In this paper, you explore information literacy by contributing to Wikipedia and analyzing that experience.
Contribution to Wikipedia
Wikipedia Paper assignment requirements and information
In this paper, you explore information literacy by contributing to Wikipedia and analyzing that experience.
REQUIREMENTS
| PURPOSE | The purpose of this assignment is to continue to practice analysis and greater development of concepts and ideas. |
| SUBJECT | Analyzing the implications of creating knowledge by contributing to Wikipedia (or other wiki in which people collaboratively create and share knowledge). |
| FORMAT | Essay with in-text citations and Works Cited page pursuant to MLA format. |
| TAKE NOTE | More than 4 errors in the fundamentals of writing (grammar, punctuation, word usage, and mechanics) will result in 0 as a grade. I will mark the first 5 errors that I notice with the teardrop shape. You may RESUBMIT your essay as many times as you need to eliminate basic errors. |
| LENGTH | No more than eight (8) typed paragraphs, double spaced, excluding the (a) Works Cited page per MLA style and (b) screen shot or other indication of your exact contribution to Wikipedia (which is clearly marked) including your user name and the title of the entry to which you contributed.
[Note: Do not put your name on the paper, course information, date. That information shows up on Canvas. Just start the essay with the first line.] |
| SUBMIT | Online Sunday, March 29, 2020, @ 11:59 pm |
| POINTS | 150 points
NOTE: A paper that merely concludes WP is more reliable than you have been lead to believe by teachers and other authorities will likely earn a “C” because that analysis is not a very insightful or original. |
WIKIPEDIA CONTRIBUTION
Your contribution should be at least a paragraph. (Of course, it can be longer.) If you want to contribute images, try to contribute at least two or three images. You can propose a new entry, but you are not required to do so.
In addition to fully describing the title of the entry and your contribution to that entry, please attach a screen shot or scan of your contribution as an appendix to the paper as evidence of your contribution. You also complete questions about your contribution before you start writing your paper.
FURTHER EXPLANATION ABOUT THE ASSIGNMENT
Your paper will likely attend to two major concepts: the first is a description of your experience and the second is an analysis of that experience to offer the reader insight into larger concepts (about Wikipedia, the Internet, information competence, knowledge creation, etc.). Your analysis of the experience is more difficult to write, but it is where you demonstrate your critical thinking skills and creativity. Thus, it should be more than one-half of your paper.
Caution: While this paper likely includes a discussion about the topic you selected, the paper is not primarily a discussion of that topic.
Description: You would describe what you did to contribute to Wikipedia. In this section, you may talk about the topic you selected, why you selected it, the ease or difficulty in finding a topic, the entry you wrote, the sources you relied upon for your entry, the contribution process, and any response you received from other Wikipedians, family or friends.
Analysis: You explain the significance or meaning of your experience in terms of some larger concept that is relevant to you and your reader. The larger concept could be Wikipedia itself. For example, do you view Wikipedia differently now that you have contributed to it? Maybe you feel your professors were right about telling you not to consult Wikipedia. Or maybe you feel they didn’t know enough about Wikipedia.
Other potential concepts to explore in this section are the following:
- the significance of all content in Wikipedia being contributed to by volunteers
- the reliability of online sources
- writing in a neutral point of view
- the creation of knowledge (who creates it and who does not create it, why are some topics more fully developed than others, what information is left out, etc.)
- the dissemination of knowledge in a digital age
- the significance of contributing to Wikipedia in sharing knowledge with others or giving back to your community
- the significance of a school or film or person having an entry on Wikipedia
- the meaning of whatever response you received to your entry
- the gender disparity in Wikipedia editors
Your analysis cannot be written until you contribute to Wikipedia because you are analyzing your experience, and your experience provides the evidence for your analysis.
Another way to approach writing your analysis is to try to find something unique to discuss, something no one else in class would be likely to discuss. Everyone in class can do this because we come to this assignment with our unique experiences and knowledge and our individual methods of thinking, including processing information.
INFORMATION TO HELP YOU USE WIKIPEDIA
- Set up an account on Wikipedia.
- In addition to its 5 Pillars, WP has many, many policy pages and guidelines to help write your entry. You may want to consult some of these policies so your work is done appropriately. What you will quickly learn is that each policy leads to more policies. (Note: Each of these policies references other resources, such as tutorials and related concepts, to help you better understand and apply these concepts.)
Wikipedia: Neutral point of view (or WP:NPOV)
Wikipedia: Verifiability
Wikipedia: Identifying reliable sources
Wikipedia: Do not include the full text of lengthy primary sources
Wikipedia: Manual of style
- Write your entry in your own language. Avoid quoting long passages from the original source because Wikipedia now has a Turnitin-type program that automatically deletes word-for-word copied entries. Feel free to email me to review your contribution before you submit it to ensure the grammar, punctuation, etc. is accurate.
PURPOSE OF THIS ASSIGNMENT
This assignment helps develop your information literacy (or information competence) because you are working with a significant resource of information (Wikipedia) that allows you to better analyze the usefulness of that resource and the general concepts of information literacy. This assignment also requires to you demonstrate (a) the proper mechanics of persuasive writing (PSLO 4.1), (b) the ability to organize materials into clear and coherent patterns appropriate to the audience and subject matter (PSLO 4.3), and (c) the ability to gather and synthesize information, analyze issues appropriately, and select and evaluate evidence to construct sound arguments (PSLO 4.4).
1 hour ago
REQUIREMENTS
4 pages, Double Spacing CSUN
Communications
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