Wikimedia Fellowships/Project Ideas/WikiCast
The country like India has huge population (1.2 billion) and diversified culture and languages. India currently has the largest illiterate population of any nation on earth. Where as India has currently over 100 million Internet users(8% of population), which rank third in most internet users list. In view of this situation there is desperate need of some solution which can help for wikipedia's knowledge dissemination.
Looking in to the these two extremities we propose project WikiCast where in we will make a one minute informative audio visual “Do you know ?” clips which can be broadcasted on public displays in trains, buses, molls, schools and on TV channels. These clips will also be made available on web and mobile. This will make the wikipedia knowledge base available to the illiterate people, children and also help to attract the viewers to wikipedia for further information. The project also aims to develop tutorials based on the screen cast of the wikipedia to help the new editors for self learning. These tutorials can also be used for wiki academies. By dubbing the content in local languages the model can be scaled to cater the wide community.
The project WikiCast – India will seek to reach out the knowledgebase from wikipedia to the masses with the help of audio visual medium and making people aware about the wikipedia. It also aims to provide the self learning tutors in the local languages to help new editors willing to contribute for wikipedia.
Objective edit
- To provide the information from wikipedia through audiovisual medium
- To deliver the information from wikipedia to the people who did not have internet access.
- To deliver the information from wikipedia to illiterate people
- To deliver the information to children who can not access wikipedia
- To promote wikipedia through audiovisual mediam.
- To create audio visual tutorials for new editors
- To make masses aware about wikipedia
Preamble edit
Literacy in India edit
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 75.06% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84% and India currently has the largest illiterate population of any nation on earth. This makes use of wikipedia through audiovisual medium an ideal choice.
Internet users in India edit
With increasing affordability of PCs and internet penetration, India is all set to have 121 million internet users by December 2011, a study by internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and IMRB .
"A 100 million internet users is considered a critical landmark for the country. With this internet use in India is expected to enter a critical period of growth with the possibility of becoming the largest internet using country in the world in this decade," as per the study.
Even with just 8% of its 1.2 billion population online, India is outranked by only the USA and China in the list of countries with the most Internet users.
India currently has about over 100 million Internet users, and the number will increase to 300 million by 2014, - The Wall Street Journal.
Statistics about Internet usage considering cities :
- 10 cities has 37% of the total numbers of Internet users in India.
- Top ten cities having most number of Internet users are Mumbai, Delhi, Banglore, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Surat and Nagpur.
- Mumbai has most number of Internet users nearly 3.24 million
- Thee metro cities (Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur) in top 10 are from Maharashtra shows largest internet user population is Marathi speaking community.
Considering the illiteracy on one hand and the booming internet users on other hand in India, the use of the audiovisual medium for providing information from wikipedia and using same platform for promoting wikipedia to attract internet users for more information and contribution is proposed in WikiCast - India project.
Wikicast edit
The idea behind the wikiCast is basically developed from back ground of the wikiTV project. Some similar pilot experiments are successfully done in Germany.
Pilot experiment edit
The project was created by Juliana Paul-Hummel. The details of contract was made between Wikimedia Deutschland and Berliner Fenster (the company who is responsible for Public TV in Berlin). A beta-version, was send in 2010 as a pilot was very successful. 2012 a whole program will be sent in Berlin. Wikimedia Deutschland will use this program too to make fundraising. (Check the example here)
Wikicast - India edit
The WikiCast - India project aims to create the audiovisual content for two major applications.
- Clips for Public information.
- Tutorials for beginners
- Clips for Public information.
In WikiCast – India project we will create the one minute video clips from the content based on information in wikipedia which are of common interest to the local audience and publish it through the screens in public transport, public places and schools. We will also look forward to broadcast it through TV channels, web and mobiles ( Check the example here )
- Tutorials for beginners
The new editors require help to start editing on the wikipedia.The tutorial video content will be useful to them for learning how to edit wikipedia and learn to use mediawiki. We will try to make the screen cast based video tutorials to help the new editor for self learning. This will help to reduce the pressure on the amount of wiki academies t be conducted and ideal for the individual user. Thais can be also used as a course ware for the wiki academies.( Check the example here)
By dubbing the content in different languages it can be scaled to spread the idea for different language community and reach to the grass root level. As a sample we will make all the content available in Marathi language as in India Marathi language speaking people is largest internet user community.
Methodology edit
- Selection of topic:
The topic for creation of video clip will be chosen based on the common interest so that it will appeal to the masses. Selection of content: Based on the topic the content from the wikipedia will be selected and the related relivent images will be selected from commence.
- Script:
Based on the vailable content and images a script for the video will be written to best fit in the given time line and also present nicely.
- Clip/Tutorial Video:
Based on the script the animation of the content will be created and rendered in different formats which can cater to the broadcast, web and mobile formats.
- Voice over:
The content will be given a suitable voice over and/or background music to make it attractive.
- Review:
Once the clip is ready it will be send for review before publishing. If any corrections are suggested by reviewer they will be incorporated. This will insure the quality of the clips.
- Publication:
Once the clips are ready they will be made available in public domain through the broadcast, web and mobile platforms
- Awareness:
The awareness campaign will be run to deploy the clips at various places like public transports, public places, schools, TV channels, Web etc.
Social Impact edit
- It will deliver the information from wikipedia to the people who did not have internet access.
- It will deliver the information from wikipedia to illiterate people
- It will deliver the information to children who can not access wikipedia
- It will make masses aware about wikipedia
- It will attract the viewers to wikipidiya for further information
- The self learning tutorials will help to create more editors.
- The self learning tutorials will reduce the load on wiki academies.
Sustainable edit
Initially volunteer from the community will participate in the selection of content and the review process. As the project become operational the volunteer will start contributing in the script writing and clip creations.
The volunteer will also start the translation to other languages and once the project idea gets popularized then more people will join in and it will become complete volunteer driven activity.
Scalable edit
Once the reference content is created in one language then it can be translated in other languages and thus it can be scaled in to large number. Different communities can start the localization projects to make the content available in there languages. As a example we will convert the English content in Marathi language as a part of the project.
Outcome edit
- More wikipedia knowledge dissimilation through the public visibility.
- More people will get attracted to the wikipedia for further information
- School children will start visiting wikipedia
- With the help of self learning tutorials more editors will be trained very easily
- The load on wiki academies will reduce
- The wiki academies will use the tutorials as a support material
Submitted by edit
Rahul Deshmukh
I would like to be considered for a fellowship to undertake this project. I have been active on Wikipedia since 2009. I am an administrator on Marathi (mr) language version. I am also active on translate wiki for localization. I have over 7,500 edits on the Marathi wikipedia. I have also started a monthly news letter “Wikipatrika” on Marathi wikipedia. I am mostly involved in the technical aspects and strategies planning. I am also active in the outreach activities, I have taken wiki academies, organized techathon, put stalls of wikipedia in expos and hosted regular meetups. I have represented Marathi community in Wiki Conference India – Mumbai 2011.
Being working in the IIT Bombay a premier technical institute of international repute I am working in the area of audio visuals and education technology from long time. I have already worked on similar projects which provides E-learning through online web and videos like Technical Education Quality Improvement Program (TEQIP), National Programme on Technology Enhance Learning (NPTEL), Corridors Of Learning , National Knowledge Network (NKN), National Mission on Education through ICT funded by the Ministry of Human Resource and Development, Government of India.
Endorsements edit
This section is for endorsements by Wikimedia community volunteers. Please note that this is not a debate, vote, or poll, but is rather a space for volunteers to describe in detail why they think a project idea is of value. If you have concerns or questions rather than an endorsement to make, please use the idea Talk page. Endorsements by volunteers willing to work in collaboration with a fellowship recipient on a project are highly encouraged.
- User:AshLin: I believe that this quick asound-byte, willl catch people's attention, just like trivia does. Targetted focussing of wikicasts can be used for positive outcomes. For example, soundbytes about festivals a few days before them will increase awareness and tolerance in multi-cultural, multi-religious societies such as India.
- User:Mvkulkarni23: This is certainly a good project which has a strong bench marking from German Wikipedia and a successful pilot project over there. This project is not only going to reach the mass people but also is going to create and curiosity among the people which will pull them to Wikipedia. The more members join the wikipedia movement, the more "FREE" knowledge would be available to the people. This may in tern support the vision of Jimmy - "Imagine a world in which every single person on the planet is given free access to the sum of all human knowledge". I sincerely appreciate the project idea and support the project.
- Yes to reach out to masses in india, we need to work on above mentioned aspects on priority. Warm regards Mahitgar (He who knows ,wants to know and and loves to keep others informed) 16:10, 17 January 2012 (UTC)
- The videos need to be made eventually. Now would be the right time if there are enough people willing to contribute to this project. Blue Rasberry (talk) 00:17, 19 January 2012 (UTC)
- User:sudhanwa on mrwp. (Also from India chapter EC) : Excellent project!! We really need such media material to take Wikimedia activities to people. +1 to all the above endorsements.
- Nice idea. I suggest to do a pilot project keeping Marathi wiki projects in focus. It will be a nice way of understanding things from Indian point of view and understanding the challenges assocuated with Non-Latin scripts when doing such a major project. Once the pilot project is finished in marathi it will be easy to adapt it to other Indic languages (may be for other languages also) --Shijualex 15:39, 22 January 2012 (UTC)