Strassmann/ Queller lab group

Team-based writing for Wikipedia about animal behaviorJoan E. Strassmann strassmann@wustl.edu

http://strassmannandquellerlab.wordpress.com

Read my blog! http://sociobiology.wordpress.com

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve

me and I learn – Benjamin Franklin

Lose the daydream lecture face and write!

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing – Benjamin Franklin

What is worth writing about?

Write what you know. Write what you learn

In a class about animal behavior, the students write about animal behavior

In a class about animal behavior, the students write about animal behavior

For animal behavior, an animal and a concept works well

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Program:Washington_University_in_St.

_Louis/Behavioral_Ecology_%28Fall_2013%29

How to share writing?

Why Wikipedia?

Why Wikipedia?

It is powerful, read by everyone, generates discussion, constantly

improved, and referenced.

Is Wikipedia accurate?

• Yes, and always getting more so.

• If you write for it, you learn what is trustworthy and what is not.

• Teachers that don’t allow Wikipedia to be cited teach students not to cite all their actual sources.

How Wikipedia?There are online resources to

facilitate writing for Wikipedia.

How Wikipedia?There are online resources to

facilitate teaching with Wikipedia.https://en.wikipedia.org/wikiWikipedia:Education_program

Intro to a Wikipedia pageWikipedia pages have tabs. The main

one where you read information is the Article tab

Intro to a Wikipedia pageWikipedia pages have tabs. The tab

where there is discussion about what is written is the Talk tab

Intro to a Wikipedia pageWikipedia pages have tabs. There are

other tabs to the right of the page. The Read tab is the same as the Article tab.

Intro to a Wikipedia pageWikipedia pages have tabs. The Edit

tab is where you change things.

Intro to a Wikipedia pageWikipedia pages have tabs. The View history tab shows the history of the

page.

Intro to a Wikipedia pageBefore you make changes, you should log in,

so the edits can be attributed to you, not just to your IP address. If Wikipedia text is in red, it means the editor was not logged in.

Intro to a Wikipedia

page

Intro to a Wikipedia pageYou can set up a watchlist to keep

track of the topics you have worked on the most.

How about that behavior course?

What is the overall structure of the course?

• Four components:– Learn most of the material through study

questions and weekly quizzes.– Focus on one book chapter and learn that material

in detail, in a group of six.– Write for Wikipedia, rewrite, comment on other

student writing.– Teach high school students in a Saturday

workshop.

What exactly do I do with Wikipedia?• Teach an official Wikipedia Education Program

course

What exactly do I do with Wikipedia?• Teach an official Wikipedia Education Program course

What do I have students do?• Add 500 words and 5 references to an entry• Add or create a 1000 word and 10 references

entry• Add or create another 1000 word and 10

references entry• Review each other’s work, within a group of

three and across groups of three• Revise their work repeatedly in response to the

comments within the classroom and from the Wikipedia readers

What are the assignments?

What are the groups of three?Teams of students, but each writes all their own material.

• Writing expert• Wikipedia expert• Fact checker

How do I know exactly what a student wrote?

• Have them turn in their words on Blackboard at the same time they make the changes live on Wikipedia

Why not wait a few drafts before putting writing live on Wikipedia?

• Engagement with the outside community is a key part of the revision process.

• Students do their best work when it counts, so the first draft should count.

What if a student puts incorrect information on Wikipedia?

• There are many ways to discover this– Members of their own triad– Other students in the class– The teaching assistants read the material– I read everything and make changes as needed at

the end of the class

What do we do during class?

• Sit at tables for six.• Take quizzes, discuss quizzes.

What do we do during class?• Watch animal behavior videos, answer questions,

discuss.• Work on Wikipedia assignments.

What do we do during class?• Plan and practice high school workshops.• Much discussion on paper, with posters of questions

and comments.

You can fill class time without lecturing

Bedbugs

Kai Jones

Bedbugs – Kai Jones

Black-throated blue warbler - Tianyi Cai

Worker policingKevin Li

Writing for Wikipedia is fun!

Do I have any other tips?

• Yes, join a project. Write about the issues they want covered, to the extent this is in accord with course goals. This will help get attention to the site and reviewers.

Why don’t I have team written pages?

• There are teams and the members help each other.

• Ultimately each student learns most from doing their own writing and engaging with the Wikipedia community.