[Foundation-l] Fwd: wikiEducation: The Classroom Wikipedia

[Ryan Lomonaco]

Forwarded to the list on behalf of a non-member.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Jacob Franklin <jake.franklin2 at gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 7:39 PM
Subject: wikiEducation: The Classroom Wikipedia
To: foundation-l-owner at lists.wikimedia.org


Dear WikiMedia,
    In recent weeks I have been reading about the work of your
foundation and all of the wikipages you have created. The scope of
your organization is vast, along with the amount of people who use its
tools. I believe that this incredible reach gives you a wonderful
opportunity to positively affect the lives of many people.

    My name is Jake Franklin and I am an educator. I graduated from
Colby College with a degree in Philosophy in 2008. Since then I have
been teaching English in Shenyang, China and studying Chinese. Next
year I am planning to return to the US to go to graduate school for a
Masters in Educational Policy or International Education. I am
extremely passionate about improving the educational opportunities,
tools, and resources for all students. I believe that giving all
students access to quality education both enriches their educational
experience and provides them with a strong foundation to build towards
a better future.

   It is because of this dedication to the enrichment of education
that I wish to develop a relationship with your foundation. I have an
idea that I am passionate about and dedicated to and am writing this
email to introduce it to you.

     The basic idea is to create a version of wikipedia that is
exclusively written and edited by students. It is called
wikiEducation. There is one site for each grade level, and teachers
can sign up their classes to be writers and editors. The site grows
through students submitting their work as wikiEducation articles,
which are then edited by other students. By pairing collective
responsibility and a published presence, wikiEducation gives both
writers and editors a sense of achievement, a feeling of
responsibility and a relationship with each other that would be absent
without this tool. Moreover giving students ownership of the
information on the site motivates them to develop more intimate and
long-lasting relationships with the material.

     I think the idea would work best if implemented through the
Wikimedia Foundation and therefore have come to you first. I think
that you have the people and experience to build the site in the best
possible way. I would like to work with you to bring this idea to
fruition. I don’t have the technical know-how to build a website but I
do have the desire, drive and experience to bridge the gap between the
technical aspects of website building and the creation of an effective
teaching tool. WikiEducation’s success depends on teacher use. I can
work with the teachers and the builders to create a highly functional
website that teachers will enjoy using.

       The detailed business plan includes; a more detailed description of
the site, information about the site’s special features, market
analysis, and potential problems along with suggested solutions.
Please let me know whom I should send the plan to, and how I can
continue to play a role in its creation.

       Sincerely,
       Jake Franklin
       Email: jake.franklin2 at gmail.com
       Skype: jakefranklin2




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