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Wikimedia & Education Greenhouse - Team Application Form

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Before starting your application, make sure all members of your team have read and understood the team application guidelines.

Project idea

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The government of Bangladesh has implemented a large number of projects relating to digital technologies to realize Vision 2021, which is commonly called Digital Bangladesh. A number of project are already in underway. A large number of Young Bangladeshi people become engaged with these digital technology in economic and educational perspective. Thus why This project tries to engage these potential young people to bring out their knowledge in digital form to spread out whole country. It targets mainly the students of graduation and post-graduation level. It will use Wikipedia as a learning tool for this purpose.

What idea do you want to bring to the W&E Greenhouse?

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This project mainly deals with the students with their class activity, such as assignment writing, making translation some article related with their course curricular and adding bookish knowledge in Wikipedia. The team has decided to implement the idea in 5 or more different departments of three Bangladeshi Universities. The project is divided into 3 steps to achieve the ultimate goal. In first step, the participant students would be introduced with Wikipedia. They will learn how to contribute and use these resource in their educational perspective.

Mainly we will focus on translating articles from English Wikipedia to Bengali Wikipedia. Because many necessary articles are missing in Bengali Wikipedia. We will focus on such articles for translation which are very related to subject content, education and research, and which may help the students on their assignments and projects. Another reason of translating is the students can write in english and english Wikipedia has huge resources. So they can not only easily contribute to Bengali Wikipedia, but also the information that they will add, will be authentic and notable.

First 1 month will be spent for appointing and training the class ambassador, trainer and collecting others resources that we need for the project. The Trainer will learn first how to use and edit Wikipedia properly and how to train the participant. We will arrange workshop which will be run by the specialists Bangladeshi Wikimedians to train the trainer and ambassador. During this period the official deal with the department will be done to execute the main project. In next month, we will arrange several workshop for the participant to learn about internet browsing, using Wikipedia and ultimately the process to edit and write article. This is the process to make a participant into a qualified wikipedian. When the participant will learn properly about using and editing Wikipedia, we will run the class activity as assignment writing in Wikipedia or translating article with the help of academics.

2 or 3 clubs (like tourist club, photography club) will be engaged from the universities. So the students who do not belong to the proposed departments, they can involve in this project. Editathon and Photowalk will be arranged for them. Mainly Wikivoyage and Wikimedia Commons will be focused on this part.

By this process, we will get some student wikipedians in those universities, then we will establish WikiClub there to keep them active in the movement. It enables a longtime and sustainable process to engage more people to wikipedia and keep them active through the years.

Proposed Departments:

  • Department of English, Rajshahi University
  • Department of Mass Communication and Journalism of Rajshahi University
  • Institute of Education and Research, Rajshahi University
  • Department of English, Varendra University

Who would you engage in your initiative?

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  • The project will make partnership in desired department as class ambassador, selected from the students. There will also be a partnership with teacher of the department and university. This team has already a relationship with Rajshahi Wikipedia Community and Wikimedia Bangladesh.
  • Through this program, the concentration of the policy maker of the government can be attracted. So in future support can be gotten from them to continue this project.
  • Active and experienced wikimedians will be engaged as trainer or facilitator.

In terms of financial resources, how much money would you need to achieve your goals?

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SL No. Item Quantity Rate (BDT) Total (BDT) Notes
Subtotal in local currecny: BDT 2,53,700
Subtotal in USD: 3,065.71 (BDT 1 = USD 0.01208)
01 Train the Trainer Program 1 9,000 9,000 Venue, Logistics, Food and Others
02 Train the Participant 6 3,000 18,000 Venue, Logistics and Others
03 Wifi Router and Modem 2 5,000 10,000 For training purpose
04 Internet Bill 9 2,000 18,000 For 9 months
05 Press conference 2 400 8,000 Pre & post press conference (Venue rent & other costing)
06 Monthly Meeting 9 1,000 9,000 Monthly meet up or meeting for volunteers (food and other costs)
07 TA-DA & other cost 7 4,000 28,000 For a invited guest wikimedian from outside the city at the time of workshop/seminar
08 Wikipedia T-shirt 50 300 15,000 Gift for good performer and volunteers
09 Wikipedia pen 300 25 7,500 For every participant
10 Wikipedia writing pad 300 50 25,000 For every participant
11 Sticker 300 10 3,000 Venue, food, banners, etc
12 Banner 7 600 4,200 Banner for workshop/seminar or other purpose
13 Memento 10 1800 18,000 Banner for workshop/seminar or other purpose
14 Print & stationary 1 4,000 Printing of manuals and others
15 Conveyance Bill 9 2000 18,000 Banner for workshop/seminar or other purpose
16 Photowalk 2 2000 4,000 Promotion, transport and snacks
17 Closing Ceremony 1 15,000 Venue, Logistics, food and others
18 Wikimedian in Residence 9 5000 45,000 Remuneration of wikimedian in residence
19 Miscellaneous 1 5,000

How will you know your project has succeeded?

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  • Our target is to get involved at least 200 students. The quantity can be double or more. When we will get at least 20 active wikipedians, then we can say our project is successful.
  • At the end of this project, our target is to develop a WikiClub for every institution. So it enables a more sustainable model of engaging more active contributors to the wiki projects.
  • By this program we want to develop at least 20 good articles for Bangla wikipedia.
  • Besides that we will engage a good number of contributors in Wikimedia Commons, Bengali Wikivoyage and others projects.

What are the biggest challenges you foresee in the implementation of your idea and how would you address them?

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Problems
  1. Get involved the academics
  2. Limitation of well trained trainer
  3. Slow Internet or instability of internet connection
  4. Lack of training logistics
  5. To engage new users in education program
Solutions
  1. Our advisor is an academic, so he will help us in building up academic partnerships with different academic stakeholders. The team members have relations with some of the academics, who are already connected with the activity of Wikipedia Rajshahi Community. So this relation can also help us to approach with different academic stakeholders.
  2. In the beginning, we will arrange a Train the Trainer program to develop some well trained trainers. So that every trainer could go in the same way and with the same speed. So the trainers could follow same instruction and strategy.
  3. During workshop or training we will provide a high speed internet facility.
  4. We will also be looking at universities who would support us with a computer lab for capacity development in the university. If needed, we will rent the logistics.
  5. We will provide prize or souvenir to inspire new users as well as good contributors.

Motivation

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Why do Wikimedia projects belong in education?

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Since the beginning of the knowledge, someone learned something via experience or observation and passed down that knowledge to her/his adjacent people, immediate next generation. The next generation did the same and it continued for several thousands of years. Along the way, the bigger the sum of the knowledge becomes, people invented models to organize this knowledge in a meaningful way so the future generation can learn from that and knowledge do not get lost in the way. This gathering and passing of the knowledge took many shaping over the years and boiled down to our modern education system of current age where people can learn for the existing knowledge, enhance and enrich that, and contribute back, making it greater, better and bigger day by day. But the greater the sum of knowledge is getting one challenge becomes more prominent, getting the access to that sum knowledge with an efficient and easy way so that everyone can access it.

The main goal of Wikimedia projects is to make a platform where we can accumulate knowledge and make sure that it becomes accessible to anyone from anywhere in the world. This makes Wikimedia a very important tool to facilitate the existing system of education and solve a critical challenge, 'access to the knowledge' and help to establish knowledge equity. That is why Wikimedia belongs to education.

Why do you want to join the W&E Greenhouse?

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We have been preparing to launch the Wikimedia Education program in Bangladesh for about a year now. In our primary findings, we have had pointed out several drawbacks. We need organized guideline from the people who have a better experience. We also need to build the capacity of our own within the team to initiate and execute it better. We also lack a few tools and resources that we do not have. We find that W&E Greenhouse is a perfect programme for us that can help to overcome the challenges that we have and reach the great potential of the Wikimedia Education program that we see in Bangladesh.

Team

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Who are the members of your team?

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He would be in charge of leading the project and also ensuring sustainability of the project. He is an experienced wikimedian who has volunteered in many wikipedia project.

He would be in charge of running and maintaining various tech related activities for the project thus handling of webpages, internet accessibility and other technical development.

He would be in charge of ensuring that resources is available to the team.

He would be in charge of ensuring that resources is available to the team.

He is a wikipedian and assistant professor of Institute of Education and Research, Rajshahi University. He will advise on building up academic partnerships with different academic stakeholders.

Where is your team located?

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This Team is located in Rajshahi City, Northern part of Bangladesh.

What languages does your team speak?

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This team is proficient in Bengali and English.

Have any members of your team been involved in organizing other Wikimedia outreach initiatives?

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School program in Rajshahi to encourage students to read Wikipedia.
He conducted Bangla Wikipedia School Program at Rajshahi in 2015 as a part of Wikipedia School Program of Wikimedia Bangladesh. He is going to introduce Wikipedia education program in University of Rajshahi very soon. A verbal agreement has been made between a professor of Department of Mass Communication and Journalism and Rajshahi Wikipedia Community. There the students will do their assignment and then put it to Wikipedia.
  • Shabab Mustafa is a founding member of Wikimedia Bangladesh. He has been serving as member of the executive committee since 2011. During his tenure he has played important role as one of the strategist of outreach programs through out Bangladesh to spread the word of Wikimedia Movement. He has been actively involved in designing and conducting workshops on Universities and among the people from different professions and interests ie. Writers, Journalists, Photographers etc.
A IT Professional by profession, Shabab also the lead of the technical support team of Wikimedia Bangladesh. Currently he is serving as the President of Wikimedia Bangladesh.
  • Mostafizur Rahman involved with Rajshahi Wikipedia Community. He is a member of Operations Committee of Wikimedia Bangladesh. He actively participates in every offline activity of Rajshahi Wikipedia Community. He arranged many workshops for Madrasa student as well as University and College also.

Notable Programs initiated by team members

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2019

2018

2017

Teachers in Wikipedia Workshop at Rajshahi

2016

2015

Which members of your team will join the “Wikimedia & Education Project Management” online course?

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How did you learn about this opportunity?

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Mailing list of education team.

Get involved

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Community notification

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Please paste links below to where relevant communities have been notified of your proposal, and to any other relevant community discussions.

Endorsements

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Do you think this project should be selected to participate in the W&E Greenhouse? Please add your name and rationale for endorsing this project below! (Other constructive feedback is welcome on the discussion page).

  1. Yes, I think this project could be selected to participate in the W&E Greenhouse! ZI Jony (SWMT) 11:35, 13 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  2. Yes I do support the proposal, given the track record of the organisers and their motivation. Tanweer Morshed (talk) 05:59, 18 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  3. This has potential. I especially like the focus on graduate and post graduate students. Given the team's experience, I believe that with guidance this has the potential to be a model project that is duplicated in other places in the world. Shani. (talk) 20:24, 18 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  4. Yes — This will accelerate the way for educational activities in Rajshahi, which will leave a great potential impact. - ANKAN (talk) 17:27, 21 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  5. Yes I do support the proposal, given the track record of the organisers and their motivation.Habib Rabbi (talk) 12:26, 22 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  6. Yes I strongly  Support the proposal. There are lot of graduate student in Rajshahi city. The city is known as the education city of Bangladesh and we can get a huge response from the grad students majoring medical studies, engineering students, researchers, Education Studies students and others. --NahidHossain (talk) 15:54, 27 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]
  7.  Support This is a focused effort, bringing together university members and Wikimedians. It would be a shame not to support this program if the selection committee believes it is not the one team that should be selected, so there might be a way to make it fit within the limit of a rapid grant, perhaps by granting the hardware through some sort of donation as what happens with laptops, and offer on-site support and access to the team training anyway. --Joalpe (talk) 12:09, 28 May 2019 (UTC)[reply]

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