Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/Spelman College/Writing and Editing Digital Media (Spring 2017)

This course teaches principles of designing, composing, and editing various types of digital media and online publishing platforms.

Week 1
Before you can participate in the Wikipedia community, you need to choose a hacker name. When selecting your hacker name, you need to think very carefully about how you want to protect your government-issued personally identifying information.


 * Read Dr. Lockett's Statement about Hacker Names

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 &quot;Get Help&quot; button on this page.

To get started, please review the following handouts:


 * Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia

* Learn about Wiki-Storming''' '''
 * Read Adriane Wadewitz's Looking at the Five Pillars of Wikipedia as a Feminist (Part I)

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 2

 * Read Marshall Poe's &quot;The Hive&quot;
 * Read how Wikipedians historicize Wikipedia
 * Read Wikipedians are Editing the Gender Gap
 * Read Howard Fills in Wikipedia Gaps in Black History
 * View Jimmy Wales' 60 Minutes Interview
 * Complete Student Information Sheet


 * 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.

Now that you're thinking about what makes a &quot;good&quot; Wikipedia article, consider some additional questions.

Recommended:  In preparation for the discussion, you should also read the article: What Motivates Wikipedians and [http://www.dailydot.com/via/dr-goddess-black-twitter-wikipedia-define/ Black Twitter on Wikipedia? Thanks, but We Need to Define Ourselves.]


 * Wikipedians often talk about &quot;content gaps.&quot; 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 &quot;unbiased&quot; on Wikipedia? How is that different, or similar, to your own definition of &quot;bias&quot;?
 * How does editing Wikipedia enable us to further investigate the issue of homogeneity and diversity in knowledge spaces?

Visit Google Classroom for your 4th Hour Justification Assignment.

Week 3

 * Read Wikipedia's Sexism Toward Female Novelists
 * Read Harvard is Looking for Wikipedians-in-Residence
 * Read How Wikipedians in Residence are Opening Up Cultural Institutions
 * Read Political Cartoon about Wikipedia

Be prepared to discuss Wikipedians as a discourse community and evaluate their marketability to various job sectors.

'''
 * View Adriane Wadewitz's Editing Wikipedia video
 * Learn more about her leadership and contributions to Diversifying Wikipedia here, be sure to read''' 'Looking at the Five Pillars of Wikipedia as a Feminist (Part 2)'

Familiarize yourself with editing Wikipedia by adding a citation to an article. There are two ways you can do this:


 * Add 1-2 sentences to a course-related article, and cite that statement to a reliable source, as you learned in the online training.
 * The Citation Hunt tool shows unreferenced statements from articles. First, evaluate whether the statement in question is true! An uncited statement could just be lacking a reference or it could be inaccurate or misleading. Reliable sources on the subject will help you choose whether to add it or correct the statement.

Read:  I was Cyberbullied for being a Black Feminist Read: Let's Call the Leslie Jones Attack What it Was... Read: Digital Security as Feminist Practice Review:  A DIY Guide to Feminist Cybersecurity

Develop 5-10 &quot;good&quot; discussion questions about the problem of misogyny online. You will follow-up on this assignment next week. (Submit questions via Google Classroom!).

[https://classroom.google.com/c/Mzg1NTg1NDE2MFpa/a/NDM2ODk5MDcwNlpa/submissions/by-status/and-sort-name/done ]

Week 4
This assignment was due on 2.14. However, if you neglected to do it, I will evaluate it until 2.21 for HALF CREDIT.


 * Blog posts and press releases are considered poor sources of reliable information. Why?
 * What are some reasons you might not want to use a company's website as the main source of information about that company?
 * What is the difference between a copyright violation and plagiarism?
 * What are some good techniques to avoid close paraphrasing and plagiarism?


 * Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
 * Choose 3–5 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.

Follow-up on this in-class assignment by completing the Google Classroom assignment for next time!

Note:  This assignment will not be moved, but will be graded. If you have not done it, you will want to do it ASAP.

You'll want to find or create an appropriate photo, illustration, or piece of video/audio to add to an article.


 * Before you start, review the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook, or see Editing Wikipedia pages 10–11.
 * When you've reviewed those pages, take the training linked below.
 * When you're ready to start finding images, remember: Never grab images you find through an image search, or those found on Instagram, Tumblr, Reddit, Imgur, or even so-called &quot;Free image&quot; or &quot;free stock photo&quot; websites. Instead, you'll want to find images with clear proof that the creator has given permission to use their work. Many of these images can be found on search.creativecommons.org.
 * Don't just upload an image to Wikipedia. Instead, upload it to Wikipedia's sister site for images, Wikimedia Commons. For instructions, read through the Illustrating Wikipedia handbook.

Week 5

 * Read: Rebecca Moore Howard &quot;Understanding Internet Plagiarism&quot;.
 * Read: Free Culture, Introduction and Chapter 1

Be prepared to have a class debate about copyright, creativity, and cultural appropriation

Note:  Be prepared to take a *reading quiz* on this material due to the lack of participation last class period


 * Read Wikipedia FAQ about Neutral POV
 * Read Marshall Poe A Closer Look at the NPOV


 * Go to Google Classroom and complete the worksheet on selecting a topic.

It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article, and leave suggestions for improving it on the article's Talk page.


 * Complete the &quot;Evaluating Articles and Sources&quot; training (linked below).
 * Choose an article, and consider some questions (but don't feel limited to these):
 * Is each fact referenced with an appropriate, reliable reference?
 * Is everything in the article relevant to the article topic? Is there anything that distracted you?
 * Is the article neutral? Are there any claims, or frames, that appear heavily biased toward a particular position?
 * Where does the information come from? Are these neutral sources? If biased, is that bias noted?
 * Are there viewpoints that are overrepresented, or underrepresented?
 * Check a few citations. Do the links work? Is there any close paraphrasing or plagiarism in the article?
 * Is any information out of date? Is anything missing that could be added?
 * Choose at least 2 questions relevant to the article you're evaluating. Leave your evaluation on the article's Talk page. Be sure to sign your feedback with four tildes — JaneNova (talk) 14:36, 28 March 2017 (UTC).

'Note:  This should have been done last week. If you have not completed it by now, I will accept it until 2.21 for HALF CREDIT.'

Choose an article. Read through it, thinking about ways to improve the language, such as fixing grammatical mistakes. Then, make the appropriate changes. You don’t need to contribute new information to the article.

'Note:  This should have been done last week. If you have not completed it by now, I will accept it until 2.21 for HALF CREDIT.'

'''Class Discussion (20 minutes) ''' Exchange your &quot;Selecting Topics Worksheet&quot; with your assigned peer. After you have discussed the &quot;best&quot; topic, narrow down your choice to ONE topic.

'''In-Class Writing (30-45 minutes)  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.
 * Think back to when you did an article critique. What can you add? Post some of your ideas to the article's talk page, too.
 * Compile a list of relevant, reliable books, journal articles, or other sources. Post that bibliography 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.


 * What do you think of Wikipedia's definition of &quot;neutrality&quot;?
 * 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 6
'''Creating a new article? '''


 * Write an outline of that topic in the form of a standard Wikipedia article's &quot;lead section.&quot; Write it in your sandbox.
 * A &quot;lead&quot; 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.

Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 7

 * Keep working on transforming your article into a complete first draft. Get draft ready for peer-review.
 * If you'd like a Content Expert to review your draft, now is the time! Click the &quot;Get Help&quot; button in your sandbox to request notes.

Do additional research and writing to make further improvements to your article, based on suggestions and your own critique.


 * 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.

Week 8
Schedule an appointment with Dr. Lockett to review your article and discuss course progress.


 * First, take the &quot;Peer Review&quot; online training.
 * Select three classmates’ articles that you will peer review and copyedit. On the Articles tab, find the articles that you want to review, and then assign them to yourself in the Review column.
 * Peer review your classmates' drafts. Leave suggestions on 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?

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.

Every student has finished reviewing their assigned articles, making sure that every article has been reviewed.

Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.

Continue to expand and improve your work, and format your article to match Wikipedia's tone and standards. Remember to contact your Content Expert at any time if you need further help!

Week 9
Once you've made improvements to your article based on peer review feedback, it's time to move your work to Wikipedia proper - the &quot;mainspace.&quot;

'''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 Sandboxes and Mainspace online training.

Present about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:


 * Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article?
 * Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions?
 * Peer Review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article?
 * Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback?
 * Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?


 * Prepare for an in-class presentation about your Wikipedia editing experience.

Write a reflective essay (2–5 pages) on your Wikipedia contributions.

Consider the following questions as you reflect on your Wikipedia assignment:


 * Critiquing articles: What did you learn about Wikipedia during the article evaluation? How did you approach critiquing the article you selected for this assignment? How did you decide what to add to your chosen article?
 * Summarizing your contributions: include a summary of your edits and why you felt they were a valuable addition to the article. How does your article compare to earlier versions?
 * Peer Review: If your class did peer review, include information about the peer review process. What did you contribute in your review of your peers article? What did your peers recommend you change on your article?
 * Feedback: Did you receive feedback from other Wikipedia editors, and if so, how did you respond to and handle that feedback?
 * Wikipedia generally: What did you learn from contributing to Wikipedia? How does a Wikipedia assignment compare to other assignments you've done in the past? How can Wikipedia be used to improve public understanding of our field/your topic? Why is this important?

It's the final week to develop your article.


 * 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!

As a small group (no more than 3 students), meet to discuss the 4th hour articles from last week. Re-read them to prepare for the discussion. As a group, look at each others' discussion questions, and pick the &quot;best&quot; 3-5 questions. Use Adobe Audition to record your dialogue. Save the recording and submit to Google Classroom.

Note:  You will review this audio footage later in the semester and revise your responses into a collective response about online harassment against black women.