Education/Newsletter/March 2016/Educational hackathon about digital sources, big data, and Wikipedia

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By Melina Masnatta (WMAR)

Educational Hackathon to use Wikipedia as a resource in the classroom.

Snippet: A four-hour educational hackathon where educators and experts designed activities to work over big data, digital sources, and wikipedia in the classroom.

Introduction

In November 2015, we conducted an educational hackathon focused on teaching the purpose of generating creative educational proposals on Big Data and Internet resources in educational settings. Taking advantage of a digital art that was shown in an interactive museum, it gave the opportunity to make an original way of working based on prototyping and design thinking. The proposal was designed by four leading institutions in Argentina, including Wikimedia Argentina. During the event, Wikipedia was an ideal place to analyze and provide collective knowledge for construction case; and with new results, opportunities for training, inspiration and creation were combined.

The use of data and sources on education

When we use Internet in educational spaces, it is usually to access information but how do we know if the source is reliable? Do we know how to distinguish what is a verifiable fact and what is not? Do we distinguish valid data from one which is not? Do we distinguish a valid source from one that is not? Many questions come to mind and only one answer: teachers must have tools to guide the strategic use of the various sources, make good use of the data, and read and edit Wikipedia.

With these ideas, three leading institutions in Argentina came together to develop a unique experience: A hackathon Educational called the "teaching creaton;" for teachers and leaders in technology and education to be transformed into designers of educational proposals to resolve these questions. A valuable instance was that four institutions joined forces, intentions, and purposes to be positioned in an innovation agenda in education: from the subject, to the methodology. The event was free and within a few hours from when the call was launched had more than 400 registrants from all latitudes, which validated the interest in the topic and the proposal.

Results

During the event, more than 70 teachers and specialists co-designed nine proposals in a hybrid way to guide pedagogical work. In many cases, Wikipedia was the gateway, and they are now available online: Creaton dashboard. Participants were not only part of a unique experience in construction with others, but also met new colleagues with whom they created more powerful ideas for education and had a first-hand experience of other forms of learning and teaching.

Read more about the educational hackathon:

Read more about the Wikipedia Education Program in Argentina here.