Pilot Projects
Contents
Purpose of a Pilot Project
A pilot project is a great way to learn how WikiEducator works, and experience its power, flexibility and utility. Did I mention the WE Community too?
WE can be Your Strategic Partner
WE can help you leverage your investment of time, money and resources to achieve significant economies of scale and affordable publishing options, sustainable networks and communities and global projects with high levels of ROI (return-on-investment). For example, high tech companies have learned that 'being successful' is about seeking strategic resources, funding and expertise from strategic investors and partners. They've learned that it makes sense to pursue 10% of a $100 million pie vs. 100% of a $1 million pie.
WE has developed a successful, sustainable and scalable and very cost-effective E-Learning model, using an Apprenticeship Model with tangible Certification outputs. If you are considering developing a project / program, and want to teach or facilitate it, we can help you apply it to your expertise or interest. Please read our Frequently-Asked Questions page.
WikiEducator..
- is a self-organizing community and complex learning ecosystem.
- is a content development platform for open educational content and resources (OERs)
- is a values-based community focused on freedom and openness
- uses free and open source software
- provides free hosting and technical support
- offers free wiki skills training
- is your strategic partner
- has an innovative Value Proposition and Publishing model
- supports you in facilitating stakeholder engagement
- offers global, national, regional and local opportunities to support community development and growth and sustainability of your project(s) AND community-of-practice
Open & Distance Learning / Blended Learning Expertise
WE has significant resources and expertise to help you improve the instructional design of your learning activities, so that it is even more effective in the classroom or delivered online. We are pleased to share our experiences. This includes blended learning and Web 2.0/3.0 tools, methods and techniques
Stakeholder Engagement & Community/Organizational Development Expertise
WE also has significant resources to help you engage your stakeholders, and increase their 'buy-in', ownership and pride in your projects. We invite you to work with us.
Free Infrastructure, Technical Advice & Web 2.0/3.0 Support
WE's Community of Support can help you with your technical needs as you develop your pilot project.
Active Learning Community & Global Network of Educational Institutions and Leaders
The WE Community has a global network of relationships with educational leaders and policy-makers, organizations and institutions.
Test Drive WikiEducator!
To know what WE can do for you, you have to experience the powerful collaboration benefits of WikiEducator for yourself. WE recommend starting with a simple, low-risk point of entry (i.e., a 'mini-project').
Experience An Accelerated Cycle of Collaboration, including:
- Learning valuable wiki skills - and benefit from our free online training
- Benefiting from value-add contributions from WE Community Members (including technical assistance)
- Meaningful online and offline collaboration with your peers and WikiEducators
- Learning how electronic / distributed communities work and how a community of practice can form around your content.
- 24/7/365 Access to your Documents
- Refreshing Content Dynamically - immediately available to other people and organizations who want to collaborate
- Saving Time and Money by NOT investing in static websites and single-moderator blogs
- (i.e., Websites and blogs create more work for YOU, instead of distributing the workload and achieving a high rate of return for your investment.)
- Tracking YOUR Project's Revision History & Version Management
- Reducing the delays and expense in updating, publishing and distributing new, updated versions of educational content
- Flexibility in saving / using documents to various formats, including PDF
- Leveraging your project through our Apprenticeship and Certification options
- Participating in a credible and globally-networked educational community
- Gain a presence on one of the world's fastest-growing websites
- Benefit from WE's ranking in the world's top 115,000 websites (Alexa, March, 2009)
- Using this new knowledge and experience in your other endeavours - and compare and contrast the WE difference!
A Topic is a "Project" on WikiEducator
- Choose 1 or 2 "topic-projects" of importance to you (smaller is better, to start)
- You can start your topic-project anywhere in the wiki, or if you prefer as a sub-page to your User Page.
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: You can create content using wiki skills OR by Using Open Office 2.4 (then exporting to Mediawiki and copying and pasting the content into your WE Project page.)
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- Please let your WikiAmbassador or WikiTrainer know about your topic-project
- S/he will observe your progress and intervene on- and off-wiki, to provide assistance and introductions to others in the WE Community
- Please make sure to hyperlink your topic-project to the Master List of Projects in WikiEducator
A Learning Activity as a Project
- If you have published a paper, book or article or developed a program and you would like to create Learning Activities for it - as your "topic-project", WE is a great place for it.
- Speak to your WikiAmbassador or WikiTrainer - s/he will help you to get started and intervene on- and off-wiki, to provide assistance and introductions to others in the WE Community.
- Hyperlink your topic-project to the Master List of WE Projects
- Observe, Reflect & Experience What Happens...
Copyright and Licensing
WE believe the highest value of content is when it is up-to-date and contextually- and culturally relevant.
Can you recall using a textbook or taking a course that was based on events that took place 5, 10 or even 20 years ago (i.e., missing critical events such as the Internet or the election of a new head of state). Can you recall taking a course with only US examples, when you live in Ghana, Australia or Malaysia? When educational resources are out-of-date and not culturally-relevant, learners disengage, discount the learning experience and materials, and begin seeking other alternatives.
- In the context of our values of "freedom and openness", WE provides you with an opportunity to develop, share, modify, adapt and re-use all content - without restriction (whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes)
- WikiEducator uses a progressive copyright licensing policy. All content is Creative Commons By-Attribution (CC-BY) or Creative Commons By-Attribution Share-Alike (CC-BY-SA)
- We recommend starting small..for the the lowest risk possible BEFORE any significant investment of Your resources. WE's copyright policy might be a bit scary....(we understand, and that's why we recommend 'baby steps'...)
Facilitating the Process: Stakeholder and Community Engagement
An essential ingredient in the success of any Pilot Project is stakeholder / community engagement. Please share your idea for a pilot project with your WikiTrainer, or WikiAmbassador, and we will help you move it to the next level. We can help you:
- anticipate internal orgaganisation change, resistance and transition issues;
- identify project champions and strategic partners
- facilitate stakeholder engagement
- strengthen community development, communications, networking and capacity-building
- test and implement performance interventions
- design and deliver training to build skills and Professional Development opportunities
- ensure strategic alignment with your organisation's objectives and optimise return-on-investment.
Decisions, decisions, decisions
- If you decide that you want to collaborate with WikiEducator on a bigger project than your 'mini topic-project', please get in touch with your WikiAmbassador or WikiTrainer. S/he will collaborate with you on strategy development, introductions / referrals and the next steps. (At this point, we will talk in-depth about copyright and licensing options that are mutually beneficial).
- If you decide to not pursue a relationship with WikiEducator at this time, then you are free to leave. (You are always free to return too.) The content that you and your WikiEducator colleagues developed will still be available on the wiki.
Retrieved from "http://www.wikieducator.org/Pilot_Projects"
Links
Make a Financial Contribution to Support WikiEducator
If you are planning a pilot project, we ask you to join and/or consider making a financial contribution to support WikiEducator. The project is part of the independent, nonprofit Open Education Resource (OER) Foundation. We rely on your generous support in achieving our goals.
