Wikipedia Education Program/News/16 July 2013

Welcome to the Wikipedia Education Program Update -- a newsletter from the Wikimedia Foundation about efforts to bring Wikipedia into higher education classrooms. The newsletter is released on the first and third Tuesday of each month. To be notified of the latest issue, add this page to your watchlist or email LiAnna Davis (ldaviswikimedia.org), the Wikipedia Education Program Communications Manager, to be added to the distribution list.

Charles University supports education program

In a statement released this month, the rector of Charles University in Prague, His Magnificence Vaclav Hampl, gave his official support to Czech education program, called "Students Write Wikipedia" (Studenti píší Wikipedii). The statement reads, in part, "This highly appropriate, useful activity has my unequivocal support. I would like to encourage all those who, in the course of their pedagogical activities or studies, or in their free time, contribute to Wikipedia. I would recommend that all pedagogues at the University consider whether involvement in the ‘Students write Wikipedia’ project would not be a suitable way of supporting their educational goals." Read the full statement.

Namibia program provides update

Peter Gallert wrote a post for the Wikimedia blog on his efforts to introduce Wikipedia editing to teachers in rural Namibia. Peter, who teaches at Polytechnic of Namibia, offered training to teachers at the Epukiro Post 3 Junior Secondary School in the Omaheke Region of Namibia, and he and the participants created the article about the school on the English Wikipedia. Read more about the work he is doing in Namibia.

Welcome, Sophie Österberg!

Sophie Österberg has joined the Wikimedia Foundation's Wikipedia Education Program team as the global education program manager. Sophie comes to us from Wikimedia Sweden, where she ran their education program. Sophie will be working with education program leaders around the world to foster and support the use of Wikipedia as a teaching tool globally. Please welcome Sophie by leaving a message on her talk page!

Wikimania education pre-conference scheduled

Are you attending Wikimania 2013 in Hong Kong? Join us for a pre-conference specifically about education and Wikimedia projects on August 7. We're interested in tailoring the agenda to be what our attendees are most interested in learning — and presenting. Fill out this interest form to help us craft a great agenda.