Assignment 1 Details and Reporting: Difference between revisions

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'''For help getting started with Wikipedia see: [[Help With Wikipedia]]'''
{{AssignmentCal}}
 
'''Due February 12'''
 
'''For help getting started with Wikipedia see: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia_help_desk Wikipedia Help Desk]'''


== Details ==
== Details ==
# To complete this assignment, you must [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Userlogin log in] to wikipedia (if you do not have a wikipedia account, you can [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Userlogin&type=signup create one]). '''Note:''' a wikipedia account is not the same thing as an account for our class wiki.  You need both.
''Because part of this assignment requires looking at edits made after yours, try and start this process a few days before the assignment is due.''
# Then, read the description of Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines policy and guidelines], so you understand the terminology at work.  
 
# Using the list below, select a policy or guideline that most interests you. Read about it. The goal of this assignment will be to learn about and prepare a report on how these rules function, and play a role in the collective operation of the site.  
# '''Wikipedia''': To complete this assignment, you must [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Userlogin log in] to wikipedia (if you do not have a wikipedia account, you can [http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Userlogin&type=signup create one]). '''Note:''' a wikipedia account is not the same thing as an account for our class wiki.  You need both.
# After you've chosen '''one of these''' policies or guidelines, select a single article to focus on. Below you will find a (non-comprehensive) list of suggested articles to edit and observe.  Ideally, the article you choose should relate in some way to the themes of the class, but this is not required.  There are over 3.1 million Wikipedia entries to choose from.
# '''Rules''': Read the description of Wikipedia's [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines policy and guidelines], so you understand the terminology at work.  
# Make '''substantial edits''' to the article you have chosen.  This means that the edits should be more than cosmetic and should actually enhance the substance of the article.
# '''Choose a Rule''': Using the [[#Target_Policies_and_Guidelines|list below]], select a policy or guideline that most interests you. Read about it. The goal of this assignment will be to learn about and prepare a report on how these rules function, and play a role in the collective operation of the site.  
# Add the article to your "watchlist".  From the article page, click on the "watch" tab at the top of the article.  You can access your watchlist at any time by clicking on "my watchlist" at the very top of any page.
# '''Choose an Article''': After you've chosen '''one of these''' policies or guidelines, select a single article to focus on. Ideally, the article you choose should relate in some way to the themes of the class, but this is not required.  There are over 4.1 million Wikipedia entries to choose from. '''You must select an article that features or implements your rule in some way.'''
# Report which article you edited, and the nature of your edits below.  At the end of your notes, type <nowiki>--~~~~</nowiki> (two dashes and four tilde's) and the wiki will automatically fill in your name.  '''Note:''' you must have created an account on our class wiki and be logged in for this to work.
# '''Edits''': Make '''substantial edits''' to the article you have chosen.  This means that the edits should be more than cosmetic and should actually enhance the substance of the article.
# If changes are made to your article, you may also want to make further edits to go along with those changes. Also be sure to watch the "talk" page on each page, which has discussion from other users about the content on the entry.  
# '''Watching''': Add the article to your "watchlist".  From the article page, click on the "watch" tab at the top of the article or the star icon at the top of the article.  You can access your watchlist at any time by clicking on "my watchlist" at the very top of any page.
# By the assignment due date, prepare a report here that discusses A) the rule you chose, B) which site you observed and the changes you made, C) how this rule played out in practice (if it did), D) how you think this plays a role in maintaining the site, and if it could harm the community on the site in any way.  
# '''Further Edits & Talk''': If changes are made to your article, you may also want to make further edits to go along with those changes. Also be sure to watch the "talk" page on each page, which has discussion from other users about the content on the entry.  
 
 
* '''Write Your Report''': By the assignment due date, in addition to the above steps, prepare a report that discusses:
** '''The rule you chose''': What the rule is, why it matters, how it relates to other rules, and comments on the details/subsections of the rule.
** '''The article you chose''': What the article is, why you chose it, what edits you made, and if other users made edits in response.
** '''Rule for the article''': How the rule played out in practice (if it did)
** '''Rule for the community''': How you think the rule plays a role in maintaining Wikipedia. How does it benefit/harm the Wikipedia community in any way? Why is it important for Wikipedia?
 
== Report, Formatting, & Submission ==
 
* A few, concise paragraphs is suitable for the report. Your submission should be no longer than 1000 words.
 
* For this assignment, you may either (1) upload your document as a .txt file (or related readable format, such as .rtf, .doc, and .odt) to the class Wiki following the procedure described on the [[Assignment 1 Submissions]] page, or (2) e-mail your submission to is2013+homework@cyber.law.harvard.edu. We ask that you try to use option (1), and only use option (2) if you are having difficulty with the wiki.
 
* Wiki uploads are visible to the public. If you select option (1) and you are using a pseudonym on the wiki, please remember to sign your uploaded document with the same pseudonym.


== Target Policies and Guidelines ==
== Target Policies and Guidelines ==
Line 24: Line 43:
'''The most important thing is that you select an article that features the rule that you're looking to explore.'''  
'''The most important thing is that you select an article that features the rule that you're looking to explore.'''  


You can choose a topic that is underdeveloped, and add information. Or, you could pick an article that needs '''substantial''' cleanup/revision. Wikipedia (English) has 1.6 million entries.  As such, it may be difficult to find a completely unexplored topic. Start by browsing the Wikipedia topics that you feel you can best contribute to.  Many Wikipedia pages have banners that indicate the article is in need of some specific editing. Banners typically refer to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_cleanup_categories cleanup categories] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_controversial_issues controversy].  These banners are indexed so that contributors can quickly find pages that are in need of editing.  
You can choose a topic that is underdeveloped, and add information. Or, you could pick an article that needs '''substantial''' cleanup/revision. Wikipedia (English) has 4.1 million entries.  As such, it may be difficult to find a completely unexplored topic. Many Wikipedia pages have banners that indicate the article is in need of some specific editing. Banners typically refer to a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Wikipedia_cleanup cleanup categories] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_controversial_issues controversy].  These banners are indexed so that contributors can quickly find pages that are in need of editing.
 
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dot-com_bubble Dot Com Bubble]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_neutrality Network Neutrality]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacktivism Hacktivism]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_good Public Good]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons Creative Commons]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_source Open Source]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod ipod]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright Copyright]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napster Napster]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barak_Obama Barak Obama]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_machines Voting Machines]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Firewall Great Firewall of China]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_tail Long Tail]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Rights_Management Digital Rights Management]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC One Laptop Per Child]


== Assignment 1 Reporting ==
== Assignment 1 Reporting ==


[[Assignment 1 Submissions]].
[[Assignment 1 Submissions]]
 
My Wikipedia editing efforts have focused on wiki pages addressing Transactional Distance and Distance Education. The topic area of my Master’s thesis is the relationship between Transactional Distance and learning outcomes in Distance Education, specifically on-line learning. I felt I had sufficient expertise in the area to be able to provide objective and verifiable editorial additions to the pages.
My editing focused on [[Verifiability]]. By Wikipedia’s own definition the threshold for inclusion in Wikipedia is verifiability, not truthwhat counts is whether readers can verify that material added to Wikipedia has already been published by a reliable source”. The policy also requires a citation or reference for any material that is “challenged or likely to be challenged”. All quotations must have a citation as well. Consequences of not citing are removal of posts and edits. I fully support the policy that all references must be verifiable.
 
The [[Transactional Distance]] page had a banner stating the page was an orphan and needed to have more links to other articles. Which to me was code for; this page lacks verifiability. The page consisted of a few lines defining Transactional Distance, two external links and one reference. The reference was to Michael G. Moore, who first formulated the theory of transactional distance. The links were to ''The American Journal of Distance Education'' and the ''Cyber Slang Online Encyclopedia''. The encyclopedia expanded a little on Moore’s theory. The AJDE link was to a lone AJDE home page describing the goals of the journal.
 
I kept half of the first sentence of the original transactional distance definition, posted a more workable definition, with examples, and positioned the importance of transactional distance in Distance Education best practices. I added links to other articles that studied transactional distance, and referenced additional Distance Education journals that could be searched for transactional distance studies.  As of this writing I have had no reaction to my edits, nor am I expecting any soon. Transactional Distance is not a research area where investigators are likely to source Wikipedia. However, given the mandate that all information, on all pages is to be verifiable, it is incumbent upon page authors and editors to provide citations and references. The goal is information accuracy. Anything less is harmful to the community.
 
Because Transactional Distance and Distance Education are so interrelated I accessed the Wikipedia Distance Education page. The page, while having a number of relevant citations and references, was somewhat naïve in its explaining/defining Distance Education, and provided a very pedantic history of the subject, beginning in 1728. Interesting enough, but not the kind of information anyone researching the subject in the 21st Century would find meaningful. Recognizing I should be limiting myself to one article, I still did a couple of minor edits to the page. I removed the outdated reference to andragogy as an educational focus of Distance Education and introduced pedagogical best practices as the overarching function of teaching in the reference section.
 
The Distance Education page credits the US Department of Agriculture for its definition of distance education. The DoA may offer distance education courses, and may have published a definition of distance education, and therefore be verifiable; however, in the context of Distance Education, the source does not appear credible. I suggest not only does a page have to have verifiable information; the verification source has to be credible to the topic. To date I have had no reaction to my edits on the Distance Education page.
 
Maintaining the verifiability of the two sites I edited requires both time and a certain depth of knowledge of the subject matter. The lack of content management at both sites speaks to a lack of commitment to keep the sites up-to-date with current, relevant and verifiable information. However, the paucity of information at the sites may be a result of intellectually recognizing the need for verification, but not being willing to put the time and effort into verification.
 
As an End Note: I am disappointed with the Wikipedia I discovered after drilling deep into its goals, policies and guidelines. Before this exercise I regarded any information from Wikipedia as suspect, as to origin and verification. After my research I believe sincere efforts are being made to verify information; and am now convinced that the strength of Wikipedia lies in its processes, not its end product – information. Wikipedia has created an efficacious and structured form of governance by the people, for the people.
 
However, if Wikipedia is to be the collaborative community of concerned citizens collectively compiling the “sum of all human knowledge into a Web-based, free content encyclopedia” it must leverage this proven process to provide enterprise wide, accurate, verifiable and timely information.
As a global model for verifiable information aggregation and dissemination - they are not there yet. And, I have doubts that they ever will be. However, as a decision making model - it has applications across the Web.
 
 
--[[User:Charlesscott|Charlesscott]] 05:21, 9 February 2010 (UTC)

Latest revision as of 09:40, 7 February 2013

Assignments

Assignment 1 Details and Reporting | Submissions
Due February 12

Assignment 2 | Submissions
Due February 26

Working in a group?
Let us know by March 12

Assignment 3 | Submissions
Due March 26

Assignment 4 | Submissions
Due April 23

Extra Credit | Submissions
Due May 7

Final Project | Submissions
Due May 14

Due February 12

For help getting started with Wikipedia see: Wikipedia Help Desk

Details

Because part of this assignment requires looking at edits made after yours, try and start this process a few days before the assignment is due.

  1. Wikipedia: To complete this assignment, you must log in to wikipedia (if you do not have a wikipedia account, you can create one). Note: a wikipedia account is not the same thing as an account for our class wiki. You need both.
  2. Rules: Read the description of Wikipedia's policy and guidelines, so you understand the terminology at work.
  3. Choose a Rule: Using the list below, select a policy or guideline that most interests you. Read about it. The goal of this assignment will be to learn about and prepare a report on how these rules function, and play a role in the collective operation of the site.
  4. Choose an Article: After you've chosen one of these policies or guidelines, select a single article to focus on. Ideally, the article you choose should relate in some way to the themes of the class, but this is not required. There are over 4.1 million Wikipedia entries to choose from. You must select an article that features or implements your rule in some way.
  5. Edits: Make substantial edits to the article you have chosen. This means that the edits should be more than cosmetic and should actually enhance the substance of the article.
  6. Watching: Add the article to your "watchlist". From the article page, click on the "watch" tab at the top of the article or the star icon at the top of the article. You can access your watchlist at any time by clicking on "my watchlist" at the very top of any page.
  7. Further Edits & Talk: If changes are made to your article, you may also want to make further edits to go along with those changes. Also be sure to watch the "talk" page on each page, which has discussion from other users about the content on the entry.


  • Write Your Report: By the assignment due date, in addition to the above steps, prepare a report that discusses:
    • The rule you chose: What the rule is, why it matters, how it relates to other rules, and comments on the details/subsections of the rule.
    • The article you chose: What the article is, why you chose it, what edits you made, and if other users made edits in response.
    • Rule for the article: How the rule played out in practice (if it did)
    • Rule for the community: How you think the rule plays a role in maintaining Wikipedia. How does it benefit/harm the Wikipedia community in any way? Why is it important for Wikipedia?

Report, Formatting, & Submission

  • A few, concise paragraphs is suitable for the report. Your submission should be no longer than 1000 words.
  • For this assignment, you may either (1) upload your document as a .txt file (or related readable format, such as .rtf, .doc, and .odt) to the class Wiki following the procedure described on the Assignment 1 Submissions page, or (2) e-mail your submission to is2013+homework@cyber.law.harvard.edu. We ask that you try to use option (1), and only use option (2) if you are having difficulty with the wiki.
  • Wiki uploads are visible to the public. If you select option (1) and you are using a pseudonym on the wiki, please remember to sign your uploaded document with the same pseudonym.

Target Policies and Guidelines

Choosing an Article

You have several choices in choosing an article.

The most important thing is that you select an article that features the rule that you're looking to explore.

You can choose a topic that is underdeveloped, and add information. Or, you could pick an article that needs substantial cleanup/revision. Wikipedia (English) has 4.1 million entries. As such, it may be difficult to find a completely unexplored topic. Many Wikipedia pages have banners that indicate the article is in need of some specific editing. Banners typically refer to a cleanup categories or controversy. These banners are indexed so that contributors can quickly find pages that are in need of editing.

Assignment 1 Reporting

Assignment 1 Submissions

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