2019 talk:Learning Days

From Wikimania

Is there any more accurate information about the program of the "learning days"?[edit source]

It is said: "Attend all modules within your track. Skipping sessions or only attending one day will not be tolerated and may impact future movement opportunities."

---> Where is the actual program of the learnin days? ?

- How do i dare even think about announncing myself there when there is no information whatsoever about the actual program of the learning days?

Wy is there no link to the actual program?

Very soon I will have to book the tickets for the travel and before that I should have some information what there is to choose in order to decide whether to take part to the pre-conference activituie or not. This information is very scarce, espesially when there are such heavy sanctions announced beforehand but no actual program of the learning days anywhere or not at least here. --Urjanhai (talk) 19:15, 18 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]

But anyway, when the acceptance was by 23:th july and I did not have the time to find out the details before that, it is all the same. But still I am wondering why the actual program and other details could not be linked here to the page that is called "program". --Urjanhai (talk) 06:47, 24 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
And where the actual further information finally was? Was it somewhere among those things that had to be done by june the 9th, maybe it was somewhere there.--Urjanhai (talk) 07:48, 25 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Or was it so, that the actual information needed would have been only inside the registration form in eventbite? When I now tried to register (but missed the time window and had to copypaste my texts elswhere to try again later), I noticed, that much information and choises about the hackathon was hidden only inside the registation form, and so it seems that my strategy to try to find out something about the program and other information first and then register after that was completely wrong if the idea (that was never told anywhere) actually was that the crucial information needed whether or not ev4en to apply is found only inside the registration form? About the hackaton there seems to be quite a bit information also outside the registration form but was there any informatiom about the learning days anywhere is still a mystery. Maybe there was something somewhere before the june 9th (and I may even have read it, but because I was too busy then with other things, I guess, I had no opportunity to prepare a contribution then).--Urjanhai (talk) 10:16, 25 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for your questions, Urjanhai. Yes, the way to express interest in attending Learning Days was through the event registration form. That opportunity is no longer available. Even though registration to the main conference is still open, due to logistics and program design concerns, we have to make decisions about Learning Days sooner, so had to close the registration for Learning Days some days ago.
Regarding the program, this year Learning Days is piloting a multiple cohort model, and therefore we are building three complete programs that are more tailored towards the participants in each track. We are using the information from the registration forms as well as our pre-event survey (which will be sent out shortly to accepted attendees) to help us fine-tune our program in a way that both shares the skills and expertise of the group as well as strengthens skills and knowledge areas that participants will find most useful. This year, we have 3 tracks which will focus on the following:
  1. Fundamental Organizing - This will be geared towards volunteers newer to the movement, or to movement organizing. Programming will be tailored to provide in-depth training and development focused around skills necessary for movement growth.
  2. Experienced Organizers - This will be geared towards movement organizers with more than a little experience designing and delivering programs in the Wikimedia ecosystem. The program will include both skill training and experience sharing across the different national, linguistic, and other contexts.
  3. Meta Organizers - This will be an advanced track geared towards very experienced organizers in the movement, ready to focus on fostering innovation, cross-community collaboration, and leadership development. The focus of this track will pilot new frameworks, provide opportunities for peer to peer collaboration and develop future leaders in the movement.
We will not be creating any standalone sessions but instead will have these three two-day programs. We plan to publish our program outlines this Friday, August 2nd. Asaf (WMF) (talk) 22:52, 29 July 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for the answer. I must say that I am VERY dissapointed to the way that information was given about the learning days - or to be more correctly: to the way that no information at all was not given anywhere. And I can not understand why thi was managed so badly. And I really must give feedback that I am nolt at all pleased with the the way that this was handled by the organisers.
When i begun to go through the alternatives what I would be doing in Wikimania 2019 after receiving the information that Wikimedia Suomi had given me a grant to take part to wikimania, I naturaly loked at the Program pages of Wikimania to find out what the prpogram would be. Only after having found out what would be the program Ithought that I would be able to register after having found out from the program what kind of contents there would be available in the prpogram.
But then, surprisingly a) there was almost nothing about the learning days anywhere, b) there was almost nothing about tghe learning days inthe program pages of the learning days (not even when and trough what channel one should apply and what would be the actual contents - something that one naturally would expect to be found in the program pages, and d) IN NO PLACE WHATSOEVER in the program or registration pages was it said that ALL THIS INFORMATION WAS HIDDEN - surprise, surprise! INSIDE THE REGISTRATION FORM. If it was hiddeen there, why was this not told anywhere beforehand and especially WHY WAS THIS NOT TOLD BEFOREHAND IN THE PROGRAM PAGES OF THE LEARNING DAYS THEMSELVES?
After having recieved the information about the grant, I really tried yo find out about the alternatives especially for the pre conference days and checked the program pages of the pre conference and the hackathon and the Learning days for several times but did not get much wiser. But NOWHERE outside the registration form itself was said that the essential information would be hidden in the registration form only. WHY SO? Why was this not said anywhere? And just now when the wikimania would be in the neighboring country. I do not find this just at all.
When I received the information about the grant at july the 2nd, the page looked like this: [1]. No information whatsoever about trough what channel one should apply if one is interested and no information whatsooever about the deadline of applying. - Something that ONE NATURALLY EXPECTS TO FINID IN THE PROGRAM PAGES. And again in july the 11th the page looked like this: [2]: i. e. no information even now about through what channel one should apply and what is the deadline for applying. Only information about sanctions for those who would skip the sessions but other more important information very scarse. WHY SO? in july the 19th there comes the information: As in previous years, expressing interest in attending Learning Days and/or participating on a lightning panel does not mean automatic enrollment. All successful applicants to Learning Days will be notified by August 2, 2019. Participation in this year’s Learning Days will seek to give opportunities to community members who are eager to learn and participate fully, those who have never participated in Learning days before, those who are active organizers in their community, and those who align with the five core principles on which the curriculum has been built; collaboration, equity, contextual awareness and sensitivity, openness, and knowledge sharing. - but nowhere is said where one should apply or have applied! And then suddenly: July 22-23: Successful participants will be notified of their acceptanc. But not even now anythig about where and trough what channel one should apply or should have applied. WHY SO? Why could it not have been SIMPLY TOLD in the PROGRAM PAGE ITSELF where and trough what channel AND WITH WHAT DEADLINE should one apply? Now I just waited for infoomation that I now realise was hidden in the registration form only - while before registering one should know into what one is regisrtering because it is hartd to make decisions without the facts. So, why where the facts hidden there and why was it told nowhere that the facts were hidden there?
My alternatives for the pre conference were many: I was recommeded one session (GLAM for Museums) that, however, then appeared to be for staff of swedish organisations only (which naturally is totally ok), but not even this was told in any clear manner beforehand in the program page of that event. If that had been otherwise, I would have not been able to choose the learning days according to the information that was added in july the 11th only (heavy sanctions about skipping sessions, which naturally is ok, but in that case one should know something about the contents beforehand and especially about the deadline as well as about other pre conference program alternatives to be able to make choices. - But there was nothing. And then july the 19th suddenly: July 22-23: Successful participants will be notified of their acceptance. - But not even then then anything about where and when one shouöd have applied. By then one actually should have been booking tickets but how to book, when all essential information is lacking?
And so, to book the tickets I decided to register withouh the information then. Also the program of the hackathon looked like this unti july the 25th: [3] (i. e. old pages from april the 9th). Only when someone, who recommended the hackaton for me gave me a link for the updated program elswhere, did I find out more. But still, in the registration form there was much more esential information about the hackathon, and there would have been (i guess) information about the learning days, but then that part of the registration was already closed.
And of course all this information would have been very useful for me when deciding what pre conference program I would choose - if any. - But nowhere was it told that the information was hidden inside the registration form only. - Not even all the essential important dates where told anywhere else beforehand!
Because what I was told by more experkienced wikimedians with whom I had been co-operating was that hackathon would be suitable for me even if I am not a very technical wikimedian, especially because of the glam suff, that is not that difficult; and also I was told that there would be all kind of program even without the hackathon during the the pre conference days; and as well the first thread of the two days learning days would have been of interest. So the decision would have been difficult anyway, and therefore I really would have liked to to know more about the learning days beforehand. - But now even the eseential facts were lacking in the program page, and when I begun to make the registration with the the scarse information I had, then the learning days were already closed in the registration form. - With no information about the important dates anywhere no more than only a few days before the deadline (or maybe even after it?).
So why could the the essential fact, that all esential information (apparently?) was hidden inside the registration form not be told clearly in the program pages and the registration page in this wiki? It is by no means to be naturally expected, that the program and the esential facts and the important dates are not in the program pages but are without any notice whatsoever hidden inside the registration form.
--Urjanhai (talk) 20:51, 1 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]
Or to say the same more shortly: When "the way to express interest in attending Learning Days was through the event registration form" why was this not told anywhere? --Urjanhai (talk) 21:14, 1 August 2019 (UTC)[reply]