Wikipedia:WikiProject United States Public Policy/Update/11 January 2011

Dozens of new Campus Ambassadors trained


We're in the middle of two weeks of Campus Ambassador trainings occurring across the United States. Experienced Campus Ambassadors came to the Wikimedia Foundation offices on January 4 and 5 to learn how to be Campus Ambassador Trainers. They've now dispersed to five regions, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., New York City, Baton Rouge, and Indianapolis, where they are leading trainings for new Campus Ambassadors. Watch the roster of Campus Ambassadors grow.

First Monday suggests using Wikipedia as a teaching tool
Peer-reviewed internet journal First Monday published an article by University of North Carolina Wilmington professor Colleen Reilly explaining why Wikipedia should be used as a teaching tool. Professor Reilly suggests thinking about Wikipedia as a "mirrored technology", with many layers for the student to explore. Read the full article.

Educause slides and chat transcript available
Campus Ambassador Yonatan Moskowitz and Campus Team Coordinator Annie Lin led an online webinar last week to more than 200 participants through Educause about using Wikipedia as a teaching tool in the higher education classroom. Yonatan and Annie's slides and a chat transcript are now available for anyone to read. Download them today.

Chronicle urges scholars to contribute to Wikipedia
The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article called "Wikipedia Comes of Age", a general call for university scholars to start contributing to Wikipedia. Students use Wikipedia, whether you say they can or not, the article argues, and so you should be adding references and contributing to the quality of the articles. Read the full article.