CIS-A2K/Reports/Newsletter/July 2024
In the Limelight- NEP Study Report
[edit]The National Education Policy 2020 brings a significant change in India's educational landscape, representing a comprehensive overhaul to address the evolving developmental imperatives of the country. This latest report by CIS-A2K delves into the potential role of 'Open Knowledge' players within the framework of the NEP 2020, aiming to provide insights and recommendations for effective implementation. This study focuses on Wikimedia ‘open knowledge’ platform amongst all available digital open knowledge platforms.
Wikimedia initiatives have already been successfully integrated into various higher education institutions, such as Christ University and Goa University, where students engaged in writing and editing Wikipedia articles as part of their coursework. These experiences illustrate how open knowledge platforms can cultivate essential skills such as research, writing, and digital literacy among students.
The NEP 2020 encourages the use of open knowledge systems to support interdisciplinary learning and creativity. By leveraging platforms like Wikipedia, educators can facilitate collaborative learning and critical thinking, aligning with NEP's goals of fostering cognitive and emotional competencies. The report identifies key areas where Wikimedia can contribute, including the development of multilingual content and the enhancement of digital skills.
NEP 2020 presents a unique opportunity to formalize the role of open knowledge ecosystems in education, promoting a shift from rote learning to a more engaging, participatory approach that prepares students for the complexities of the modern world.
Read the report here
Monthly Recap
[edit]Future of Commons
[edit]The three-day event held from July 5 to 7, 2024, successfully convened a diverse group of stakeholders to examine the intricate relationship between artificial intelligence (AI), Indian languages, and digital commons.
Participants included policymakers, civil society organizations, researchers, technologists, and cultural institutions. They engaged in panel discussions, roundtables, and interactive sessions focused on the development of localized generative AI systems and the importance of digital commons for training these models. The discussions highlighted ongoing innovations in AI tailored for Indian languages, addressing challenges related to the availability of high-quality training datasets and the dependency on big tech. The role of public institutions, such as archives and museums, was emphasized, showcasing their contributions to digitizing cultural heritage and creating a robust digital commons.
Key themes included the ethical implications of AI, ownership tensions, and the necessity for collaboration among various sectors to ensure the sustainable development of generative AI. The event fostered a deeper understanding of how to preserve and utilize cultural knowledge, paving the way for future advancements in AI that respect and enrich Indian languages and heritage.
Read the full Report here
West Bengal Travel Report
[edit]A2K member Subodh Kulkarni visited West Bengal from 24th to 31st July to facilitate the West Bengal Wikimedians User group in partnerships. In these visits, three WBG members and one member of Santali Wikimedians User Group participated in meetings with various organisations.
The first visit was made to Viswa-Bharati University in Santiniketan on 25th July to revive the proposals submitted just before the pandemic. The Wikimedia projects orientation and discussions were held with Dean, Bhasha Bhavan and other language department heads. After discussing the possibilities of integrating academics with content creation on Wikimedia projects, it was decided to organise a workshop on Wikidata and Wikisource for the faculty. The proposal will be submitted jointly by CIS-A2K and WBG. We also met the Director of Rabindra Bhavan to discuss the possible GLAM projects. The proposal will be submitted to the Registrar for perusal.
On 26th July, we visited the various projects run by Ghosaldanga Bishnubati Adibasi Trust founded by Dr. Boro Baski. The community based organisation has developed a Museum of Santal Culture, which displays Santal community cultural and social aspects. We visited an innovative primary school run by Ghosaldanga Adibasi Seva Sangha. Boro Baski explained the history behind the genesis and unique methodology of education. WBG is planning a photo and video documentation of this museum and school. The Santali Wikimedians will also be involved in this activity. We also discussed the potential project on collaborative documentation of the Santali food festival to be held in December.
The visit to the Suchana organisation working on education and community development was an inspiring one. They have created innovative educational resources in several underrepresented languages. We discussed on different aspects of language and possible projects. The Wikimedia session was also conducted for the volunteers. The meetings with key officials of School of Cultural Texts and Records and Department of Linguistics were conducted in Jadavpur University on 30th July. We learnt about the ongoing projects and discussed the future opportunities for collaboration.
Apart from the institutional visits, we also had extensive meetings with eminent Bengali wrier Tapan Bandyopadhyay and biodiversity expert Silanjan Bhattacharyya. In these meetings, relicensing of literature and content partnerships were discussed. Subodh also participated in the Wikisource meet-up organised by the User Group and shared his experiences of relicensing and digitisation partnerships in Maharashtra state.
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Coming Soon - Upcoming Activities
[edit]TTT 2024
[edit]We are excited to announce the 9th iteration of the annual Train-the-Trainer (TTT) event for the year 2024, co-hosted by CIS-A2K and the Odia Wikimedians User Group. This event, scheduled from October 18-20, 2024, in Odisha, aims to cultivate leadership and training skills among active Indic Wikimedians. TTT 2024 will introduce innovative approaches to enhance engagement and learning among the newcomers as well as existing wikimedians in the movement . The event will be limited to active contributors from the Indic Wikimedia communities. We encourage you to read the essential details on META regarding this event.