Education/Newsletter/February 2015/Articles of interest in other publications
Wikipedia not destroying life as we know it
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A study by Monash University's professor Neil Selwyn found that Wikipedia shouldn't be excluded from academia. Seven of eight students, including high-achieving students, use Wikipedia regularly, but it is not their primary reference and does not replace libraries and other online resources. Selwyn believes that universities should find ways to integrate Wikipedia into accepted student research methods as well as using their own research to contribute to Wikipedia. The author suggests that professors are forced to edit Wikipedia for a while by the Australian government in order to understand a prominent source of information they totally ignore.
Howard University Fills in Wikipedia’s Gaps in Black History
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In this article, The New York Times covers the editathons held at Howard University to bridge the gap in black history. Students gathered at Howard's research center, which is one of the world's biggest information repositories for African-American history, for the editathons and utilized those resources to reinforce the black history articles on English Wikipedia. James Hare, President of Wikimedia DC, considers the stereotype of a Wikipedia editor being a 30 year-old white man who only shares the interests of men like him is what led to many gaps in the content of the free encyclopedia in the first place. In February, students and professors of Howard University exerted great efforts to narrow these gaps.
Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales among 2015 Dan David Prize winners
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In May, Tel Aviv University awards its Dan David Prize for 2015. Three annual prizes each of one million dollars go to "proven, exceptional and distinct excellence in the sciences, arts, and humanities that have made an outstanding contribution to humanity." On February 10, the university announced the winners of this year. Jimmy Wales, co-founder of Wikipedia, has been named for the this year's prize for information revolution for creating an encyclopedia for everyone to use and contribute to. This article in Eurekalert calls Wikipedia, an encyclopedia that nearly all internet users read, is a great achievement for humanity to appreciate.
Wikipedia editing class to build knowledge of Irish role in WWI
editThe Irish Times covers recent editahons organized by Wikimedia Community Ireland at the National Museum of Ireland and the National University of Ireland, Galway, which aimed at creating and developing articles about Ireland and its role in World War I. Ireland played a great role in the first World War, as around 250,000 fought there and 35,000 were killed, yet Wikipedia still lacks detailed information about this role.
College of Arts and Architecture to host ‘Edit-a-Thon’ to improve Wikipedia Cove
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Saturday March 7, 2015 from 12 PM to 5 PM, the College of Arts and Architecture will be holding an editathon for scholars, educators and artists aiming at increasing gender diversity on Wikipedia by adding more content about women. The event is scheduled to synchronize with the International Women’s Day weekend, March 7–8, in New York City. The editathon will be coordinated by Karen Keifer-Boyd, a professor of art education and women’s studies, who believes that these efforts are complementing earlier efforts made in the 1970s to acknowledge women's participation in making history.