Appropedia and Learning in International Development

bringing context and interaction

Nasser SalehA presentation to Queen’s International Development Conference 2011

April 2, 2011

Based on Lonny Grafman’s Presentation: Students and Appropedia available at http://www.slideshare.net/Lonny/students-and-appropedia-7466921

Appropedia.org

Appropedia began in April of 2006

Appropedia vision is that all of humanity is able to work together developing and realizing rich, sustainable lives. Appropedia builds the infrastructure, and help make the connections and populate free content to effect that vision. Appropedia has been described as an "appropriate technology wiki," but it is much broader than that - it is a green wiki, and a wiki for all matters of international development and aid

Sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives.

Context

Current content

• Appropedia welcomes contributions of many types of content: • Project histories and project how-tos • Textbook-style information, tables, and figures • Designs • Photographs and illustrations • Information for finding supplies and help • Links and information on other organizations • Collaboration pages for co-creating solutions • Discussion pages for commenting on work done and work that

needs to be done • More - whatever aids the causes of sustainability and overcoming

poverty.

Ways Learners and Practitioners Engage

Coordinate projects - Retrofit Streetlights (Clarion University, Pennsylvania)Collaboratively research - Green Materials (Queen’s University, Canada)Collaborative reporting – JMC (Humboldt)Document own project designs - IDDS (MIT)

Appropedia: Service Learning through TranslationMECH425: Engineering for sustainable development

Appropedia: Service Learning through Translation

40 acresSwales, 2x4 end flooring, pine pitch and shale walkways, organic garden, herb garden, CSA,

diabetes walking prescriptions, solar photovoltaic, redwood stained concrete, more

ENGR 115: Intro to EngineeringPotawot Native American Health Village

Appropedia: Service Learning through Translation

Bike powered laptops, composting toilets, picohydro power, rainwater catchment, chicken coop, hydroponics, vertical gardens, and more.

ENGR 215: Intro to DesignThe Waterpod

Appropedia: Service Learning through Translation

“Working on Appropedia was an experience of a lifetime. The site increased my knowledge of sustainable development greatly and expanded my understanding of the German language.

Everyone should get involved in this site.” (Source: The Language Educator)

GER 308: German Conversation and Composition

More than Academia

Vibrant Community:• Thousands of visits a day• Over 160 thousand edits• Over 21 million page views

Sharing knowledge to build rich, sustainable lives

More than AcademiaFebruary 22nd to March 23rd, 2011

Appropedia: Service Learning through TranslationWinery Rainwater – Solar Lawn Mower

Replicated around North AmericaOver 100,000 views

Appropedia: Service Learning through Translation

“HELLO mer Lonny ! [I] am really involving and searching solution, to the positive idea to help women in Harare who suffered, by decorticating peanut shell by hands, stones, teeth. This

ANCIENT METHOD perturbed my human senses. To telling you the truth, when I am founding this page, my feeling is like, I got THEIR SOLUTION... “Teffera Tesfaye, Zimbabwean Father of five

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Appropedia: Service Learning through Translation

• http://appropedia.org/• Just jump in – it’s the wiki way!

How can you engage?