Sandbox (NO CLASS--Conversion Day)

 * 1) Log into your account and visit your “sandbox”—the experimental space you will use to draft content for the Wikipedia page you’re developing. You can access it by clicking the “sandbox” link at the top of the page, between “talk” and “preferences.” For help, visit About_the_Sandbox.
 * 2) Go to your User page and add this text at the bottom: Don’t forget the curly brackets! This will add a “button” to your User page that will allow me to access your sandbox.
 * 3) In your sandbox, post a bibliography of at least ten (10) potentially useful secondary sources (books and journal articles) that you will consult during this project. NOTE: Your citations should be formatted in accordance with MLA style. Wikipedia doesn’t follow a specific style, but since you will write your MA/MFA thesis using MLA style, I want you to use it for this project. See the MLA Handbook for guidance.
 * 4) After you have posted your bibliography, go to my Talk page (amyehughes) and post a message for me indicating you have finished this task.

February 27: 1st Draft of Needs Assessment (NA) and Writing Plan (WP)

 * 1) Prepare a needs assessment (NA) for the article you have chosen. It should include:
 * 2) A completed “Article Evaluation Form” (you can download this form by going to the Syllabus/Handouts area on Blackboard)
 * 3) A 250-500 word description of the article’s quality
 * 4) A checklist of what you think needs to be improved
 * 5) Prepare a writing plan (WP). It should include:
 * 6) A 250-500 word description of your planned improvements (this should correspond to your NA’s checklist of improvement needs)
 * 7) Your working bibliography (at least 10 sources, formatted in MLA style)
 * 8) A timeline of your planned improvements
 * 9) Print a copy of your NA, WP, and Wikipedia page and bring to class for peer review.

March 6: Final Draft of NA and WP; Adding the “Educational Assignment” Designation

 * 1) Incorporate the feedback you received during the peer review of your NP and WP. Submit the final draft to me on Blackboard (in the Assignments area).
 * 2) Go to your Wikipedia article and add a banner indicating it is currently the subject of an educational assignment by add the code at the top.

March 13: Work on Article(s); First Substantial Addition (Moving Out of Your Sandbox)

 * 1) Use your sandbox to develop text and experiment. By this date, you should transport at least one substantial addition to the “live” article.

March 20: Work on Article(s); Adding Visual Content

 * 1) Read Uploading images handout.
 * 2) Find at least one image (that is NOT under copyright protection) related to your topic and upload it, either to your Sandbox or to the Wikipedia article. You may also design your own graph, timeline, or other visual aid that you believe will enhance the article. To learn how to upload your own image to Wikimedia Commons, watch this video.

March 27: NO CLASS (Spring Recess) (nothing due)

 * By now, you should have an initial draft of a comprehensive treatment of your topic.

April 3: Midterm Progress Report; Choosing Articles to Review

 * 1) Select two classmates’ articles to peer review. “Claim” the articles by going to our Wikipedia course page and adding your username to the appropriate box in the list of articles. (You don’t have to review them yet.)
 * 2) Click on your assigned article’s “View history” tab, select the last revision before you started working on the article and the current revision and then click “Compare selected revisions.” Print a copy of the resulting comparison.
 * 3) Prepare a progress report that includes:
 * 4) A copy of your improvement needs checklist from 3/6, marked and annotated to indicate what you have done so far
 * 5) An honest self-assessment (200-500 words) of your progress on the WP you submitted on 3/6
 * 6) A new (200-500 word) evaluation of the article’s quality
 * 7) An updated WP for the remainder of the semester
 * 8) Submit your progress report in the Assignments area on Blackboard.
 * 9) Print one copy of each item and bring them to class for peer review and discussion.

April 10: Peer Review of Two Articles

 * 1) Reread the “Article Evaluation Form” (in Syllabus/Handouts area on Blackboard). Use the criteria to evaluate the two articles you have chosen to peer review.
 * 2) Leave comments, feedback, and suggestions for improvement on the “Talk” page for the article (NOT your classmate’s Talk page).

April 17: Responding to Feedback (nothing due)

 * Make edits to your article based on peers' feedback.

April 24: Responding to Feedback (nothing due)

 * Continue making edits to your article based on peers' feedback.

May 1: Reflective Essay and Class Presentation; Finishing Up

 * 1) Write a reflective essay (3-5 pages) summarizing your Wikipedia contributions, both as a writer/contributor and a reviewer/editor. Submit your essay in the Assignments area on Blackboard.
 * 2) You will give a brief presentation (3-4 minutes) in class today about your Wikipedia editing experience.
 * 3) This will be your last week to make final improvements to your article.

May 8: Submit Electronic Portfolio

 * 1) Create an electronic portfolio documenting your work on this project. I will use this portfolio to evaluate your work and assign you a grade for the assignment. It should be in the form of a single PDF or Word (.doc or .docx) document. To include visual material, make scans or create screenshots, then insert them into the document. Your e-portfolio should include:
 * 2) Your reflective essay (submitted 5/1)
 * 3) A copy of the article as it originally appeared in February
 * 4) A copy of the article as it now appears
 * 5) Your midterm progress report (submitted 4/3)
 * 6) Your final progress report. This should include 1) your original checklist from 3/6, annotated to indicate what you ultimately accomplished; 2) a 200-500 word assessment of the article’s current quality; and 3) a short description of what, in your opinion, could be done to further improve the article.
 * 7) Submit your electronic portfolio in the Assignments area on Blackboard.

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