Wikipedia 101: How to be a media literate citizen[edit]

Wikipedia 101 @ MIT IAP
	MIT Great Dome
When and Where
Date	January 17-19, 2017
Time	1/17 10 am - 12 pm; 1/18 10 am - 12 pm; 1/19 1 - 5 pm
Address	4-251 MIT
City, State	Cambridge, MA

Overview[edit]

Recent events have caused us to question, more than ever before, the validity of information gathered from the web. But Wikipedia, now in its 15th year, remains an online space where accuracy, neutrality, and fair representation matters. Growing the network of volunteer editors to contribute to Wikipedia (the largest collaborative writing project in history!) is one way to ensure that high quality information is freely available to all.

This three-day workshop will train participants to become competent Wikipedia editors, and along the way they will cultivate a greater understanding of how to evaluate a range of sources, from the popular news media, to institutional archives, to peer reviewed journals.

Please bring your laptop!

Our slide deck

Register[edit]

Note that you are not required to register or sign this event page.

You have the option to use This Link to sign up for a Wikipedia account (or sign in with your existing one), and join our Event Dashboard.

Participant list[edit]

Please add your Wikipedia username below

Click "edit source." Add the # sign (to continue numbering.)

Then, create your signature by typing four tildes [~] in a row and hitting "Save changes."

Rtbhive (talk) 16:14, 15 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
laurfish (talk) 16:35, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Amyc29 (talk) 16:28, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
JMPerron (talk) 16:29, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
plr123(talk) 11:39, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]
Bjami2004 (talk) 16:44, 17 January 2017 (UTC)[reply]

FAQ[edit]

How reliable is Wikipedia?

Check out Accuracy of content

Who edits Wikipedia?

Check out Wikipedia#Community

Also worth knowing about

Thinking like a Wikipedian[edit]

Basic guidelines, communication customs, editing customs

The focus here is on developing your "Wikipedia hat," so you can read and evaluate Wikipedia articles based on Wikipedia's standards, not those from your own areas of expertise. (n.b.: Modified from exercise created by User:AmandaRR123)

Read over the following Wikipedia policy/guideline pages, and then use what you've learned to evaluate one of the articles listed.

(Hint: Read "nutshells" and intros most carefully, then skim the rest of each policy/guideline page. That will give you the sense you need.)

Articles to evaluate: pick one, and use your new "Wikipedia hat" to evaluate them. How might they be improved?

Rating and Communicating on Wikipedia

What Class Labels mean (Featured Article, C-Class, Start-Class, etc.): Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment
Wikipedia:The perfect article
Wikipedia:Talk page guidelines

Some options for making your first edit[edit]

Citation Hunt: A tool from Wikimedia Foundation Labs to help where [[citation needed]]

Some articles for 20th century Women Politicians to edit or expand.

Yenwith K. Whitney is an "Orphan," needs to be linked from other pages. (Done! Rtbhive (talk) 16:38, 18 January 2017 (UTC))[reply]

Training to edit Wikipedia[edit]

Going forward: some resources to help you determine what and how to contribute[edit]

WikiProject
What Class Labels mean (Featured Article, C-Class, Start-Class, etc.): Wikipedia:Version 1.0 Editorial Team/Assessment
Portals on wikipedia
Missing articles
Wikipedia:Stubs
Wikipedia:Most-wanted articles
Wikipedia:Translating
Wikipedia:Red links
Wikipedia:Women in Red

Good Digital Citizenship and Activism in Wikipedia: Underrepresented Groups and Topics[edit]

written by User:AmandaRR123, February 2016

Problem: Wikipedia is a globally distributed network where judgement of quality is not based around contributor expertise, but rather work according to the standards of the project itself -- the most legible unit of work is a good citation. As one of the oldest communities on the Internet, Wikipedia gives students to a chance to practice good digital citizenship: use their critical thinking skills to discover community values, norms and styles of communication, and contribute in a way that will make sense to other community members.

However, Wikipedia can, like many other communities, have a bias towards the status quo. Therefore, those working on issues related to underrepresented groups can expect to be accused of activism, bias, an agenda, as if those things do not already exist on Wikipedia

Digital citizenship is doubly important to those working on issues related to underrepresented groups: one must know how to communicate effectively using community standards to convince the Wikipedian community that changes in the status quo does not automatically equal violating policy, and that you are still partners in the same goal of wanting to improve the encyclopedia.

Resources we can draw from[edit]

WorldCat, via MIT Libraries

MIT Libraries Anthropology & Archaeology Research Guide

Google News

Google Books

Google Scholar Note! You can synchronize Google Scholar with the MIT Library. Check it out!

Better Googling: MIT Libraries Google search tips