அடுத்த கட்ட நடவடிக்கைகளைத் தொடங்க வேண்டும். இலினக்சு குழமத்துடன் நாம்
தொடங்கியுள்ள திட்டத்தோடு இணைத்து விடலாமா? இந்தத் திட்டங்களுக்குப் பொறுப்பாளராக
செயல்பட ஒருவர் முன்வர வேண்டும். யாருக்கு விருப்பம் உள்ளது?
- சுந்தர்
"That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for
the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
- George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
----- Forwarded Message ----
> From: Jessie Wild <jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> To: BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>
> Cc: ravishankar.ayyakkannu(a)gmail.com
> Sent: Wed, November 24, 2010 11:44:17 PM
> Subject: Re: Qs regarding village school & WP
>
> Sure - if you would like to begin the discussion on Village Pump that
> would be great! I think a lot of the questions we walked briefly through
> are the ones where some community support would be needed. Specifically:
>
> Immediate support:
> 1 - Selecting the articles/creating collections of articles.
> 2 - Creating training materials on how to use WP and how to incorporate
> it into the classroom
> 3 - Working with government officials on distribution policies
>
> Future support:
> 4 - Distributing/installing software
> 5 - Conducting teacher trainings
>
> As you probably suspect, I don't understand Tamil, so I'd love if you'd
> just keep me in the loop with what happens on the Tamil and village pump :)
>
> Jessie
>
> On 11/24/2010 2:50 AM, BalaSundaraRaman wrote:
> > Sorry for the delay on our part, Jessie.
> > The Kenyan project is a useful project to learn from.
> >
> > Though we have a list at
>https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikita-l,
> > we still use the Village Pump to begin most of the discussions.
> > Perhaps we can start a thread on the list or on meta and put a note at
> > http://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:VP?
> >
> > - Sundar
> >
> > "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium
>for
> > the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
> > - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> >> From: Jessie Wild<jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> >> To: BalaSundaraRaman<sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>
> >> Cc: ravishankar.ayyakkannu(a)gmail.com
> >> Sent: Tue, November 23, 2010 12:58:10 AM
> >> Subject: Re: Qs regarding village school& WP
> >>
> >> Thanks for the thorough answers - it's so great you've thought through
> >> so many of these things so carefully.
> >>
> >> I'm not sure if you are familiar with the project in Kenya that is
> >> somewhat comparable:
> >> http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Kenya/Project_for_Kenyan_Schools
> >>
> >> In terms of next steps, I think you are right in suggesting to put up a
> >> proposal on a wiki. I think the approach the Kenyan Wikimedians have
> >> taken to project planning is quite thorough and consequently very
> >> helpful, and constructing something similar for Tamil Nadu could
> >> likewise be beneficial.
> >>
> >> I would suggest getting other members of the Tamil community onboard
> >> with the planning as soon as possible; is there a list serve that I
> >> should get on to follow the conversations?
> >>
> >> Jessie
> >>
> >> On 11/18/2010 9:31 PM, BalaSundaraRaman wrote:
> >>>> I definitely agree that the offline versions will be useful, and the
> >> type of
> >>>> project you are describing is exactly the type of offline work I am
> >> helping
> >>>> orchestrate - so yes: let's brainstorm and work together on this!
> >>> Thanks a lot, Jessie. :)
> >>>
> >>>> * For the Tamil Wikipedia project, is this the same project proposed
> >> back in
> >>>> 2007, or is it an extension of it? I am curious of this ever got
>off
> >>>> the
> >>>>
> >>>> ground initially.
> >>> It derives from the same thought, but the earlier project did not go
> >> anywhere.
> >>> At present, we have more editors and hence will be able to curate
content
> >>> easily.
> >>> We also have richer content on many interesting topics.
> >>>
> >>>> * Also, I am curious what are you thinking for the collection of
> >> articles to
> >>>> be included on the CD. Would you want the whole Tamil
> >> Wikipedia/Wiktionary
> >>>> collection? Or would you go through the process of screening the
> >> articles to
> >>>> make sure they were student appropriate / of high academic
quality?
> >>> We're only thinking of releasing a selection of articles based on
quality
> >> (we've
> >>> just started with a rating system),
> >>> interestingness and suitability for students, and comprehensiveness.
> >>> WikiProject Indian Mammals and articles on chemical elements form a
good
> >>> collection to share with students.
> >>> The above are only examples, we can select articles from across several
> >>> categories.
> >>>
> >>>> * In addition, in regards to article selection (above point), would
> >> the
> >>>> Tamil Nadu government need to approve the articles that were being
> >>>> distributed into schools?
> >>> Yes, perhaps. Due to our prior engagement with them in the recently
> >> conducted
> >>> article writing contest sponsored by the Government of Tamil Nadu,
> >> co-ordination
> >>> would be easier. We have points of contact in the IT department,
>Department
> >> of
> >>> Translation, and the Department of Education in fairly senior levels.
The
> >>> Director of Tamil Virtual Academy is also a keen supporter of Tamil
> >> Wikipedia
> >>> (and an occasional editor).
> >>>
> >>>> * Why CD? Why not USB? Just curious!
> >>> I just thought CDs are less expensive. We can certainly evaluate USB
> >> storage.
> >>>
> >>>> * How are you thinking of getting the CDs to the different schools?
> >> Who is
> >>>> going to download the materials onto the school computers? Will
>there
> >> (or
> >>>> does there need to be) any training involved?
> >>> We should take the help of the School Education department who have
> > existing
> >>> channels.
> >>> Some amount of training will be required. The Government already trains
> >> selected
> >>> teachers in each District on various skills and then encourages them to
> >> train
> >>> their colleagues. We can follow the same model. It might require us to
> > offer
> >>> training in approximately 40 locations.
> >>> Or we can do it at the zonal level, say, in 5-8 locations.
> >>>
> >>> Please suggest how we can take this forward.
> >>> Perhaps put up a proposal on an appropriate wiki if we're satisfied
with
> >> the
> >>> skeleton?
> >>>
> >>> - Sundar
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a
>medium
> >> for
> >>> the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
> >>> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>> From: Jessie Wild<jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> >>>> To: BalaSundaraRaman<sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>
> >>>> Cc:ravishankar.ayyakkannu@gmail.com
> >>>> Sent: Fri, November 19, 2010 4:45:14 AM
> >>>> Subject: Re: Qs regarding village school& WP
> >>>>
> >>>> Thanks, Sundar.
> >>>>
> >>>> I definitely agree that the offline versions will be useful, and the
> >> type of
> >>>> project you are describing is exactly the type of offline work I am
> >> helping
> >>>> orchestrate - so yes: let's brainstorm and work together on this!
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> A couple questions to get our conversations going:
> >>>> * For the Tamil Wikipedia project, is this the same project proposed
> >> back in
> >>>> 2007, or is it an extension of it? I am curious of this ever got
>off
> >>>> the
> >>>>
> >>>> ground initially.
> >>>>
> >>>> * Also, I am curious what are you thinking for the collection of
> >> articles to
> >>>> be included on the CD. Would you want the whole Tamil
> >> Wikipedia/Wiktionary
> >>>> collection? Or would you go through the process of screening the
> >> articles to
> >>>> make sure they were student appropriate / of high academic
>quality?
> >>>>
> >>>> * In addition, in regards to article selection (above point), would
> > the
> >>>> Tamil Nadu government need to approve the articles that were being
> >>>> distributed into schools?
> >>>>
> >>>> * Why CD? Why not USB? Just curious!
> >>>>
> >>>> * How are you thinking of getting the CDs to the different schools?
> >> Who is
> >>>> going to download the materials onto the school computers? Will
>there
> >> (or
> >>>> does there need to be) any training involved?
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> Sorry for the many questions - hopefully they'll push us closer to
> > some
> >>>> productive movement!
> >>>> Jessie
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>> On 11/17/2010 7:05 PM, BalaSundaraRaman wrote:
> >>>> Hi Jessie,
> >>>>> On another note, we at Tamil Wikipedia have been discussing
> >> ways to
> >>>>> publish an offline edition (primarily CD-based) of selected
> >> articles
> >>>> >from Tamil Wikipedia and possibly the whole of Tamil
> >> Wiktionary. Will
> >>>>> you be interested in helping with this?
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> This will be useful in schools, because the TN government
>has
> >> provided
> >>>>> almost every school with a couple of computers. In fact,
>they're
> >> also
> >>>>> training the teachers (including my mom) in basic computer
> >> usage. With
> >>>>> an offline edition, students can immediately benefit
>regardless
> >> of
> >>>>> whether they have access to the internet.
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>> - Sundar
> >>>>>
> >>> "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely
>a
> >> medium
> >>> for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
> >>>>> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>
> >>>>>> From: Jessie Wild<jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> >>>>>> To:sundarbecse@yahoo.com;ravishankar.ayyakkannu@gmail.com
> >>>>>> Sent: Thu, November 18, 2010 12:56:55 AM
> >>>>>> Subject: Qs regarding village school& WP
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Sundar / Ravishankar -
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thanks for sharing this wonderful story below! What a
> >> great
> >>>>>> example of how WP can be useful in schools.
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> So, I'm working on the development and deployment of
> >>> offline
> >>>>>> Wikipedia, and the areas we think will be most
>effective
> >> to get
> >>>>>> into are schools in areas without consistent access to
> >> Internet.
> >>>>>> To that end, hearing this story raised a couple
>immediate
> >>>>>> questions in my mind which I thought I'd ask you:
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> (1) What was this school's connection to the Internet?
> >> That is,
> >>>>>> were they connecting to Wikipedia/Wiktionary online?
> >>>>>> (2) What exactly is a "state-funded free education
> >> school"? Does
> >>>>>> that just mean that students do not have to pay to
>attend,
> >> or is
> >>>>>> this a specific type of school (sorry, I am not
>familiar
> >> with the
> >>>>>> phrase so just want to make sure I understand!)?
> >>>>>> (3) Why did Mr. Jothimani choose to use
> >> Wikipedia/Wiktionary over
> >>>>>> other sources?
> >>>>>> (4) Do we know if the students had used Wikipedia prior
> to
> >> the
> >>>>>> launch of this project? Had the teachers?
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> Thank you both so much; what an awesome story!
> >>>>>> Jessie
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>> On 11/16/2010 8:15 PM, BalaSundaraRaman wrote:
> >>>>>> Hi Sue, I just got reminded of the following story about how
students
> >> and staff
> >>>>>> of a village school benefited from Tamil Wikipedia. We found this
>from
> >> an
> >>>>>> article in a magazine called "pudhiya thalaimurai" (New Generation)
>and
> >> another
> >>>>>> blogpost.[1] It is about how a school headmaster Mr.Jothimani
>transformed
> >> the
> >>>>>> state-funded free education school at a village Mangudi near
>Kumbakonam
> >> in
> >>>>>> Tamil Nadu. Among others, it includes a section on how Tamil
>Wikipedia
> >> and
> >>>>>> Wiktionary are being used by the students and staff. Subsequently, a
> >> Tamil
> >>>>>> Wikipedian Ravishankar Ayyakkannu (User:Ravidreams) called
>Mr.Jothimani
> >> over
> >>>>>> phone and collected more information. He wrote the findings in the
>Tamil
> >>>>>> Wikipedia blogpost.[2] Translation of some excerpts: * Students of
> >> sixth,
> >>>>>> seventh, and eighth standard (aged ~11-13) use Tamil Wikipedia. *
>One
> >> class
> >>>>>> everyday is dedicated for Wikipedia during school hours. During this
> >> period,
> >>>>>> students research about the topics that they learned that day in
>other
> >> classes
> >>>>>> (examples below). If they need to access the Wiki for their home
>work,
> >> writing
> >>>>>> or speaking contests, students spend time online during lunch or
> >>>>> after hours.
> >>>>>> * They find the information accessible most of the time. * Teachers
>too
> >> find it
> >>>>>> useful. * They felt that they could use more of local information
>about
> >> their
> >>>>>> district and about Tamil Nadu and India in general. * Example use
> >> cases: if
> >>>>>> the teacher gives a topic "statesmen", students look for Nehru,
> >> Kamarajar,
> >>>>>> etc., If they give a story writing contest of the title "a story of
> >> itself told
> >>>>>> by River Cauvery", they search for the article on the river and
write
> >> the
> >>>>>> details in first person. They also go find other interlinked
>articles on
> >> Coorg,
> >>>>>> Poombuhar, etc., and get excited about their findings. The
headmaster
> >> finds
> >>>>>> that the students' creative expression has clearly increased after
> >> introducing
> >>>>>> Tamil Wikipedia. A student who would write 20 sentences on a topic
>now
> >> writes
> >>>>>> 60 sentences. * They also use the Tamil Wiktionary which has nearly
>two
> >> hundred
> >>>>>> thousand entries including technical glossaries donated by the Tamil
> >> Virtual
> >>>>>> Academy. Given that typically students in such remote villages do
>not
> >> have
> >>>>>> access to much information, the utility of this exposure is immense.
> >> Also, most
> >>>>>> of the students of state-run schools come from under-previleged and
> >> low-income
> >>>>>> families. Given that, this helps to even out the systemic bias
> >> somewhat. I've
> >>>>>> taken the liberty to copy Ravishankar who spoke to the headmaster. -
> >>> Sundar
> >>>>>> [1] -http://infinityholes.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post.html (in
>Tamil)
> >> [2] -
> >>>>>> http://tamilwikipedia.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post_5826.html (in
> >> Tamil) "That
> >>>>>> language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium
for
> >> the
> >>>>>> expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." - George
Boole,
> >> quoted in
> >>>>>> Iverson's Turing Award Lecture ----- Original Message ----
> >>>>>>
> >>>>>>> From: Sue Gardner<sgardner(a)wikimedia.org> To: "Local Chapters,
>board
> >> and
> >>>>>>> officers coordination (closed
> >> subscription)"<Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
> >>>>>>> Sent: Thu, November 11, 2010 12:01:48 PM Subject: [Internal-l]
>Looking
> >> for
> >>>>>>> stories of readers affected by Wikipedia Hi folks, Megan Hernandez
>on
> >> the
> >>>>>>> staff is looking out for me, for stories of readers whose lives
have
> >> been
> >>>>>>> impacted by Wikipedia or the other projects. (Donors often send us
> >> stories like
> >>>>>>> that, and I am often looking for stories to tell people about the
> >> projects. So
> >>>>>>> I've asked her to send good ones to me.) I was writing her a set
of
> >> criteria
> >>>>>>> for the kinds of stories I want, and it occurred to me that you
>might
> >>>>>>> yourselves have some good stories of exactly this kind. So I am
>sending
> >> along
> >>>>>>> the criteria here too :-) If you have stories that fit many/all of
> >> these
> >>>>>>> criteria, please send them to me, onlist or off. And please forgive
>my
> >>>>>>> cross-posting to several lists at once. Thanks, Sue * Ideally,
>they'd
> >> be
> >>>>>>> along the theme of "how Wikipedia made my life better." This might
>be
> >> an
> >>>>>>> anecdote, or bigger-picture (ie, 'how Wikipedia makes my life
better
> >> every
> >>>>>>> day'). * Ideally, they would be stories of people who
> >>>>>>> pre-exposure-to-Wikipedia would have had circumscribed access to
> >> information.
> >>>>>>> Because they grew up in a small town with no library, because their
> >> school
> >>>>>>> didn't stock certain kinds of books, because materials in their
> >> language are of
> >>>>>>> limited availability, because their government limits access to
>certain
> >> types
> >>>>>>> of information -- in general, because their
> >>>>>> economic/political/socio-cultural
> >>>>>>> circumstances somehow impede(d) easy access to information. *
>Ideally,
> >> the
> >>>>>>> information that Wikipedia gives them is important, and directly,
> >> immediately
> >>>>>>> useful. Like, it helped them better understand a health issue they
>were
> >> having,
> >>>>>>> or it equipped them to do some important task better; it helped
them
> >> understand
> >>>>>>> a new situation or some aspect of themselves, or enabled them to
>solve
> >> an
> >>>>>>> important problem. Maybe it helped them get a job they otherwise
> >> couldn't have
> >>>>>>> gotten, or enabled them to avoid some specific danger or risk. *
> >> And/or, the
> >>>>>>> information fed a general curiosity and desire to understand the
>world
> >> better.
> >>>>>>> It got them interested in going to college which nobody in their
>family
> >> had
> >>>>>>> done before, it helped them develop a more thoughtful position on a
> >> public
> >>>>>>> policy issue, it stimulated them to travel or read more widely, or
>to
> >> question
> >>>>>>> assumptions they had been making. * Ideally, their lives are
better
> >> today
> >>>>>>> because of the information they are exposed to via Wikipedia. Maybe
> >> this would
> >>>>>>> be better in some really specific way -- like, "Three months later
I
> >> persuaded
> >>>>>>> my doctor to let me try the new treatment, and it worked." Or, it
>might
> >> be much
> >>>>>>> more general. * It is fine if the information they found on
>Wikipedia
> >> might
> >>>>>>> otherwise have been kept from them, either deliberately or through
>lack
> >> of easy
> >>>>>>> opportunity. It is fine if the information is considered risky or
> >> controversial
> >>>>>>> in some way. Sue Gardner Executive Director Wikimedia
>Foundation
> >> 415 839
> >>>>>>> 6885 office 415 816 9967 cell Imagine a world in which every
single
> >> human
> >>>>>>> being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it
>a
> >>>>>>> reality!http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate
> >>>>>>> _______________________________________________ Internal-l
mailing
> >> list
> >>>>>>> Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> >>>>>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/internal-l
> >>>>>>>
> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ Internal-l mailing
>list
> >>>>>> Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> >>>>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/internal-l
> >>>>>>
> >>>>> -- Jessie Wild Special Projects Manager Gloabl Development
>Wikimedia
> >>>> Foundation
> >>> -- Jessie Wild Special Projects Manager Gloabl Development Wikimedia
> >> Foundation
> >>
> >> --
> >> Jessie Wild
> >> Special Projects Manager
> >> Gloabl Development
> >> Wikimedia Foundation
> >>
> >>
>
> --
> Jessie Wild
> Special Projects Manager
> Gloabl Development
> Wikimedia Foundation
>
>
விக்கிப்பீடியா பன்னாட்டுப்பிரிவு மடற்குழுவில் சூ' கா'ர்டனர் (Sue Gardner)
விக்கிப் பயன்பாடு பற்றிய செய்திகளைக் கோரியதையடுத்து மாங்குடி நடுநிலைப்பள்ளியில்
தமிழ் விக்கி பயன்படுத்தப்படுவதைச் சுட்டி அது தொடர்பாகத் தகவல் சேர்த்திருந்த
இரவியையும் இணைத்து மடல் அனுப்பியிருந்தேன். அதைத் தொடர்ந்து பள்ளி மாணவர்களுக்கான
தமிழ் விக்கித்தொகுதி (தேர்ந்தெடுத்த விக்கிப்பீடியா கட்டுரைகள் + விக்சனரி) ஒன்றை
உருவாக்கி பள்ளிகளுக்குத் தரும் திட்டம் ஒன்றில் விக்கிமீடியா அலுவலர் செச்'சீ'
(Jessie Wild) ஆர்வம் காட்டி வருகிறார். இது தொடர்பாக இரவியும் நானும் அவருடன்
நடத்திய உரையாடல் கீழே உள்ளது. விரைவில் இத்திட்டத்தைத் தொடங்கலாம்.
- சுந்தர்
"That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for
the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
- George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
----- Forwarded Message ----
> From: BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>
> To: Jessie Wild <jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> Cc: ravishankar.ayyakkannu(a)gmail.com
> Sent: Wed, November 24, 2010 4:20:45 PM
> Subject: Re: Qs regarding village school & WP
>
> Sorry for the delay on our part, Jessie.
> The Kenyan project is a useful project to learn from.
>
> Though we have a list at https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/wikita-l,
>
> we still use the Village Pump to begin most of the discussions.
> Perhaps we can start a thread on the list or on meta and put a note at
> http://ta.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:VP?
>
> - Sundar
>
> "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium for
> the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> > From: Jessie Wild <jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> > To: BalaSundaraRaman <sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>
> > Cc: ravishankar.ayyakkannu(a)gmail.com
> > Sent: Tue, November 23, 2010 12:58:10 AM
> > Subject: Re: Qs regarding village school & WP
> >
> > Thanks for the thorough answers - it's so great you've thought through
> > so many of these things so carefully.
> >
> > I'm not sure if you are familiar with the project in Kenya that is
> > somewhat comparable:
> > http://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Wikimedia_Kenya/Project_for_Kenyan_Schools
> >
> > In terms of next steps, I think you are right in suggesting to put up a
> > proposal on a wiki. I think the approach the Kenyan Wikimedians have
> > taken to project planning is quite thorough and consequently very
> > helpful, and constructing something similar for Tamil Nadu could
> > likewise be beneficial.
> >
> > I would suggest getting other members of the Tamil community onboard
> > with the planning as soon as possible; is there a list serve that I
> > should get on to follow the conversations?
> >
> > Jessie
> >
> > On 11/18/2010 9:31 PM, BalaSundaraRaman wrote:
> > >> I definitely agree that the offline versions will be useful, and the
>
> >type of
> > >>
> > >> project you are describing is exactly the type of offline work I am
> >helping
> > >> orchestrate - so yes: let's brainstorm and work together on this!
> > > Thanks a lot, Jessie. :)
> > >
> > >> * For the Tamil Wikipedia project, is this the same project proposed
> >back in
> > >>
> > >> 2007, or is it an extension of it? I am curious of this ever got
>off
> > >> the
> > >>
> > >> ground initially.
> > > It derives from the same thought, but the earlier project did not go
> >anywhere.
> > > At present, we have more editors and hence will be able to curate
content
> > > easily.
> > > We also have richer content on many interesting topics.
> > >
> > >> * Also, I am curious what are you thinking for the collection of
> >articles to
> > >>
> > >> be included on the CD. Would you want the whole Tamil
> >Wikipedia/Wiktionary
> > >> collection? Or would you go through the process of screening the
> >articles to
> > >>
> > >> make sure they were student appropriate / of high academic
quality?
> > > We're only thinking of releasing a selection of articles based on quality
>
> >(we've
> > > just started with a rating system),
> > > interestingness and suitability for students, and comprehensiveness.
> > > WikiProject Indian Mammals and articles on chemical elements form a good
> > > collection to share with students.
> > > The above are only examples, we can select articles from across several
> > > categories.
> > >
> > >> * In addition, in regards to article selection (above point), would
>
>
> >the
> > >> Tamil Nadu government need to approve the articles that were being
> > >> distributed into schools?
> > > Yes, perhaps. Due to our prior engagement with them in the recently
> >conducted
> > > article writing contest sponsored by the Government of Tamil Nadu,
> >co-ordination
> > > would be easier. We have points of contact in the IT department,
>Department
>
> >of
> > > Translation, and the Department of Education in fairly senior levels.
The
> > > Director of Tamil Virtual Academy is also a keen supporter of Tamil
> >Wikipedia
> > > (and an occasional editor).
> > >
> > >> * Why CD? Why not USB? Just curious!
> > > I just thought CDs are less expensive. We can certainly evaluate USB
> >storage.
> > >
> > >
> > >> * How are you thinking of getting the CDs to the different schools?
>
> >Who is
> > >> going to download the materials onto the school computers? Will
>there
>
> >(or
> > >> does there need to be) any training involved?
> > > We should take the help of the School Education department who have
> existing
> > > channels.
> > > Some amount of training will be required. The Government already trains
> >selected
> > > teachers in each District on various skills and then encourages them to
> >train
> > > their colleagues. We can follow the same model. It might require us to
> offer
> > > training in approximately 40 locations.
> > > Or we can do it at the zonal level, say, in 5-8 locations.
> > >
> > > Please suggest how we can take this forward.
> > > Perhaps put up a proposal on an appropriate wiki if we're satisfied with
>
> >the
> > > skeleton?
> > >
> > > - Sundar
> > >
> > >
> > > "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a
>medium
>
> >for
> > > the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
> > > - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
> > >
> > >
> > >> From: Jessie Wild<jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> > >> To: BalaSundaraRaman<sundarbecse(a)yahoo.com>
> > >> Cc:ravishankar.ayyakkannu@gmail.com
> > >> Sent: Fri, November 19, 2010 4:45:14 AM
> > >> Subject: Re: Qs regarding village school& WP
> > >>
> > >> Thanks, Sundar.
> > >>
> > >> I definitely agree that the offline versions will be useful, and the
>
> >type of
> > >>
> > >> project you are describing is exactly the type of offline work I
>am
>
> >helping
> > >> orchestrate - so yes: let's brainstorm and work together on this!
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> A couple questions to get our conversations going:
> > >> * For the Tamil Wikipedia project, is this the same project proposed
> >back in
> > >>
> > >> 2007, or is it an extension of it? I am curious of this ever got
>off
> > >> the
> > >>
> > >> ground initially.
> > >>
> > >> * Also, I am curious what are you thinking for the collection of
> >articles to
> > >>
> > >> be included on the CD. Would you want the whole Tamil
> >Wikipedia/Wiktionary
> > >> collection? Or would you go through the process of screening the
> >articles to
> > >>
> > >> make sure they were student appropriate / of high academic
quality?
> > >>
> > >> * In addition, in regards to article selection (above point), would
> the
> > >> Tamil Nadu government need to approve the articles that were being
> > >> distributed into schools?
> > >>
> > >> * Why CD? Why not USB? Just curious!
> > >>
> > >> * How are you thinking of getting the CDs to the different schools?
>
>
> >Who is
> > >> going to download the materials onto the school computers? Will
>there
>
> >(or
> > >> does there need to be) any training involved?
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> Sorry for the many questions - hopefully they'll push us closer to
> some
> > >> productive movement!
> > >> Jessie
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On 11/17/2010 7:05 PM, BalaSundaraRaman wrote:
> > >> Hi Jessie,
> > >>> On another note, we at Tamil Wikipedia have been discussing
>
> >ways to
> > >>> publish an offline edition (primarily CD-based) of selected
> >articles
> > >> >from Tamil Wikipedia and possibly the whole of Tamil
> >Wiktionary. Will
> > >>
> > >>> you be interested in helping with this?
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> This will be useful in schools, because the TN government
>has
>
> >provided
> > >>>
> > >>> almost every school with a couple of computers. In fact,
>they're
>
> >also
> > >>> training the teachers (including my mom) in basic computer
> >usage. With
> > >>>
> > >>> an offline edition, students can immediately benefit
>regardless
>
> >of
> > >>> whether they have access to the internet.
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>> - Sundar
> > >>>
> > > "That language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely
>a
>
> >medium
> > >
> > > for the expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted."
> > >>> - George Boole, quoted in Iverson's Turing Award Lecture
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>
> > >>>> From: Jessie Wild<jwild(a)wikimedia.org>
> > >>>> To:sundarbecse@yahoo.com;ravishankar.ayyakkannu@gmail.com
> > >>>> Sent: Thu, November 18, 2010 12:56:55 AM
> > >>>> Subject: Qs regarding village school& WP
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Sundar / Ravishankar -
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Thanks for sharing this wonderful story below! What a
> >great
> > >>>> example of how WP can be useful in schools.
> > >>>>
> > >>>> So, I'm working on the development and deployment of
> > > offline
> > >>>> Wikipedia, and the areas we think will be most
>effective
>
> >to get
> > >>>> into are schools in areas without consistent access to
> >Internet.
> > >>>> To that end, hearing this story raised a couple
>immediate
> > >>>> questions in my mind which I thought I'd ask you:
> > >>>>
> > >>>> (1) What was this school's connection to the Internet?
>
> >That is,
> > >>>> were they connecting to Wikipedia/Wiktionary online?
> > >>>> (2) What exactly is a "state-funded free education
> >school"? Does
> > >>>>
> > >>>> that just mean that students do not have to pay to
>attend,
>
> >or is
> > >>>> this a specific type of school (sorry, I am not
>familiar
>
> >with the
> > >>>> phrase so just want to make sure I understand!)?
> > >>>> (3) Why did Mr. Jothimani choose to use
> >Wikipedia/Wiktionary over
> > >>>>
> > >>>> other sources?
> > >>>> (4) Do we know if the students had used Wikipedia prior
> to
>
> >the
> > >>>> launch of this project? Had the teachers?
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Thank you both so much; what an awesome story!
> > >>>> Jessie
> > >>>>
> > >>>>
> > >>>> On 11/16/2010 8:15 PM, BalaSundaraRaman wrote:
> > >>>> Hi Sue, I just got reminded of the following story about how students
>
> >and staff
> > >>>>
> > >>>> of a village school benefited from Tamil Wikipedia. We found this
>from
>
> >an
> > >>>> article in a magazine called "pudhiya thalaimurai" (New Generation)
>and
>
> >another
> > >>>>
> > >>>> blogpost.[1] It is about how a school headmaster Mr.Jothimani
>transformed
>
> >the
> > >>>> state-funded free education school at a village Mangudi near
>Kumbakonam
>
> >in
> > >>>> Tamil Nadu. Among others, it includes a section on how Tamil
>Wikipedia
>
> >and
> > >>>> Wiktionary are being used by the students and staff. Subsequently, a
> >Tamil
> > >>>> Wikipedian Ravishankar Ayyakkannu (User:Ravidreams) called
>Mr.Jothimani
>
> >over
> > >>>> phone and collected more information. He wrote the findings in the
>Tamil
> > >>>> Wikipedia blogpost.[2] Translation of some excerpts: * Students of
> >sixth,
> > >>>> seventh, and eighth standard (aged ~11-13) use Tamil Wikipedia. *
>One
>
> >class
> > >>>> everyday is dedicated for Wikipedia during school hours. During this
> >period,
> > >>>> students research about the topics that they learned that day in
>other
>
> >classes
> > >>>> (examples below). If they need to access the Wiki for their home
>work,
>
> >writing
> > >>>> or speaking contests, students spend time online during lunch or
> > >>> after hours.
> > >>>> * They find the information accessible most of the time. * Teachers
>too
>
> >find it
> > >>>>
> > >>>> useful. * They felt that they could use more of local information
>about
>
> >their
> > >>>> district and about Tamil Nadu and India in general. * Example use
> >cases: if
> > >>>> the teacher gives a topic "statesmen", students look for Nehru,
> >Kamarajar,
> > >>>> etc., If they give a story writing contest of the title "a story of
> >itself told
> > >>>>
> > >>>> by River Cauvery", they search for the article on the river and write
>
> >the
> > >>>> details in first person. They also go find other interlinked articles
>on
>
> >Coorg,
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Poombuhar, etc., and get excited about their findings. The headmaster
>
> >finds
> > >>>> that the students' creative expression has clearly increased after
> >introducing
> > >>>> Tamil Wikipedia. A student who would write 20 sentences on a topic
>now
>
> >writes
> > >>>> 60 sentences. * They also use the Tamil Wiktionary which has nearly
>two
>
> >hundred
> > >>>>
> > >>>> thousand entries including technical glossaries donated by the Tamil
> >Virtual
> > >>>> Academy. Given that typically students in such remote villages do
>not
>
> >have
> > >>>> access to much information, the utility of this exposure is immense.
> >Also, most
> > >>>>
> > >>>> of the students of state-run schools come from under-previleged and
> >low-income
> > >>>> families. Given that, this helps to even out the systemic bias
> >somewhat. I've
> > >>>> taken the liberty to copy Ravishankar who spoke to the headmaster.
-
> > > Sundar
> > >>>> [1] -http://infinityholes.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post.html (in
>Tamil)
>
> >[2] -
> > >>>> http://tamilwikipedia.blogspot.com/2009/10/blog-post_5826.html (in
> >Tamil) "That
> > >>>>
> > >>>> language is an instrument of human reason, and not merely a medium
>for
>
> >the
> > >>>> expression of thought, is a truth generally admitted." - George Boole,
>
> >quoted in
> > >>>>
> > >>>> Iverson's Turing Award Lecture ----- Original Message ----
> > >>>>
> > >>>>> From: Sue Gardner<sgardner(a)wikimedia.org> To: "Local Chapters, board
>
> >and
> > >>>>> officers coordination (closed
> >subscription)"<Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org>
> > >>>>> Sent: Thu, November 11, 2010 12:01:48 PM Subject: [Internal-l]
>Looking
>
> >for
> > >>>>> stories of readers affected by Wikipedia Hi folks, Megan Hernandez
>on
>
> >the
> > >>>>> staff is looking out for me, for stories of readers whose lives
>have
>
> >been
> > >>>>> impacted by Wikipedia or the other projects. (Donors often send us
> >stories like
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> that, and I am often looking for stories to tell people about the
> >projects. So
> > >>>>> I've asked her to send good ones to me.) I was writing her a set
>of
>
> >criteria
> > >>>>> for the kinds of stories I want, and it occurred to me that you
>might
> > >>>>> yourselves have some good stories of exactly this kind. So I am
>sending
>
> >along
> > >>>>> the criteria here too :-) If you have stories that fit many/all of
> >these
> > >>>>> criteria, please send them to me, onlist or off. And please forgive
>my
> > >>>>> cross-posting to several lists at once. Thanks, Sue * Ideally,
>they'd
>
> >be
> > >>>>> along the theme of "how Wikipedia made my life better." This might
>be
>
> >an
> > >>>>> anecdote, or bigger-picture (ie, 'how Wikipedia makes my life better
>
> >every
> > >>>>> day'). * Ideally, they would be stories of people who
> > >>>>> pre-exposure-to-Wikipedia would have had circumscribed access to
> >information.
> > >>>>> Because they grew up in a small town with no library, because their
>
> >school
> > >>>>> didn't stock certain kinds of books, because materials in their
> >language are of
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> limited availability, because their government limits access to
>certain
>
> >types
> > >>>>> of information -- in general, because their
> > >>>> economic/political/socio-cultural
> > >>>>> circumstances somehow impede(d) easy access to information. *
>Ideally,
>
> >the
> > >>>>> information that Wikipedia gives them is important, and directly,
> >immediately
> > >>>>> useful. Like, it helped them better understand a health issue they
>were
>
> >having,
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> or it equipped them to do some important task better; it helped
>them
>
> >understand
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> a new situation or some aspect of themselves, or enabled them to
>solve
>
> >an
> > >>>>> important problem. Maybe it helped them get a job they otherwise
> >couldn't have
> > >>>>> gotten, or enabled them to avoid some specific danger or risk. *
> >And/or, the
> > >>>>> information fed a general curiosity and desire to understand the
>world
>
> >better.
> > >>>>> It got them interested in going to college which nobody in their
>family
>
> >had
> > >>>>> done before, it helped them develop a more thoughtful position on a
>
> >public
> > >>>>> policy issue, it stimulated them to travel or read more widely, or
>to
>
> >question
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> assumptions they had been making. * Ideally, their lives are
>better
>
> >today
> > >>>>> because of the information they are exposed to via Wikipedia. Maybe
> >this would
> > >>>>> be better in some really specific way -- like, "Three months later
>I
>
> >persuaded
> > >>>>> my doctor to let me try the new treatment, and it worked." Or, it
>might
>
> >be much
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> more general. * It is fine if the information they found on
>Wikipedia
>
> >might
> > >>>>> otherwise have been kept from them, either deliberately or through
>lack
>
> >of easy
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> opportunity. It is fine if the information is considered risky or
> >controversial
> > >>>>>
> > >>>>> in some way. Sue Gardner Executive Director Wikimedia
>Foundation
>
> >415 839
> > >>>>> 6885 office 415 816 9967 cell Imagine a world in which every
>single
>
> >human
> > >>>>> being can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. Help us make it
>a
> > >>>>> reality!http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Donate
> > >>>>> _______________________________________________ Internal-l mailing
>
> >list
> > >>>>> Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> > >>>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/internal-l
> > >>>>>
> > >>>> _______________________________________________ Internal-l mailing
>list
> > >>>> Internal-l(a)lists.wikimedia.org
> > >>>> https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/internal-l
> > >>>>
> > >>> -- Jessie Wild Special Projects Manager Gloabl Development Wikimedia
> > >> Foundation
> > > -- Jessie Wild Special Projects Manager Gloabl Development Wikimedia
> >Foundation
> >
> > --
> > Jessie Wild
> > Special Projects Manager
> > Gloabl Development
> > Wikimedia Foundation
> >
> >
>