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;Wikimedia UK and the Women of the World Festival
;Learning and Teaching in the age of Wikipedia


[[File:We_Can_Edit.jpg|thumb|200px|right|We can make Wikipedia a better resource for women's history]]
[[File:David White, University of Oxford.jpg|thumb|200px|right|David White]]


''This post was written by Daria Cybulska, Wikimedia UK Events Organiser''
''This post was written by Dr Martin Poulter, Associate of Wikimedia UK, to celebrate [http://www.openeducationweek.org/ Open Education Week].''


Wikimedia UK was present at the high profile annual [http://wow.southbankcentre.co.uk/ Women of the World Festival (WOW)] at Southbank Centre on 9th March this year. WOW festival is a global event where the audience gather to celebrate women’s achievements, and discuss how we can collectively overcome the boundaries that women face. I attended the event to give a [http://wow.southbankcentre.co.uk/events/wows-how-tos-wills-wikipedia/ short talk explaining why women should get involved with Wikipedia], where could they get started.
David White is a senior manager at the University of [http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/ Oxford’s Department of Continuing Education]. He co-manages [http://www.conted.ox.ac.uk/facilities/businessservices/courseproduction.php Technology-Assisted Lifelong Learning (TALL)], an award-winning research and development group. If you attend conferences about open education or the cultural effects of social media, you’ve probably seen him speak.


This event coincided with the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Women's_Day International Women’s Day] (8th March), and indeed was a part of the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiWomen's_History_Month Women’s History Month celebrated within the Wikimedia community]
David recently spoke to Wikimedia UK about some of his research, in which he investigated how learners in schools and universities use online resources. Unsurprisingly, Wikipedia came up again and again in the interviews with learners and staff, even though many teachers and lecturers forbid its use. “I tell my students not to use Wikipedia because I think it’s unreliable, but then I find myself using it all the time,” is a representative quote from a staff member.


This ‘how to’ session was an opportunity for 20-30 attendees to gain insight into how they can participate in a project that increases women visibility, making their achievements more accessible to everyone. After my presentation ([http://prezi.com/6g2e5wkwfsbh/understanding-wikipedia-what-is-it-and-how-to-join-in/ which can be seen here]) I was showered with questions, which proved that the audience was really engaged, very interested in Wikipedia (no one in the audience had contributed before) and wanted to know more about how to join the project. A lot of the participants were women interested in making women’s achievements more visible, and welcomed Wikipedia as an interesting way to contribute.  
In the interview, David discusses how learner attitudes to Wikipedia change over time, and become more sophisticated as people get better at critically assessing information. He argues that, rather than pretending Wikipedia does not exist or that learners are not going to use it, education institutions should see the new environment as a great opportunity. The established models of education were developed in a world where merely obtaining information was harder work than it is now. The skills needed now are less about factual recall and much more about critical evaluation and assessment.


We have discussed the problem of lack of visibility of some notable women on Wikipedia – if they don’t have articles about them, then a lot of people will not find out about them. But if they don’t have a Wikipedia article, that means there is no other easy way to find information about them on the Internet. I have encouraged people to spend time doing a bit more research (e.g. in their local library) to reach information that may not be available online.
Knowledge, as opposed to mere information, and credibility are still crucially important, but our interpretation of these concepts is changing as open, collaborative processes of writing Wikipedia become more common. “It’s been a really useful focus for me,” says David, “in understanding how learners are evolving their approach to education; often doing that entirely independently of the education institution they are in.


Apart from the seminar, I have circulated an [http://uk.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:How_to_edit_-_International_Women%27s_Day_2013.pdf introductory leaflet] to encourage as many people as possible to edit, and showing them where to start. Anyone interested can base on the resources listed on there and contribute during Women’s History Month in March.
I’d like to thank David White for giving his time to talk to us, and to Stevie Benton for conducting and recording the audio interview. [[:commons:File:David White speaks with Wikimedia UK.ogg|You can listen to the interview here]]. <span class="plainlinks">[http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2013/03/learning-and-teaching-in-the-age-of-wikipedia/ <nowiki>[</nowiki>...<nowiki>]</nowiki>]</span>
 
I really enjoyed the experience of sharing a topic that the audience found so illuminating and worthwhile. <span class="plainlinks">[http://blog.wikimedia.org.uk/2013/03/wikimedia-uk-and-the-women-of-the-world-festival/ <nowiki>[</nowiki>...<nowiki>]</nowiki>]</span>


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Revision as of 12:40, 15 March 2013

Cymraeg | English

Wikimedia UK

Open knowledge for all

Wikimedia UK is hiring – We are now accepting applications for a Membership, Fundraising and Operations Assistant

Our website

If you'd like to see what Wikimedia UK is working on, our website is the best place for our community of volunteers, donors and members to stay up to date.

About Wikimedia UK

The Wikimedia projects are special: they are written and curated by thousands of volunteers. They are also supported by voluntary donations, through Wikimedia UK, the Wikimedia Foundation and other international chapters.

Wikimedia UK is a charity registered in England and Wales that supports and promotes Wikipedia and the other Wikimedia projects such as Wikimedia Commons. Our mission is to help people and organisations create and preserve open knowledge, and to help provide easy access for all. We do this by supporting volunteer editors and contributors ('Wikimedians'), by working in partnership with cultural and educational institutions, by hosting training sessions and editing events, and by acting to advocate the benefits of open knowledge generally.

There are several ways to get involved in the charity's work. You can become a member for just £5 per year. You can volunteer to work with us in a variety of ways, both online and offline. You can also make a donation (and if you're a UK taxpayer, we can claim Gift Aid). Subscribe to our Friends' Newsletter to stay in touch. Click the buttons below to learn more.

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We organise dozens of events each year, including meetups, editing events, "Backstage Pass" events at museums, workshops and conferences.

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Для української мови Вікіпедії ласка, відвідайте http://uk.wikipedia.org; для Вікімедіа Україна відвідайте http://ua.wikimedia.org
For the Ukrainian language Wikipedia please visit http://uk.wikipedia.org; for Wikimedia Ukraine please visit http://ua.wikimedia.org

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