Wikipedia & Education User Group/About us
The User Group
The Wikipedia & Education User Group is a global group that facilitates, supports, and advocates for implementing Wikipedia and its sister projects into the educational and academic curricula in both the Wikimedia Movement and outside of it, in the Open Education and Open Knowledge movements.
Mission
Throughout the world, educators use Wikipedia and its sister projects as a teaching and learning tool. We are an international group that facilitates the work and supports the needs of global community working with Wikimedia in education. Our aim is to enhance and scale local and global educational efforts, advocate for use of Wikimedia projects in education, and elevate the narrative outside our movement. By engaging with formal and informal modes of education we believe every member of society will be able to know how to contribute to and learn from open knowledge through Wikimedia projects.
Focus areas
Developing a community of Wiki-Educators!
Creating resources and infrastructure to scale our work!
Spread the word through global outreach!
Community[edit]
- Related Working Groups: Mentorship
- Facilitating a network of collaborations: Support and share information between different affiliates in the Wikimedia Movement (chapters, user groups, thematic organisations) that are involved in EDUWiki or would like to be involved in it.
- Facilitating Monthly Meetings: We will host monthly meetups among education program leaders across the Wikimedia movement. These meetings will offer an opportunity to collaborate on international educational initiatives and share learning experiences.
- Mentoring/support to affiliates for Education focused initiatives: The User Group intends to form a mentoring network for any interested Wikimedia groups (e.g., affiliates, chapters, user groups, independent programs) to share learning experiences about successes and challenges around connecting Wikimedia with education. We’ve found value in helping each other improve and scale our programs, and we want new groups to have the support they need.
Resources[edit]
- Related Working Groups: Resource development and Tech infrastructure
- Prioritize and support development of technological infrastructure to expand educational initiatives; (e.g., build the Dashboard, secure technology for online meetings, etc.): The User Group will prioritise technological tools for scaling educational initiatives. We plan to secure funding and tech resources to help local education leaders. The members of this User Group are uniquely qualified to identify gaps in tools that will help us run educational programs. We will work together to identify needs, prioritise tool development, and manage that process.
- Curate materials / educational resources: The User Group would like to improve the portal with global educational resources. This will help new interested parties find support and resources for their initiatives on Wikimedia projects.
- Facilitating and coordinating Research on Wikimedia and education (including publication): Research about Wikipedia and its sister projects' function as an educational tool can help education programs worldwide, and it provides legitimacy to our efforts. The User Group will help facilitate more publications from a diverse group of educators.
Outreach[edit]
- Related Working Groups: Global outreach
- Partnerships beyond Wikimedia: Facilitate the creation of a worldwide network of individuals, educators, educational institutions and other like-minded organizations with Wikipedia & its sister projects.
- Promote EDUWiki at international events: Several educational leaders in the Wikimedia community promote their programmatic activities at events with international attendees. We want the User Group to help facilitate a process where those leaders can support other programs, as well.
- Partner with global education organisations: Some organisations like UNESCO provide global education opportunities. The User Group can offer a far reach for these global organisations and their initiatives on Wikimedia projects.
- Participation in OER/Open Education/Open Knowledge ecosystem/ movement: The User Group would like to expand the current efforts and work beyond Wikimedia but with open knowledge at large.
- Scaling up education initiatives worldwide: By providing support resources and efficient tools, we will work together to increase the number of educators using Wikimedia project as tools.
Affiliation
- The Affiliations Committee formally passed the resolution of approval of the Wikipedia & Education User Group affiliation to the Wikimedia Foundation as a Wikimedia User Group on 27 June 2018, for a one year, renewable period.