Wikipedia:Wiki Ed/University of Massachusetts Lowell/Sociology of Mass Media (Fall)

This course is designed to introduce students to the sociology of mass media, foster a critical understanding of mass media, teach important media skills and introduce students to the process of creating sociologically relevant mass media pieces via Wikipedia. This course uses Wikipedia as a medium of instruction alongside using Blackboard. We will focus our inquiry on understanding the relationship between media and society. We will learn about the importance of media for democracy, the complex ways media and society influence each other, how media is produced and received by audiences, and the potential effects media can have on individuals and society. Students will learn how to be critical media consumers with the ability to critique media texts using their knowledge of how economic, cultural, and political factors affect media production and our understanding of media messages and also produce content for a mass audience. Student’s will ultimately create/edit/contribute to a sociologically relevant article on Wikipedia as part of this course and create a final project that incorporates both information on the creation of their mass media piece and also course readings on mass media.

Week 1
Welcome to your Wikipedia project's course timeline. This page is a complement to our course Blackboard page and will guide you through the Wikipedia project for your course. In order to keep up with this class you will need to visit both this page and our course Blackboard page regularly. I would recommend that you begin every week completing your Sociology of Mass Media course readings AND come to this page to complete your trainings and tasks. If you do so you will have the entire week to complete tasks and trainings and get lots of practice editing and writing and will have a lot to say over the course of the week on our Discussion board (Blackboard) and on our Wikipedia Cheat Sheet blog (Blackboard). Remember the timeline with all of your trainings are always here. You may need to revisit the trainings a few times for the information to stick and to get answers to questions. More of then not the answer to what do I do is go back and visit the trainings, visit our Wikipedia Cheat Sheet, refocus your attention on learning and just keep swimming. The challenges (and frustrations) you will encounter over the next 10 weeks are all part of the process of learning something new you just need to stick with it.

This page breaks down writing a Wikipedia article into a series of steps, or milestones. You These steps include online trainings to help you get started on Wikipedia. Your online tasks and trainings will also help you complete your three homework assignments which are due (on Blackboard) during week 3, 5, and 7. The trainings and tasks you complete here will, along with doing your course readings, help you to do well on your final project. Make sure you stay on top of both yoru course readings and your work here. Everything is related and builds on each other.

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. It is important that you only contact our Expert with questions about Wikipedia as he is a Wikipedian! Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard.

To get started, please review the following handouts:


 * Editing Wikipedia pages 1–5
 * Evaluating Wikipedia


 * Create an account and join this course page, using the enrollment link your instructor sent you. Remember to choose your username carefully.  I would STRONGLY recommend you DO NOT use your name as your username.
 * 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 assignments or trainings will be reflected in your grade.  Your instructor keeps an eye on everyone's advancement through trainings and tasks so stay on top of it!
 * When you finish the trainings, practice by introducing yourself to a classmate on that classmate’s Talk page.
 * NOTE ON HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #1: You should also take a look at homework assignment #1 (Blackboard) which is due at the end of week 3.  Take the time to really reflect on your experience on Wikipedia this week and next week and jot down some ideas.

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard.

Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

This week, everyone should have a Wikipedia account.

Week 2
It's time to think critically about Wikipedia articles. You'll evaluate a Wikipedia article of your choosing, 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, any article you like (I might suggest you pick something fun you are interested in that is not too controversial..maybe your favorite sports team or an activity you enjoy, or update the page on your hometown or state, or UML) , 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 — Ian (Wiki Ed) (talk) 16:10, 8 December 2016 (UTC).

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

These might be helpful as you think about what to post on our &quot;Wikipedia Cheat Sheet&quot; on Blackboard this week. Remember no duplicate information. Everyone needs to post 4 new lines of relevant information every week. The goal is to make all our lives a little bit easier in the Wikipedia space:

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


 * 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;?

Week 3
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 an article of your choosing, 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.

A NOTE ABOUT HOMEWORK #1:  Put the finishing touches on your first homework assignment and turn it in. Remember if you get 90% or better, you can use this assignment in the appendix of your final paper without updating it.

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

Week 4
These might be helpful as you think about what to post on our &quot;Wikipedia Cheat Sheet&quot; on Blackboard this week. Remember no duplicate information. Everyone needs to post 4 new lines of relevant information every week. The goal is to make all our lives a little bit easier in the Wikipedia space:


 * 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?

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.

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

It's time to start work on the article you will work on the remainder of the semester


 * Review page 6 of your Editing Wikipedia guidebook.
 * By now you should have posted your list of top 4 articles (from teh list of articles on this site) on the &quot;Wikipedia Cheat Sheet&quot; blog on the course Blackboard page.  You will be assigned an article this week.  Once you receive your assignment you can beging getting to know your topic and doing some editing.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * While we are on sources, START READING!!  It might take you a while to find something useful.  Better to dive in sooner rather than later!
 * Finally I would recommend that get to work on HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #2 (due on Blackboard at the close of week 5) as soon as possible.  You might want to post some article/book ideas on your articles &quot;Talk&quot; page and get some advice.  Remember if you do not get at least a 90% on this assignment you will need to resubmit an updated copy with your final assignment (and it doesn't change your grade on the assignment).  Better to put the work in and do it right now then later right?

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

Week 5
You've been assigned one of the topics on your list and found your sources. 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 &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.

(NOTE ABOUT HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #2 and #3:  Homework assignment #2 is due on Blackboard this week.  It is an important part of your final project and your article so invest in doing it well.  For Homework assignment #3, use the exercises on this page, they will help you map out a good plan. Think about how you can use this to your advantage to help you with homework assignment #3 (due on Blackboard at the end of week 7). Remember if you get 90% or better, you can use this assignment in the appendix of your final paper without updating it.

Keep reading your sources, too, as you prepare to write the body of the article.

Resources: Editing Wikipedia pages 7–9

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

Everyone has begun writing their article drafts.

Week 6
These might be helpful as you think about what to post on our &quot;Wikipedia Cheat Sheet&quot; on Blackboard this week. Remember no duplicate information. Everyone needs to post 4 new lines of relevant information every week. The goal is to make all our lives a little bit easier in the Wikipedia space:


 * 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?


 * 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.  &lt;---GREAT IDEA!!!

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.


 * First, take the &quot;Peer Review&quot; online training.
 * Select two 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.  &lt;--remember you have done this before...when you added your name to our class page
 * 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?

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

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

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.

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

Week 7
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; This might seem a little scary but remember you have been at these for WEEKS now. You are ready! Remember Be Bold! (NOTE ABOUT HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT #3:  Also, remember homework assignment 3 is due at the end of this week (Blackboard). Remember if you get 90% or better, you can use this assignment in the appendix of your final paper without updating it. The articles exercises you have been doing should homework #3 a breeze.  Write to your instructor if you have any questions.)

'''Editing an existing article on Wikipedia? '''


 * 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 on Wikipedia? '''


 * 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.

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

Week 8
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.

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

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
It's the final week to develop your article.


 * Read Editing Wikipedia page 15 to review a final check-list before completing your Wikipedia article assignment.
 * If you have not already done so you should start compiling Section 3 (Appendix) of your final project.  Remember if you received 90% or better just include your original homework assignments (if not review my notes or write me for tips on how to improve it).  Remember you also need to include links to key edits, a copy of your final article, and any other documents requested (or that will help your instructor understand how much hard work you put in this semester).  Although you instructor has access to all your work on Wikipedia you should not rely on that.  Show all of your hard work in your final project.

Remember there are a lot of ways to get help on Wikipedia. One way is to click on the &quot;Get Help&quot; button on the top of the page. You should get practice using it and also get practice  finding answers to your questions independently. The Wikipedia Expert is always there to help but you should try on your own before you reach out. Along with supporting our class he is supporting a few others so lets not distract him with course related things. If you have questions about the course, course requirements, the syllabus, grades, homework assignments, the Blackboard discussion board or Wikipedia Cheat sheet (Blackboard), homework assignments or your final project, speak to the course instructor via mail message on Blackboard. Remember one  of the requirements of this course is Stick-to-itiveness. This work will probably test your patience some days/most days but if you stick with it you will learn a new skill and contribute to available sociological relevant literature in our field available to the masses.

Week 10
Everyone should have finished all of the work they'll do on Wikipedia, and be ready for grading.