Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom Italy/Strategy

Context Analysis

Schools in Italy

The program "Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom" addresses Italian high schools. In Italy there are a total of 8.462 high schools (public and private); more specifically the liceo and the Istituto tecnico tecnologico can be particularly relevant for this program.

High schools	Number of institutions in Italy
Total number of high schools in Italy	8.462
Classical high school (Liceo classico)	736
Scientific high school (Liceo scientifico)	1.728
Human sciences high school (Liceo scienze umane)	856
Foreign languages high school (Liceo linguistico)	890
Music high school (Liceo musicale e coreutico)	169
Arts high school (Liceo artistico)	466
Technical Technological Institute (Istituto tecnico tecnologico)*	2.016 with 505.851 students in total
Private liceo	725

Institutions are not equally distributed and some regions have the highest number of institutions (Lombardia, Campania and Sicilia in 2021-2022).

*Technical Technological Institute (Istituto tecnico tecnologico) have already training in ICT. They could develop tools or contribute to technical aspects of the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap. In the research about the community health of Wikipedia in Italian it appears that volunteers with technical skills are particularly needed. They have 150 hours over 3 years devoted to transversal competences and orientation (licei 90 hours)

Further reading in English w:en:Education in Italy and w:en:Secondary education in Italy.

Relevance of the program related to the Italian digital policies and strategies

Results of a research conducted on Italian school texts

From a disciplinary perspective the research we conducted in Italy about school-texts highlighted that Wikipedia is already widely cited as a source in many schoolbooks (and of course in particular in schoolbooks which are released with an open license and auto-produced - this is encouraged by the "National Plan for Digital School"). It is also explained in text-books related to ICT, marketing and manuals for teachers.

Civic education

Civic education has been redefined in Italy with a new law in 2019 (legge 92 del 20 agosto 2019) and a series of guidelines, which implement a transversal teaching of civic education linked to European skills. There is a coordinator of the subject for each school (referente per l'educazione civica). Students devote to this subject 33 hours in total per year. Digital citizenships (educazione alla cittadinanza digitale) is a key element of civic education (article 5 of the law) and it defines the main skills which need to be developed. Digital citizen means the capacity of an individual to use consciously and responsibly the virtual communication tools. More specifically it means to allow the acquisition of information and competences useful to improve the use of those tools and to allow young people to be aware of risks and pitfalls of the digital environment.

Alternating school-work (Alternanza scuola-lavoro)

It is a program involving high school students in the collaboration with a company or an institution during their training for a specific and limited amount of hours. Wikimedia Italia can host students in this program and the students can work on Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap during their experience.

Stakeholders

Latents	Promoters
Ministry of education in Italy Media partners Wikipedia, Wikimedia projects, OpenStreetMap (they can benefit or be damaged by projects with teachers)	Schools and teachers we already collaborate with Wikimedia Italia - Wikimedia Italia certified trainers (consultants and volunteers) Wikimedia Italia volunteers interested in education Wikimedia Italia staff involved in training and relationships with schools and the education sector Teachers attending the training Possible locations for training Wikimedia Foundation education program
Indifferent	Defenders
European Union policies and priorities about education, training and youth UNESCO MIL framework	National institute for educational documentation innovation and research (Istituto nazionale di documentazione innovazione e ricerca educativa - Indire) Like-minded organisations: Creative Commons Italia, Italian Linux Society Networks working in the field of education Network of OER - Open Educational Resources Network of institutions and experts related to Civic education in Italy Network of institutions and experts related to the digital school Associations and companies providing training for teachers

Wikimedia Italia Activities in Education

Wikimedia Italia promotes open knowledge (conoscenza libera) and it has three strategic directions it wants to trigger:

1. growing the communities of our projects (reinforcing the communities in their activities online and offline, growing their number and skills to guarantee a generational continuity)
2. growing the patrimony of open knowledge (increasing the availability of open content)
3. growing the awareness about the value of open knowledge (increasing awareness and supporting change)

Activities in education are implemented by Wikimedia Italia in the frame of growing the awareness about the value of open knowledge. Activities promoted by volunteers in schools are also supported in the frame of growing the communities of our projects (measuring offline engagement of volunteers and growing skills).

Training in Wikimedia Italia

Institutionally training is a central activity for our association (with a series of administrative consequences).

We implement training with

• our staff (we have 5 staff members over 9 who have specialised skills on the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap and who can implement a professional training). Furthermore all our staff is requested to receive training about the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap;
• a series of consultant;
• volunteers. Training is traditionally an activity that many volunteers have been providing.

Wikimedia Italia Certified Trainers

At the moment we are implementing a procedure to identify "Certified trainers". Certified trainers are trainers who receive a certification from Wikimedia Italia related to different categories (acknowledging their capacity of teaching different projects to different targets and with different methods - presenters/tutors). The certification lasts 2 years and to be renovated the certified trainers need to acquire a number of hours of training (participation in international conferences/training, training for specific skills, training provided by Wikimedia Italia...). Certified trainers report on their activities.

Courses and schoolkit

• Wikimedia and information literacy - Come fare educazione all’informazione con Wikipedia (azione #14 PNSD) - 2018
• Digital heritage management with the Wikimedia projects - Come sviluppare la gestione digitale del cultural heritage con i progetti Wikimedia (azione #15 PNSD) - 2018
• Women and STEM with the Wikimedia projects - Donne e STEM con i progetti Wikimedia (azione #20 PNSD) - 2018
• How to implement "Alternating school-work" with the Wikimedia platforms - Come realizzare un percorso di alternanza scuola-lavoro sulle piattaforme Wikimedia (azione #21 PNSD) - 2018
• How to create open and collaborative education resources (OER) with Wikibooks - Come creare risorse educative aperte in maniera collaborativa con Wikibooks (azione #23 PNSD) - 2018
• How to share ebooks of works in public domain on Wikisource - Come creare in modalità condivisa ebook di opere in pubblico dominio con Wikisource (azione #24 PNSD) - 2018
• How to work with Wikipedia in multilingual projects in Ladin territories - Come lavorare con Wikipedia nei progetti plurilingue delle scuole delle località ladine - 2018
• Learning with Wikiversity and Vikidia - Apprendere con Wikiversità e Vikidia (scuola secondaria di primo grado) - 2018
• In school with Wikipedia: information literacy and collaborative writing - A scuola con Wikipedia: information literacy e scrittura collaborativa - 2018
• Education to digital cultural heritage with the Wikimedia projects - Educazione al patrimonio culturale digitale con i progetti Wikimedia - 2018
• OpenStreetMap: the collaborative geographic repository for territorial knowledge - OpenStreetMap: il database geografico collaborativo per la conoscenza del territorio - 2018
• Curriculum of digital civi education - Curriculum di educazione civica digitale - initiated in 2017 but not implemented
• The Wikimedia resources for online pedagogy - Le risorse Wikimedia per la didattica online

Target

Target	Goals	Expected needs	What Wikimedia Italia can offer	How to reach them	Courses already implemented	Possible courses
Teachers who need to reinforce their skills in ICT	Implementing the required training Receiving training relevant and well-connected to their work (i.e. teaching civic education according to the national requirements)	Getting more familiar with computers Needing access to a suite of tools (we can provide support in using open source tools) Learning to better use Wikipedia and understanding its features and how to review content	Wikimedia Italia in its agreement with the Ministry of education Wikimedia Italia promotes open software We can partner with other organisations to provide course on open tools	Our contacts in schools can address teachers to our courses. We can reach them through associations and companies providing training to teachers We should not focus directly on this target but address it indirectly	We currently do not have specific courses for this target	Open tools Digital Civic Education (Reading Wikipedia in the classroom model) Collaboration with other organisations to provide course on open tools
Teachers interested in "open" (Wikipedia, open content and open software...)	Implementing the required training Receiving training relevant and well-connected to their work (i.e. teaching civic education according to the national requirements) Receiving training relevant from their ethical perspective	Courses connected to the activities they have to do (i.e. teaching civic education according to the national requirements) Better understanding of the meaning of "open" (avoiding ND and NC) Better understanding the difference between the open knowledge moment and the proprietary big tech Supporting students in using open tools We expect them to be specifically conscious about ethical issues (connected to environmental awareness and sustainability and aware of the potential damages of the big tech)		We can focus on a specific type of institute present in the entire national territory: teachers in the Technical Technological Institute (Istituto tecnico tecnologico) - 2.000 schools in Italy, many of their school-books already include Wikipedia and open software, they can provide technical expertise to our projects (in the community health report it appeared that Wikipedia in Italian need more technical volunteers) We can connect with them through the Linux groups and the Italian Linux society and like-minded organisations Call for scholarships to attend the courses	Wikipedia Heritage and the Wikimedia projects OpenStreetMap	Digital Civic Education (Reading Wikipedia in the classroom model) Digital civic education with open tools Using open content to produce school-texts and didactic materials (creative commons) Open software Creative commons
Teachers who have already attended a course or implemented activities in their classrooms based on the Wikimedia projects or OpenStreetMap	Implementing the required training Receiving training relevant and well-connected to their work (i.e. teaching civic education according to the national requirements) Receiving training relevant from their ethical perspective Seeing their competences recognised (and maybe gaining a role in their school or in other venues)		We need to develop new proposals every year to maintain their interest, offering something new and We need to support their activities and making them part of the Wikimedia movement We can provide a certification for them and their classrooms; and we can provide prizes We can acknowledge their work by including it in our communication and by documenting it (in a map or other visualisation) We need to provide a reference person at Wikimedia Italia We can provide them a grant to support their activities (i.e. wiki event in a library/museum, guide to a museum or to a city, photography course, publications, resources)	Individual contacts. Wikimedia Italia already have the contacts and the agreement with specific schools	We currently do not have specific courses for this target Possibility to implement activities implemented in the program Alternating school-work (Alternanza scuola-lavoro) Grant for schools (without a specific focus on those teachers)	Digital Civic Education (Reading Wikipedia in the classroom model) Digital civic education with open tools Using open content to produce school-texts and didactic materials (with focus on documentation released in Creative Commons and the Wikimedia projects) Open software Creative commons Access to international course Using Wikidata Possibility to implement activities implemented in the program Alternating school-work (Alternanza scuola-lavoro) Grant for schools (with a specific focus on those teachers) Certification Reading Wikipedia in the classroom
Certified trainers (volunteers, consultant and staff)	Attending training every year to renovate their certification Increasing skills by learning a method to develop a course with a clear structure with need assessment and evaluation		We can support them and make them feel connected to Wikimedia Italia and the resources offered by Wikimedia at an international level (international experiences are particularly interesting and relevant) We need to provide a reference person at Wikimedia Italia	Individual contacts. Wikimedia Italia has specific contact with them and the updated list on its website We can involve new trainers through a call	We are currently planning the trainings	Trainer for trainers of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom International conferences at Wikimania and so on
Associations and companies providing training to teachers	Increasing their market Increasing the communication of their courses Recognition (certifications, prizes...)		They might already offer courses related to Wikipedia They might be interested in connecting their activities to our international resources and course We could certify them or provide prizes We can communicate their courses We can support courses in specific regions or territories where we need to be present	Individual contacts. We can check the list of recognised associations and companies by the Ministry of education and we can contact them individually	We currently do not have specific courses for this target	Trainer for trainers of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom Better understanding of Wikipedia, Wikidata, OpenStreetMap etc Open tools Creative Commons
Publishers, authors of text-books, authors of OER	Having school-books better then other others Producing their school-books	They already use documentation from Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons They build textbooks and resources using Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects They could find it useful to use other resources such as wikibooks and wikiversity They already have information about Wikipedia.	We can support them to make content related to Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects, OpenStreetMap and open knowledge more accurate We can certify the books?	Individual contacts. We can use the names and institutions emerging from the research on Italian text-books. We then need to contact them individually	We currently do not have specific courses or resources for this target	How to cite Wikipedia Using open content to produce school-texts and didactic materials (with focus on documentation released in Creative Commons and the Wikimedia projects) One-to-one communication/meeting related to specific issue on publications and textbooks

Why providing training for teachers

Target	Reaching them	Strengths	Weaknesses
Training for teachers	The Ministry of education communicates courses We already have contacts with teachers and schools We receive requests from schools and teachers We involved them by offering scholarships for our training We	We are talking about a target of around 250.000 teachers (684.317 teachers for all school levels) Teachers are already requited to receive training Providing training for teachers allows us to reinforce our national role as Wikimedia chapter with the Ministry of education Wikipedia and open knowledge are relevant for the teaching of civic education Teachers have potentially a multiplier effect Training teachers allows to increase the relevance of Wikipedia as belonging to education Teachers can produce OER and they are encouraged to do it; Wikipedia represents a relevant source of information accessible for reuse and modification Making contributing to Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap count as informal training and making the skills learned on the projects recognised can be relevant for our communities and teachers do have a role in this	Teachers do not necessarily implement the activities in their classrooms There is a high competition among courses offered to teachers Teachers need training which is immediately relevant to them and well connected to the activities or certification they are required to do; Wikipedia and open knowledge need to be better connected to the teachers' goals/needs We are not targeting specific teachers. We could target coordinator of civic education, teachers of ICT in technical school who can work on development of the Wikimedia projects and OSM and we can collaborate for projects related to Alternating school-work (Alternanza scuola-lavoro) Teachers can have a limited familiarity with ICT
Training for students	We can reach students also through direct communication on social media and students' initiatives We can offer students courses during their self-managed day (giornata autogestita) We can provide training about Wikipedia to all students of a school (1000 students?) during the institute assembly	We are talking about a target of almost 3 million people (2.661.856 students in public high school (plus 116.197 in private schools) Students are our ultimate target Students can have a specific interest for technology and contemporary tools; Wikipedia also represents a relevant project for an ethical perspective Potential Wikimedia contributors need to be remembered they can contribute; they do not necessarily need to learn to contribute (they will learn themselves online) Students in Technical Technological Institute (Istituto tecnico tecnologico) are a wide number of students and they could support our projects' technical needs through the program Alternating school-work (Alternanza scuola-lavoro)	By implementing activities with teachers we expect a more long lasting impact on schools Contributing to Wikipedia needs be a fun activity if we want engaged editors on the long run; what we learn at school is rarely fun

Possible formats

The Ministry of education requires courses for teachers of at least 20 hours.

Category	Modality	Strengths	Weaknesses	Target
Online resources	Kits, videos and other documents provided online on Wikimedia Italia website or on Wikipedia in Italian	It provides support easily accessible It can be provided also on Wikipedia in Italian	It needs to be updated regularly, at least every two years	Publishers, authors of text-books, authors of OER
Online course	All course online (including time for implementing the assignments)	It allows to target all teachers at a national level It is important to assign a tutor It is important to have live sessions to feel the connection with the course	Currently there is an extended offer and a large competition	Teachers Certified trainers Associations and companies providing training to teachers Publishers, authors of text-books, authors of OER
Blended	Course online with 1-2 meetings	It allows a combination of online and offline It allows to follow up on the activities It allows to support teachers also in the implementation of the activities It allows teacher for more time to reflect and coming back to the knowledge acquired The physical meetings could be optional It allows participants to meet, exchange and discuss. It facilitates future collaborations	It requires a physical location and to organise the logistics It requires to target teachers by region It requires travelling (with consequences on cost, logistics and environmental impact) It needs to be in the same region (distance max 1-1h30 hour travel)	Teachers Certified trainers
	One weekend with online activities	It concentrates activities and logistics in one weekend It allows participants to meet, exchange and discuss. It facilitates future collaborations and peer-to-peer support	It requires one physical location and to organise the logistics but for 1 longer event It requires to plan also accommodation It requires to target teachers by region It has higher costs by including accommodation It requires travelling (with consequences on cost, logistics and environmental impact)	Teachers Certified trainers
Course in presence	One weekend	It concentrates activities and logistics in one weekend It allows participants to meet, exchange and discuss. It facilitates future collaborations and peer-to-peer support	It is not possible to guarantee the minimum 20 hours required by the Ministry of education It requires travelling (with consequences on cost, logistics and environmental impact)	Certified trainers
	Days distributed over a month	It allows to follow up on the activities It allows to support teachers also in the implementation of the activities It allows teacher for more time to reflect and coming back to the knowledge acquired	It requires a lot of work for the logistics It needs to be in the same region (distance max 1-1h30 hour travel)	Teachers

SWOT Analysis

Strengths	Weaknesses
Wikimedia Italia Activities Wikimedia Italia already in contact with the Ministry of education in Italy There are already existing courses proposed to Italian teachers by Wikimedia Italia (about Wikipedia, heritage and the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap) Volunteers are sometimes interested in making a lesson or presentation about Wikipedia in schools (in their schools or in their surroundings); these activities can be supported by Wikimedia Italia, they activate volunteers also offline and they trigger participation by volunteers in different kind of activities (we consider these activities to produce an impact on "reinforcing the community"). Our agreement with the Ministry of education allows us to propose different courses (there is specifically an emphasis on open software Training is a major activity for Wikimedia Italia Wikimedia Italia is also chapter of OpenStreetMap Foundation in Italy Our courses received good feedback from the teachers attending them (with a positive evaluation of the content, the format and the teachers) We have excellent relationships with Creative Commons Italy and associations and groups promoting Open and free software (Italian Linux Society and local groups), with which we can partner for course and activities Digital skills and citizenship is a priority in Italy in the National Plan for Digital Schools and in the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza - PNRR) The current format for course proposed to teachers within the structure of the Ministry of education requires at least 20 hours Target Teachers have to take courses We already collaborate with teachers who are interested in topics related to digital schools, open software, open There is a group of trainers in Italy with skills and experience in teaching Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap We offered scholarships to attend our courses for teachers and it was a positive experience to trigger interest and participation Teachers are encouraged to produce their own school-books and didactic materials Other proposals for teachers There are other associations and companies providing training about Wikipedia Public administrations in Italy are requested to use open software when possible School-books include references to Wikipedia Some school-books already include information about Wikipedia (in particular high school schoolbooks on ICT, law, and books for teachers; we also expect Wikipedia is mentioned in documentation related to civic education)	Wikimedia Italia Activities The proposals we offer to Italian teachers don't change regularly We provide training but there is limited or no follow up by the teachers. In general teachers learn but they do not transmit their competences to students Lessons and presentations about Wikipedia in schools promoted by volunteers are not coordinated and supported properly and do not necessary produce an impact on outreach (and it is also ok, since we consider them activities with an impact on "reinforcing the community"). The titles of our proposals refer to our projects (i.e. Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap) instead of referring to topics relevant for the teachers (i.e. digital citizenship, disinformation and fake news, civic education...) We currently offer a course related to Wikipedia which is an introduction to the project and it guides teachers in contributing but it is not framed according to national, European and international policies and guidelines Target Teachers who are already interested in our topics find similar proposals year after year We often have the same teachers interested in our activities and we do not follow up properly and support them in their activities in schools We do not differentiate our offer according to the different interests of teachers and their different levels of knowledge related to ICT and the open movement We do not use our course to respond to specific needs of teachers, i.e. teaching civic education Other proposals for teachers Often training about Wikipedia proposed by association and companies is inaccurate References to Wikipedia on school-books are often inaccurate (Wikipedia is cited as a source but without a date and license) Wikipedia could be better presented on school-books with information about reding Wikipedia in the classroom School-books and documentation created by teachers and students use largely content from Wikipedia OER refer extensively to Wikipedia and use the Wikimedia projects as a OER
Opportunities	Threats
Wikimedia Italia Activities We can reinforce and extend the proposals we currently offer to Italian teachers We can focus on the new subject civic education which includes digital citizenship We do not need money from training. We can also offer training or providing scholarships We belong to a large international movement and we can offer training in several languages and in particular in English; this can be particularly interesting for teachers since they need to reinforce also their linguistic skills Titles can be improved to make sure we refer to relevant elements for teachers and school programs and priorities We can provide funding for teachers/schools who participate in our certification and what to implement follow up activities Target We need to differentiate offers for teachers who are already interested in our topics (to make sure they always find something new) and teachers who are completely new to our topics (but they know Wikipedia) Other proposals for teachers We can address trainers of associations and companies providing training for teachers (we do not need to implement ourselves the training for teachers); we can enrich their proposal with content and examples related to Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap We can copy strategies of big companies like google and microsoft which want to place their products and they are happy to (we can also copy what Wordpress does)	Wikimedia Italia Activities We need to define more precisely the goal and the impact we want to produce, according to the different target Target We find difficult to reach and involve new teachers Other proposals for teachers There is a strange and unhealthy competition with google and microsoft, as Wikipedia is a similar product We need to highlight the difference between Wikipedia (and our projects) compared to google and microsoft: we need to make clear why we are good (and we respect students and privacy) and why they are unhealthy by transforming all students in new federalized customers (they are companies offering their products to enlarge their markets and producing new customers with the complicity of schools, teachers and government) Publishers producing school-books do not like Wikipedia as a OER ;-)

Program goals and evaluation

Program goals

Broader vision and strategy of Wikimedia Italia

Wikimedia Italia strategic direction in implementing activities in education: We want to increase awareness about the value of open knowledge.

We share Wikimedia Foundation vision of education: We believe Wikipedia and its sister projects belong in education. When students of all ages contribute to Wikimedia projects as part of their learning, they gain significant 21st century skills. By fostering a relationship between Education and the Wikimedia movement, we have the best chance to realize our goal that the sum of all knowledge will be accessible to everyone in the world for free.

What we are aiming for with our activities in education	How we plan to do it	Measurement	Indicator	How we communicate our results
We want to highlight the value of open knowledge when we promote/teach/inform about Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap	We need to explain/include the concept of "openness". We can associate our projects to the open movement (software, science, government...), we can explain licenses, use and reuse, we can highlight the difference between us and other closed/proprietary projects... We want to address schools, teachers and the education sector (because we believe that Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap belong in education and that the 21st century skills include the understanding of open knowledge) to make sure open knowledge and open practices are properly included in digital civic education. To do it we have to address teachers' needs We want to review school-books (because they are powerful tools to reach teachers and student) to check if they include references to "openness" and if they don't we can write to editors and notify them	Qualitative analysis. Content we provide (in our MOOC, trainings, schoolkits...) must include "openness". Our staff can check the documentation and report on it. Qualitative analysis. The meaning, the implication and use of open knowledge is included in the Italian digital civic education Qualitative analysis. We check schoolbooks on a yearly basis	70% of the content we provide is checked annually and corrected if needed. We report on the status internally in our annual report We participate and contribute to the discussion about the Italian digital civic education through a conference/presentation every year (possibly by participating in a conference rather than by organising a conference) or by participating to an institutional meeting 30 schoolbooks checked every year. We provide training materials and we organise a training for publishers and authors every year	Annual report Annual publication about open knowledge in Italy (barometro della conoscenza libera in Italia) Training calendar Calendar of activities including conference/presentation/meeting about the Italian civic education Online resources (MOOC and kit)
We want to work at a national scale in Italy (plus Republic of San Marino, the Vatican and maybe the Italian-speaking Switzerland)	As Wikimedia Italia chapter we have to work at a national level. The attention to different regions and territories is central to make sure our approach is inclusive and it acknowledge diversity. We need to address schools by typology rather than by location (it is a more geographically transversal approach) To do provide a relevant offer we have to address teachers' needs We need to support our network (certified trainers, teachers and schools already collaborating with us, other associations and companies) because we can not implement all activities ourselves We can collaborate with Wikimedia CH to target also schools in Italian-speaking Switzerland. We need to have a 3-4 years plan for Wikimedia Italia activities in education with a definition of the strategy, the long-term goals and the activities over 3-4 years	We can not monitor all schools and initiatives if we are not implementing all the activities. But we can monitor activities implemented by certified trainers Number of schools Map with the location of schools Number of schools by region Distribution of the activities We ask certified trainers to report about their activities Producing a 3-4 years strategy for Wikimedia Italia activities in education Including the strategy in Wikimedia Italia annual plan 2023	We have at least 1 event per year in 70% of Italian regions (14 regions). For online events we report about the schools involved We check the situation in March, June, September and we report after December in the annual report Implementation of the strategy (confront between the objectives planned and the results; the activities can change - 70% of results)	Reports form the certified trainers published on Wikimedia Italia wiki Annual report Calendar
We want all Italian high schools to have the opportunity to receive trainings, presentations, workshops about Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap	We can offer and provide proposals by certified trainers, training for teachers, MOOC, support to teachers and volunteers. We don't need to implement it by ourselves; we need do it in cooperation with associations and companies which provide training for teachers and other educational activities in schools. We need to decentralize the system and support the initiatives of others. We need to structure an offer and we need to provide a certification for trainers and support for trainers to improve their skills. We can include a certificate for trainers with Reading Wikipedia in the classroom format. And it would make sense to include also a certification for classrooms	Qualitative analysis. Offers we provide as Wikimedia Italia (content, diversity). Quantitative analysis. Number of certified trainers, number of renovation of certified trainers. Qualitative analysis. Support provided to certified trainers i.e. training, coaching, grants (feedback)	We have at least one MOOC available. We update it at least every 2 years We have at least one kit available. We update it at least every 2 years We have a team of at least 5 certified trainers Every year we train at least 3 people to become certified trainers We review certified trainers every 2 years (checking evaluations, producing a need assessment and checking the training they attended)	The list of certified trainers is published on Wikimedia Italia website and we provide link to the page when we receive requests from schools, teachers, associations, companies Resources accessible from Wikimedia Italia website Training calendar We invite new trainers to apply through an application process communicated on Wikimedia Italia communication channel and through Wikipedia pages
We do not aim at reaching this goal with this program, but we want new editors for Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap	We trust that all communication activities related to Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap support new editors by remembering them they can edit those projects and they have something to contribute to. We do not expect activities with teachers and schools to produce new editors but we consider activities with teachers a wide communication strategy addressing the educational sector	We monitor the community health of our project with a focus on Wikipedia in Italian and other projects in Italian. We consider the needs emerging in the community health report when selecting priorities	We organise a presentation of the community health every year	We publish an article related to the report on the community health in Italian on our website and newsletter Calendar of events

Wikimedia Italia Goals in implementing Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy

Wikimedia Italia strategy	How we plan to do it	Goal for Wikimedia Italia in implementing Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy	Activities	Measurment
We want to increase the awareness about the value of open knowledge	We want to address schools, teachers and the education sector (because we believe that Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap belong in education and that the 21st century skills include the understanding of open knowledge) to make sure open knowledge and open practices are properly included in digital civic education. To do it we have to address teachers' needs	Adapting and providing a course well-inscribed in the European and Italian national policies and frameworks (civic education)	Translation of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom Localization of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom with a focus on civic education Implementation of the course Certification of teachers	Documentation ready to start the courses in September 2023
		Increase skills of our certified trainers (volunteers, consultant and staff) by learning a method from a course which is built around a framework (the MIL Media and Information Literacy by UNESCO) and it includes a clear structure with need assessment and evaluation	Involving certified trainers in translating and reviewing Reading Wikipedia in the classroom Certification for certified trainers
		Proposing training to other associations and companies which already teach Wikipedia by providing an international standard and a link to the international movment	Identify associations and companies providing training for teachers Contacting them and asking if they are interested in certify their courses related to Wikipedia Inviting them to the course for certified trainers

Teachers' Goals in attending Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy

Goal of Wikimedia Italia	Goal for teachers	Reading Wikipedia in the classroom ultimate impact
Addressing schools, teachers and the education sector (because we believe that Wikipedia, the Wikimedia projects and OpenStreetMap belong in education and that the 21st century skills include the understanding of open knowledge) to make sure open knowledge and open practices are properly included in digital civic education. To do it we have to address teachers' needs	Receiving training relevant and well-connected to their work	The program helps teachers teaching civic education according to the national requirements; it focuses on Wikipedia as a pedagogical tool to learn media and information literacy; it highlights the value of open knowledge and open practices

Impact, goals, and milestones of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy

	Impact, goals and milestones of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy	Measurement	Metrics
Reading Wikipedia in the classroom ultimate impact	The program helps teachers teaching civic education according to the national requirements; it focuses on Wikipedia as a pedagogical tool to learn media and information literacy; it highlights the value of open knowledge and open practices	Structure and content of the program Number of teachers taking the course Use of Wikipedia in civic education (we can evaluate textbooks and the implementation plan of some schools)
Change in teachers in the long term	Teachers understand the meaning of open knowledge, its implication and use.	Evaluation survey. Can teachers define open knowledge? Can they distinguish open knowledge from knowledge which is not open? Can they find it and identify it online? Do they know which are the main existing repositories and tools? Difference between preliminary survey and evaluation survey	Increased knowledge among 50% of the participants
Primary goal you seek to achieve by the end of your program	By the end of the program, at least 70% of the participating teachers have learned to access Wikipedia, evaluate articles and have made a small contribution to Wikipedia (creating a userpage and adding a citation)	Attendance of the course and ceritifcation	70% conclude the program and receive their certification
Secondary goals	By September 2022, at least 15 trainers (volunteers, staff and consultants) have registered to the program (course October-December 2022) By December 2022, at least 10 trainers have graduated after completing all requirements By December 2022, we have a validated strategy for Wikimedia Italia activities for education By January 2022, we have a report with evaluation of the activities concluded By March 2023, the materials needed for the program are translated and localised By September 2023, at least 100 participants have registered to the program At least 50 participants attend the course October-December 2023 By December 2023, at least 70% of the attendees have graduated after completing all requirements By February 2023, all localized resources from the program as well as the final program report with the evaluation will have been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons
Milestones	March 2023: Translated and localised materials June 2023: Launch of the new course (communication campaign) and registration opens September 2023: Registration closes October 2023: The course starts December 2023: The course ends with ceremony
Learning questions	To what extent do teachers enrolled in the Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom program understand the relevance of open knowledge?

Evaluation

The evaluation aims at defining if the program has helped teachers teaching civic education according to the Italian national requirements, if its method based on Wikipedia supported learning and teaching media and information literacy and if teachers attending the program understood the meaning of open knowledge, its implication and use.

Questions	More specific questions	Evaluation tool
What Italian teachers need and know related to Wikipedia and open knowledge?	What Italian teachers need related to: teaching civic education media and information literacy structure of the course, preferences related to blended/in person/online, time-frame, period, location for in person events What Italian teachers already know about: Wikipedia open knowledge	Preliminary survey Interviews/focus group
Are we providing Italian teachers with something they need? Are we helping them teaching civic education according to the Italian national requirements?	The main learnings around Digital Civic Education	Evaluation survey
Are we supporting learning media and information literacy?	Their main learnings around the MIL framework	Questions included in the program
Are we supporting teaching media and information literacy?	Are teachers using Reading Wikipedia in their classrooms? Is the method efficient? does it interest students?	Certification for classrooms
Is Wikipedia an efficient tool to supporting learning and teaching media and information literacy?	The perspectives of teachers about Wikipedia as a valuable pedagogical tool	Evaluation survey
Did teachers attending the program understand the meaning of open knowledge, its implication and use?	The perspectives of teachers about open knowledge Can teachers define open knowledge? Can they distinguish open knowledge from knowledge which is not open? Can they find it and identify it online? Do they know which are the main existing repositories and tools?	Questions included in the program Comparison with the preliminary survey (insightful picture on how the teachers' perspectives and knowledge changed after this program) Certification
Is the program provided interesting and convenient for teachers?	How attendee evaluate the course? Why people leave the course? How teachers valued the program How easy to understand and relevant the content of the program is How can we improve the program?	Evaluation survey Question to people leaving the course Attendance rate Number of people completing the course Certifications
Is this program efficient to reach and involve teachers?	Are we involving a wide number of teachers? Are we providing a new offer to our course?	Structure and content of the program Number of teachers taking the course Use of Wikipedia in civic education (we can evaluate textbooks and the implementation plan of some schools)

Communicating the evaluation

Target	Message	Communication tool	Communication format
Wikimedia Italia stakeholders	If Wikimedia Italia achieved to increase the awareness about the value of open knowledge How Wikimedia Italia addressed the education sector and implemented its activities in education	Annual report	Geography of the activities Number of activities Participants in the activities Feedback from trainees
Italian teachers	Wikipedia belongs to education The value of open knowledge Wikimedia Italia proposals for teachers (courses, resources, support)	Courses promoted by Wikimedia Italia on its website and on its communication channel Course promoted by other organisations Reply to requests from schools	Sentences form other teachers Calendar of events

Risk Mitigation plan

Risk	Mitigation plan
We train teachers, but teachers never implement activities in their classrooms	We can support teachers in their activities in their classrooms, for example with microgrants We can provide a certification also for their classroom if it completes the training
Training teachers is more complicated (and slow) than training directly students	We can plan activities directly for students We can address a communication meant for students We can present Wikipedia and other projects during events organised directly by students
The program allows participants to understand how Wikipedia works and how they can use it in their classrooms; it doesn't imply that people understand open knowledge and the value of it.	There can be a chapter, some exercises and some questions to reinforce the link between Wikipedia and open knowledge
The program allows to experience open knowledge and the value of it, but the understanding of the value of open knowledge requires a higher level of abstraction
Wikipedians do not necessary appreciate having many teachers and students active on the projects; high school students are often too young to properly check sources and projects with classrooms tend to produce uneven quality of content	The program focuses on small and limited contributions
We have a limited number of teachers attending the course	We can focus on training for trainers rather than training directly to teachers; we can support the offer of other associations and companies We can make a call to offer courses to teachers (it worked) Can we promote free courses on Wikipedia site-notice (with an application process)?

Reading Wikipedia in the classroom - Curriculum localization

Reading Wikipedia in the classroom analysis - Strengths and Weaknesses related to its implementation in Italy

Reading Wikipedia in the classroom - Analysis for Italy

Strengths

Weaknesses

It provides a certification It is designed to interact with the national curriculum and to be localized It has a relevant structure and it can guide with its structure other curriculum well-designed (with clear goals, relevance to the national context, need assessment, plan, evaluation); it can provide skills also to trainers and Wikimedia Italia staff It involves teachers and students on Wikipedia essentially as readers (this avoids many problems with the communities) It trigger small contributions on Wikipedia: userpage and adding a citation/source which are limited interventions It support a better understating of open knowledge (in particular with reference to the licences and some definition included in the documentation) A certification can also be provided to the classroom implementing the course

It is not available in Italian It is not obvious to localize the curriculum considering that in case of Italy we need to frame it around Digital Civic Education to really make it relevant It needs to address the specificity of Wikipedia in Italian and to be validated by the community It brings teachers and students on Wikipedia with a limited expertise and it doesn't really prepare them to the relationships with the community Referring to MIL of UNESCO is probably less relevant in Europe compared to the European policies related to digital citizenship There is potentially only one trainer in Italy for Reading Wikipedia in the classroom. It is not sufficient to create the critical mass to properly implement the project in a new nation in a new language It doesn't explain clearly the potentiality of reuse (maybe more space can be devoted to this) It is largely based on google tools (which is not open knowledge) and it triggers the use of google tools with the endorsement of the Wikimedia movement (which is not something we should to) A chapter, some exercises and some questions to reinforce the link between Wikipedia and open knowledge The course is very long and intense. A shorter program would be easier to propose The course is structured into 30 hours: 20 hours would be better for Italian teachers and adequate to the requests of the Ministry of education

Possible implementation of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy

Possible implementation of Reading Wikipedia	Target	Strengths	Weaknesses
Implementing Reading Wikipedia in the classroom as it is in English	10 Certified trainers (proposal for 2022 see below)	We teach a method through a course which is well-designed and with a clear structure We involve certified trainers in translating it, reviewing it and localizing it	We still need to adapt the course to the Italian teachers Limited audience
	20 teachers	We provide a new course for teachers We test the implementation of a course in English We probably trigger the interest of people already interested in the open movment We provide a qualified course in collaboration with Wikimedia Foundation We probably provide a course to already converted teachers The course could attract English teachers We offer an international proposal that can not be provided by other association and companies We take advantage of our network and our international movement The course could be provided by international teachers (English mother tongue) If the course works we can provide it also in other existing languages such as Spanish and French	Limited audience Accessible only to teachers with an advance knowledge of English Limited connection to Wikipedia in Italian
Translating Reading Wikipedia in the classroom into Italian with limited adjustments related to its implementation on Wikipedia in Italian	30 teachers	Easier process to translate and adapt to Italy and Italian-speaking teachers It can be used also in the Italian-speaking Switzerland It doesn't require the involvement of a wider team It can be translated also by a professional translator	Limited audience Similar to other proposals Wikimedia Italia is currently proposing to teachers
Recreating a course following the structure of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom but adapted to teaching Civic education (more relevant for the Italian teachers)	100 teachers	Adaptable to Italian but also European teachers It properly respond to local needs Potential high number of participants Good interest from teachers	It is a complex project It requires a good understanding of Civic education in Italy (it would be valuable to collaborate with a network active in this field) It is likely to require the involvement of an instructional designer articipants

Comments by Iolanda Pensa about Reading Wikipedia in the classrooms with proposal of changes relevant for the Italian localization

• List of Wikipedia articles which should be created or improuved (there are also some articles relevant to the course on Wikipedia in English which should be improved)
• Differences between Wikipedia in English and in Italian (general approach, projects to support new editors, existing documentation)

Timeline and Activities

	Calendar	Activities
Preliminary work	June 2022	Draft strategy
School year 0 - pilot	September-December 2022	Three-years plan of Wikimedia Italia activities in education Training for certified trainers
	March 2023	Translating in Italian the documentation about "Reading Wikipedia in the classroom" and adapting it to Italy
School year 1	September 2023-June 2024	Reading Wikipedia in the classroom localization in Italy
School year 2	September 2024-June 2025
School year 3	September 2025-June 2026
	September 2026-June 2027

The timeline is linked to the National Plan for Recovery and Resilience (Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza - PNRR) 2021-2027.

Reading Wikipedia in the Classroom in Italy - Implementation plan for 2022

Below I propose the implementation of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy by focusing on a preliminary activity which does not require translation and localization of the program but it enlarge the Italian team of trainers.

Name of lead trainer: Iolanda Pensa

Program summary

In 2022 the program Wikipedia in the Classroom will train 10 certified trainers in Italy. It will be implemented by Wikimedia Italia. The beginning of the planning stage is in June 2022, the beginning of the training is in October 2022, and the evaluation report will be published in January 2023. This program will be implemented through a blended modality. Above you can see why I propose this implementation plan

Goals and milestones

Primary goal for 2022

• Reinforcing the team and the offer of training provided in Italy by Wikimedia Italia to teachers, schools and volunteers.

Secondary goals for 2022

• By December 2022, creating a pool of 10 certified trainers with skills in designing a course and implement Reading Wikipedia in the classroom and its Italian localization
• By December 2022 , designing a three-year plan of Wikimedia Italia activities in education
• By March 2023, localizing the curriculum for Italy with translations and adjustments

General metrics

• 10 trainers in Italy graduated by 2022 (15 participants)
• 35 teachers in Italy are graduated by 2023 (100 registered, 50 participants)

Estimated timeline and key activities

	2022							2023												2024
Activities	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	1
Three-year plan of Wikimedia Italia activities in education design				X	X
Registration for the program for certified trainers closes in September			C	C
Course October-December 2022 with ceremony (y)					X	X	Y
Need assessment plan with interviews and a focus group (shared work during the course)					X	X		X	X
Translation and localization of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy; please note that the first course addressing the certified trainers is meant to discuss, define and implement the localization of the program, with a finalization phase by March 2023						X	X	X	X	F
Three-year plan of Wikimedia Italia activities in education discussion					X	X
Graduation of certified traners							X
Three-year plan of Wikimedia Italia activities in education validation (Wikimedia Italia general assembly)							X
Report and evaluation of the first course								R
Launch and registration for Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy opens													C
Registration for the program closes in September																C
Course October-December 2023 with ceremony (y)																	X	X	Y
Report and evaluation of the course localized in Italy																				R

Curriculum localization

• Translations: In 2022 the course will be implemented in English with localization
• Number and modality of training sessions: 2 sessions in 2022, initial meeting and final session with evaluation and ceremony.
• For the need assessment plan please refer to the activities planned for 2023

Please refer to the session "Reading Wikipedia in the classroom - Curriculum localization" for more information about the localization and the possible implementations in Italy.

Budget

Description			Costs					Status
Category	Item	Corresponding program activities	Units	Type of unit (hours, products)	Cost per unit	Total cost	Link with reference for pricing	Already funded	Requested from WMF
Program staff	Certified trainer	Planning, contextualizing curriculum, establishing partnerships, facilitating all training sessions for 15 teachers with the co-trainers, issuing certificates for teachers. The trainer will volunteer from beginning to end of the program.	20	days	150	€3,000.00	Volunteer	€3,000.00
	Co-trainers and evaluation	1 co-trainer who will support in-person sessions (2), answer messages from teachers in the WikiLearn forums weekly for 8 weeks, issuing certificates for teacher, lead the need assessments and the post-program evalutation (reviewing the data collection tools, distributing surveys or conducting interviews, analyzing findings, and creating an evaluation report)	20	days for 1 person	150	€3,000.00	Cost per day at Wikimedia Italia. In-kind contribution	€3,000.00
	Communications specialist	Creating pieces for teacher outreach: social media posts, letters to authorities, emails, etc. to help us register the target number of teachers. Scheduling posts for social media. Selects testimonies and relevant data to communicate effectively the impact of the program after its evaluation.	3	days	150	€450.00	Cost per day at Wikimedia Italia. In-kind contribution	€450.00
	Open edX expert	After the curriculum is contextualized, an Open edX expert will review the course on the WikiLearn platform to make sure the content is up to date and the course is ready to welcome participants	5	hours	60	€300.00	Cost of our consultant for ICT		€300.00
In-person activities (1 training sessions and 1 graduation)	Snacks	Snacks for 20 participants in 2 sessions in person	40	snack packages	5	€200.00	Catering cost for cofee break		€200.00
	Printed certificates	Certificates for graduating attendees	15	certificates	1	€15.00			€15.00
	Gifts for participants	Gifts for 1 session	15	assorted gifts	5	€75.00			€75.00
	Venue for 2 in-person training sessions	3 training session and 1 graduation ceremony	2	days	300	€600.00	Cost of renting a room in our coworking		€600.00
	COVID-19 safety packs (branded mask, hand sanitizer)	3 training session and 1 graduation ceremony	20	packs	3	€60.00	Estimated		€60.00
	Transportation for staff	3 training session and 1 graduation ceremony	8	users (4 people for 2 events)	30	€240.00	Our staff normally works in remote		€240.00
	Transportation for teachers	Reimbursement for trainers and staff attending the 2 sessions	30	users (15 participants in 2 sessions)	50	€1,500.00	Participants come from different regions of Italy		€1,500.00
Others	Contingency	10% contingency	-	10% of all expenses	10%	€944.00		€944.00
								€6,450.00	€2,990.00
							Total budget		€9,440.00

Evaluation and reporting

Evaluation questions	Evaluation tool
Do the participants to the first course Reading Wikipedia in the classroom in Italy consider the course relevant for the Italian teachers?	Evaluation survey Evaluation session at the end of the course
How to translate and localize the curriculum?	Final collaborative assignment for the participants
Was the course relevant to learn skills for trainers?	Evaluation survey Evaluation session at the end of the course
Will the trainers use the documentation of Reading Wikipedia in the classroom for their activities?	Evaluation survey 2 years after the graduation when the certification for trainers needs to be renovated (it is valid for 2 years)

Related pages

• Reading Wikipedia in the classroom summery of the documentation in Italian on Wikiversity
• Notes by Iolanda Pensa about Reading Wikipedia in the classroom training for trainers on Wikiversity