Hi all,
Following Edward's email I would encourage anyone involved in editathons or
who is interested in becoming either an online or campus ambassador to
check out:
Wikipedia:Education program/Ambassadors
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Education_program/Ambassadors>
At the bottom of the page are links to apply for online and campus
ambassador userrights. These then show up on the Wikipedia:Education
noticeboard <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Education_noticeboard>.
Established Wikimedians will have no problem getting userrights, but
sometimes the process needs a bit of nudge to get it sorted out a bit
quicker.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Education_noticeboard>
Currently this is very much addressed to supporting the Education Program,
especially in the USA/Canada. However, various wikimedians in different
chapters across the world (eg
Education Program:Cascadia Wikimedians User Group
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Program:Cascadia_Wikimedians_User_Group>)
are experimenting with using it to run editathons. the Cinema Museum
editathon is one of these in the UK.
This piloting will enable us to:
- identify how effective the extension is
- identify how it might be adapted to be more useful for editathons
- get feedback as regards how friendly people find the interface
Of course, obtaining campus or ambassador userrights also enables
wikimedians to interact more effectively with students on one of the
courses, whether in the UK or further a field.
One issue that warrants further consideration is the extent to which
students get involved with Wikipedia in one of these courses, but never
appreciate the existence of the broader Wikimedian community around them.
Whilst we wouldn't want to be disruptive to the class by pushing community
involvement too hard, we can explore appropriate ways to highlight
opportunities to the students with the approval of the academics running
the courses.
I think there is a lot of room for thought about this.
all the best
Fabian Tompsett,
Volunteer Support Organiser,
Wikimedia UK,
Address: 56-64 Leonard St,
Shoreditch,
London EC2A 4LT
Phone:020 7065 0990
*Mobile: *07840 455 746
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Office 4th Floor, Development House, 56-64 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4LT.
United Kingdom. Wikimedia UK is the UK chapter of a global Wikimedia
movement. The Wikimedia projects are run by the Wikimedia Foundation (who
operate Wikipedia, amongst other projects).
Visit
http://www.wikimedia.org.uk/ and @wikimediauk