Hi All,
I'm an IT engineer-turned-educator based in Pune and have been working on distributing Wikipedia for Schools Offline Edition here. Have implemented successfully at one school only so far and then got working on getting more softwares and trying to get around installation problems that I experienced at the second school.
But I was able to spread awareness about it pretty well. I've delivered talks at two colleges (SICSR in Pune and NERIST in Itanagar, on other side of India) that were having wikipedia tracks in their annual technical events and have had a good response. We got a mention of the project in a national newspaper. I've shared the 2.8 GB Wikipedia for Schools portable package (made by Kiwix) with lots of people already (you'll find them on a map link below)
I'd like to enroll myself, if possible, to go to campuses in Pune and interact with people to spread awareness about Wikipedia for Schools and free educational software, once the Campus Ambassador program starts creating opportunities. I now also know basics of editing Wikipedia thanks to the interaction with the community and attending the sessions so can take that also. I've added my contacts to http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Offline_Projects/Volunteer_Page
Regarding Wikipedia for Schools : If you're in India, this is useful: Here's a wiki-page I've set up to try to co-ordinate a volunteer-based drive to spread: http://education.wikia.com/wiki/Wikipedia_For_Schools_Offline_Edition (short URL: http://www.tinyurl.com/WFSOE)
I need wikipedians to take what's useful on this page and copy it to a wikimedia wiki (I wasn't aware of any of this at the time, when I started, only saw wikipedia is for strictly encyclopedic content so went to wikia.)
And here's a wiki-map I've set up so we can track schools and more importantly volunteers in India who can be contacted by schools and organizations. (Jessie created one too, but I'd started this first :P and this one is the rough draft type that everyone can add to, and we can then move concrete data from this map to Jessie's where only I and some others have editing access) http://tinyurl.com/WFSOEIndiamap
About Teach for India: After working in the IT sector for 2.5 years, I'm now joining "Teach for India" - a 2-yr fellowship program where I'll be a full-time teacher at an under-resourced school in Pune. The idea is to take best practices in education to places that need them, it's very similar to "Teach for America" and started in 2009. I'll be part of a 400+ fellows cohort and when our training ends this June, probably everyone will have a copy of Wikipedia for Schools along with other educational content (so send me the links!) and we'll be spreading out across schools in Pune, Mumbai and Delhi. So here we'll have a network of internet and computer-literate individuals ready to implement education projects at the ground level. One big limitation is lack of internet connectivity and up-to-date hardware ; the latter creates problems when you want to install educational software or operating systems.
Further developments on Wikipedia for Schools: I used the portable version created by Kiwix.org as it's better on size. I've been in touch with the developers on bugs and feature requests and have enrolled as a beta tester for the new versions. The 2008/09 edition of Wikipedia for Schools is very good, but also limited in that it has only 5500+ articles (contrast with Wikipedia en latest selection that has 45000+) and many times topics we need aren't there. I got introduced to one person who was working on article selection but lost that email somewhere. It would be great if we could set up a place to check out all present articles in their respective categories and pool in ones that are needed. With the OpenZim format being able to do good compression, there is now space for many more articles in Wikipedia for Schools. Please share any link if there is a wiki page somewhere where this is being done, or please guide me on how to set one up.
I got Okawix and downloaded Simple Wikipedia package for offline - it's got many articles in simpler language and can be very useful for lower-age children. But it's uncensored and so unusable. Is it possible to start a simple wikipedia project to collect the for-schools articles, or better yet just filter out inappropriate ones?
Just sharing what I have at present, I'm sorry if it's disorganized, do get in touch if you find anything useful!
Cheers, Nikhil Sheth +91-966-583-1250 Pune, India Teach For India http://www.teachforindia.org/ Fellow, 2011-13 www.nikhilsheth.tk Find me on: Twitter http://twitter.com/nikhiljs | Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/nikjs| LinkedIn http://in.linkedin.com/in/nikhiljs | Google http://www.google.com/profiles/nikhil.js| RangDehttp://www.rangde.org/investor/nikhilsheth| Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/nikjs Join me on: Pune Documentary Clubhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138497769525636| Let's Do it Pune http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-do-it-Pune/103857326346659 | Toastmasters in Punehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Toastmasters-in-Pune/148767611833746| Wikipedia For Schools projecthttp://education.wikia.com/wiki/Wikipedia_For_Schools_Offline_Edition
On 4/19/2011 6:31 PM, Nikhil Sheth wrote:
And here's a wiki-map I've set up so we can track schools and more importantly volunteers in India who can be contacted by schools and organizations. (Jessie created one too, but I'd started this first :P and this one is the rough draft type that everyone can add to, and we can then move concrete data from this map to Jessie's where only I and some others have editing access) http://tinyurl.com/WFSOEIndiamap
I like the plotting of volunteers on this map! Really cool idea.
Also, I just want to clarify that anyone can edit the broader map[0] - it does have limited editing access :)
[0] http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid= 200444821566545185767.00049e894f5c32ec25b23
On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 18:32, Jessie Wild jwild@wikimedia.org wrote:
On 4/19/2011 6:31 PM, Nikhil Sheth wrote:
And here's a wiki-map I've set up so we can track schools and more importantly volunteers in India who can be contacted by schools and organizations. (Jessie created one too, but I'd started this first :P and this one is the rough draft type that everyone can add to, and we can then move concrete data from this map to Jessie's where only I and some others have editing access) http://tinyurl.com/WFSOEIndiamap
I like the plotting of volunteers on this map! Really cool idea.
Also, I just want to clarify that anyone can edit the broader map[0] - it does have limited editing access :)
[0] http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid= 200444821566545185767.00049e894f5c32ec25b23
-- Jessie Wild Special Projects Manager Global Development Wikimedia Foundation
aren't we partner of openstreetmap? this would be like writing "please write your stuff not in wikipedia any more but google knowl?
rupert.
Hi Rupert,
Whatever works, bro! If you want it in OSM, do it! Please copy it all over to an open street map and send us the link when you're done. Make sure the wiki functionality stays, mind! Everybody's a leader in a volunteer-based movement, that's why we call it grass-roots! Nobody orders the grass where to grow and where not to!
Last time I checked open street maps, most of india was practically empty. I remember something we did a lot in engineering days using a lamp below a glass-topped table : we'd lay out a well done engineering drawing and put our paper on top of it, and then just trace it, saved us the effort. On one occasion, it turned out the copy got better scores than the original, because while copying the person was able to find out and make much finer modifications, having the major data at hand already. But that's just a useless side story.
Is there a "my maps" in OSM?
I do have one trouble regarding the google maps - i haven't been able to find any version-preservation yet! (shh, don't tell the vandals! :P)
Cheers, Nikhil Sheth +91-966-583-1250 Pune, India Teach For India http://www.teachforindia.org/ Fellow, 2011-13 www.nikhilsheth.tk Find me on: Twitter http://twitter.com/nikhiljs | Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/nikjs| LinkedIn http://in.linkedin.com/in/nikhiljs | Google http://www.google.com/profiles/nikhil.js| RangDehttp://www.rangde.org/investor/nikhilsheth| Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/nikjs Join me on: Pune Documentary Clubhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138497769525636| Let's Do it Pune http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-do-it-Pune/103857326346659 | Toastmasters in Punehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Toastmasters-in-Pune/148767611833746| Wikipedia For Schools projecthttp://education.wikia.com/wiki/Wikipedia_For_Schools_Offline_Edition
On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 5:44 PM, rupert THURNER rupert.thurner@gmail.comwrote:
On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 18:32, Jessie Wild jwild@wikimedia.org wrote:
On 4/19/2011 6:31 PM, Nikhil Sheth wrote:
And here's a wiki-map I've set up so we can track schools and more importantly volunteers in India who can be contacted by schools and organizations. (Jessie created one too, but I'd started this first :P and this one is the rough draft type that everyone can add to, and we can then move concrete data from this map to Jessie's where only I and some others have editing access) http://tinyurl.com/WFSOEIndiamap
I like the plotting of volunteers on this map! Really cool idea.
Also, I just want to clarify that anyone can edit the broader map[0] - it does have limited editing access :)
[0] http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid= 200444821566545185767.00049e894f5c32ec25b23
-- Jessie Wild Special Projects Manager Global Development Wikimedia Foundation
aren't we partner of openstreetmap? this would be like writing "please write your stuff not in wikipedia any more but google knowl?
rupert.
Education mailing list Education@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/education
I found a similar idea for the Open Knowledge Foundation using open street map data. http://de.straba.us/okfn-dashboard/ . It is definitely doable with geodata for participants,
Alex Stinson
On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 12:26 PM, Nikhil Sheth nikhil.js@gmail.com wrote:
Hi Rupert,
Whatever works, bro! If you want it in OSM, do it! Please copy it all over to an open street map and send us the link when you're done. Make sure the wiki functionality stays, mind! Everybody's a leader in a volunteer-based movement, that's why we call it grass-roots! Nobody orders the grass where to grow and where not to!
Last time I checked open street maps, most of india was practically empty. I remember something we did a lot in engineering days using a lamp below a glass-topped table : we'd lay out a well done engineering drawing and put our paper on top of it, and then just trace it, saved us the effort. On one occasion, it turned out the copy got better scores than the original, because while copying the person was able to find out and make much finer modifications, having the major data at hand already. But that's just a useless side story.
Is there a "my maps" in OSM?
I do have one trouble regarding the google maps - i haven't been able to find any version-preservation yet! (shh, don't tell the vandals! :P)
Cheers, Nikhil Sheth +91-966-583-1250 Pune, India Teach For India http://www.teachforindia.org/ Fellow, 2011-13 www.nikhilsheth.tk Find me on: Twitter http://twitter.com/nikhiljs | Facebookhttp://www.facebook.com/nikjs| LinkedIn http://in.linkedin.com/in/nikhiljs | Google http://www.google.com/profiles/nikhil.js| RangDehttp://www.rangde.org/investor/nikhilsheth| Youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/nikjs Join me on: Pune Documentary Clubhttp://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=138497769525636| Let's Do it Pune http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lets-do-it-Pune/103857326346659| Toastmasters in Punehttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Toastmasters-in-Pune/148767611833746| Wikipedia For Schools projecthttp://education.wikia.com/wiki/Wikipedia_For_Schools_Offline_Edition
On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 5:44 PM, rupert THURNER rupert.thurner@gmail.comwrote:
On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 18:32, Jessie Wild jwild@wikimedia.org wrote:
On 4/19/2011 6:31 PM, Nikhil Sheth wrote:
And here's a wiki-map I've set up so we can track schools and more importantly volunteers in India who can be contacted by schools and organizations. (Jessie created one too, but I'd started this first :P and this one is the rough draft type that everyone can add to, and we can then move concrete data from this map to Jessie's where only I and some others have editing access) http://tinyurl.com/WFSOEIndiamap
I like the plotting of volunteers on this map! Really cool idea.
Also, I just want to clarify that anyone can edit the broader map[0] - it does have limited editing access :)
[0] http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid= 200444821566545185767.00049e894f5c32ec25b23
-- Jessie Wild Special Projects Manager Global Development Wikimedia Foundation
aren't we partner of openstreetmap? this would be like writing "please write your stuff not in wikipedia any more but google knowl?
rupert.
Education mailing list Education@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/education
Education mailing list Education@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/education
that is a word :) we facilitated it eg for bamako, capital of mali, west africa. it was a white spot more than a year ago, and now its better than google: http://tinyurl.com/35hf32z.
the bing background was used to get the basic map, and then people using walking paper put details: http://walkingpapers.org/
rupert
On Apr 26, 2011 1:26 PM, "Nikhil Sheth" nikhil.js@gmail.com wrote:
Hi Rupert,
Whatever works, bro! If you want it in OSM, do it! Please copy it all over to an open street map and send us the link when you're done. Make sure the wiki functionality stays, mind! Everybody's a leader in a volunteer-based movement, that's why we call it grass-roots! Nobody orders the grass where to grow and where not to!
Last time I checked open street maps, most of india was practically empty. I remember something we did a lot in engineering days using a lamp below a glass-topped table : we'd lay out a well done engineering drawing and put our paper on top of it, and then just trace it, saved us the effort. On one occasion, it turned out the copy got better scores than the original, because while copying the person was able to find out and make much finer modifications, having the major data at hand already. But that's just a useless side story.
Is there a "my maps" in OSM?
I do have one trouble regarding the google maps - i haven't been able to find any version-preservation yet! (shh, don't tell the vandals! :P)
Cheers, Nikhil Sheth +91-966-583-1250 Pune, India Teach For India Fellow, 2011-13 www.nikhilsheth...
On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 5:44 PM, rupert THURNER rupert.thurner@gmail.com wrote:
On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 18:32, Jessie Wild jwild@wikimedia.org wrote:
On 4/19/2011...
Education mailing list Education@lists.wikimed...
_______________________________________________ Education mailing list Education@lists.wikimedia.org https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/education