Wiki Education will be at American Studies this week

This week, I’ll be traveling to Chicago to join American Studies instructors at the American Studies Association annual meeting. The trip is part of our new partnership with the American Studies Association so I’m excited to help answer any questions that members might have about Wikipedia generally or our work here at Wiki Education. As this years’ … Continued

Wikipedia, Webinars, and Wiki Education

Each year I meet hundreds of instructors and librarians excited about the idea of bringing our Wikipedia assignment into their classes. Sometimes it’s an easy conversation about upcoming courses, updating syllabi, and designing the right project to achieve learning objectives. Other times, the conversation is a bit harder – what if someone is excited about … Continued

Communicating American cultures with dynamic student projects

Since we started working with UC Berkeley students and instructors in 2010, they’ve added more than 1 million words to Wikipedia. From updating the article about carbon capture and storage in Mexico to creating a new article about lesbian bars, Berkeley students have been behind the helm. As a graduate of UC Berkeley myself, I know that they … Continued

Engaged Learning and Teaching with Wikipedia

On a sunny Monday in May, I headed to Tulane University’s Center for Engaged Learning and Teaching to run a “Teaching with Wikipedia” faculty workshop. Associate Director of Classroom Engagement Toni Weiss hosted me for an an intimate, hour long talk during which I spoke with interested faculty from the French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese departments. We … Continued

Creating digital citizens with Wikipedia-based project-learning

In late May, I traveled to Fordham University in New York for its annual Faculty Technology Day. The theme of this year’s event was “digital citizenship,” and we attended to explore what it means to be a digital citizen and how instructors on campus could help prepare their students to fill such roles. But I … Continued

Wikipedia in the Environmental History Classroom

Environmental history is one of the most rapidly growing academic fields. The number of history departments employing an environmental historian has grown from just 4.3% in 1975 to 45% in 2015. The field focuses on the ways humans have shaped and have been shaped by their environment. With recent events like those in Standing Rock … Continued

Students share linguistics with the world

While visiting the Linguistic Society of America Conference in Austin earlier this month, I asked attendees: why do you think the study of linguistics is so relevant today? Their replies were varied: the election, the rise of fake news, the importance of understanding language bias, and knowing how we use rhetoric to persuade others. In … Continued

What happens when you reach out to Wiki Education?

We know that shaking up your curriculum can be pretty daunting. So we wanted to demystify some of what happens when you start a conversation with us about teaching with Wikipedia. To answer a very common question first: Yes, all of the following is provided for free. We don’t even have services you could pay … Continued

Working Wikipedia assignments into English classrooms

Last week, I had the pleasure of speaking with community college instructors in the Puente Program, which provides support for underprivileged students as they transfer from community colleges to complete 4-year degrees. Students enrolled in the program have access to academic support, college counselors, and specialized writing programs to prepare them for college. Puente Program … Continued