Glossary of Astronomical Terms/About the GAT Project

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[edit] Overview

  • What is the GAT Project?
    • It's a collaboration by students, teachers, and others to produce a workable and enjoyable resource for people interested in Astronomy.
    • The end product will be free to all and of high quality. (The Wikipedia Project has demonstrated the evolution of quality in collaborative projects.)
    • The greatest benefit will be to the collaborators ("GATers") who will not only improve their mastery of astronomy's vocabulary, but will also gain an exciting experience in working with others, and the pride of authorship.
    • The GAT project is a sub-project of the Wikibooks Project.
  • What's in it for teachers?
    • The GAT project is a wonderful way for you to involve your students in a collaborative learning environment at absolutely no cost.
    • You can incorporate work on the GAT Project into your classroom activities, or simply encourage students to pursue it on their own time. Either way, a marked increase in student proficiency should occur.
  • Who is the GAT Facilitator?
    • The GAT Facilitator is Ray Smith (Raymond XYZ). He is a freelance technical writer who lives and works in the Washington, DC area. Ray is not an expert in astronomy. His expertise is in communicating technical information.
    • Ray initiated this project, and he will be its "Mother Hen." That includes things like ensuring the overall look and feel of the pages, helping anyone who has problems with the system, and being a kind of referee. The best way to get Ray's attention is to go to his profile page, Raymond XYZ, and then leave a message on his talk/discussion page.
  • What is "Wiki"? What is "Wikibooks"?

[edit] Style

  • Who are the intended readers?
    • GAT articles should be readily understandable for people who are taking their first course(s) in astronomy, or who are reading a popular book on the subject.
  • What kind of writing works best?
    • Plain English that is a bit informal works best.
    • A neutral point of view (NPOV) builds trust with the readers.
    • Technical detail, especially equations, should not be in an article's main text, but rather in footnotes.
  • How long should GAT articles Be?
    • GAT articles should be just long enough for the reader to develop an intuitive grasp of the topic.
  • Is there a Style Guide?

[edit] How To...

  • How do I get a Wikibooks login?
  • How do I learn the basics of using the Wikibooks interface?
  • How do I contribute an article for a term listed in red on the GAT Contents page?
    • Got to the Contents Page of the GAT Project, and click on the red link for the word you want to cover in your article.
    • Write your article right there in the window provided, or write your article in a text editor like Notepad and then paste it into the window.
    • Use the "Preview" button to help you make final adjustments to your article, and then hit the "Save" button.
  • How do I Edit an existing article?
    • Click on the blue link for the word on the Contents Page of the GAT project.
    • When the article you want to edit appears, click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the page.
    • The edit window will pop up. Edit, preview, and save your article.
  • How do I add a new term--one that's not already on the list?
    • Go to the GAT Project Contents Page and click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the page, or click on an edit link opposite to the appropriate letter of the alphabet.
    • Add your word to the list in alphabetical order using the format you see for the other words.
    • After you have saved the page, click on the red link for your new word and proceed as you would when contributing an article for a listed word.
  • How do I make a quiz?
    • Go to the Quizzes Page and click on the "Edit" tab at the top.
    • Add your quiz's name to the list, following the format you see there.
    • After you have saved the page, click on the new red link for your new quiz and proceed as you would when entering an article.
    • Quizzes must have answers or they will be deleted. Here are three techniques for supplying answers:
      • Use "Hover Here for Answer" buttons (see below).

 

File:Gat answer button001.jpg
      • Create a separate page for answers that you link to from the quiz page.
      • Put the answers at the bottom of the quiz page.
  • How do I make a "Hover Here for Answer" button?
    • Paste in the following code at the appropriate position (the "center" tags are optional):


<center>[[image:gat_answer_button001.jpg|Answer here]]</center>
    • Substitute the answer in the "Answer here" space.
    • NOTE: These buttons can be used in quizzes and also within articles to provide answers to "Questions for Students". Check out this example: binary star.

[edit] Fun Stuff

  • What is a Rogue Article?
    • Rogue articles are written just for fun and usually contain totally whacked-out information. The following graphic must be included with a Rogue article:
    • An example of a Rogue article might be: "Asteriod belt: a men's or women's article of clothing worn about the waist and decorated with asteroids, which are small glassy stones found on most beaches in Arizona. Also can refer to a special belt with pouches worn by persons hunting for such stones."
    • Go ahead and contribute all the rogue articles you want, and please be sure to include the Rogue warning button at the top of each Rogue article by incorporating this code:


<center>[[image:gat_rogue_button002.gif|WARNING! This is a Rogue article! It's here just for fun. Don't take it seriously!]]</center>
    • Our studies have shown that people are much more likely to read your rogue articles if the Rogue warning button is there.
    • If you add a rogue article to a legitimate article, please be sure to put it at the BOTTOM of the page.
  • How do I set up my School Profile Page?
    • Go to the School Profiles Page and click on the "Edit" tab at the top.
    • Add your school's name to the list, following the format you see there.
    • After you have saved the page, click on the red link for your school and proceed as you would when entering an article.
  • Can I chat with other GATers?
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