Assignment 5.1: The Assessment Plan, Civilization and Reacting to the Past

Assignment 5.1: The Assessment Plan

INTRODUCTION

I developed this assignment as an assessment designer and rounded out my ed tech pitch to include some useful tools to measure progress.

WHAT TO DO

Refine Your Learning Goals
First, take some time to develop your ideas for your pitch by revisiting and refining your learning objectives. What specifically are your learning goals for your product?  

As a general goal, I want students to successfully struggle with the issue of building a civilization in order to appreciate the accomplishments of the Greeks. I want them to struggle with the issues of democracy in preparation for the role-play portion of the course.

Why are those your goals? Write them out in a bulleted list that you can refer back to.

• To appreciate history
• To understand the struggles of democracy and how to accomplish it
• To understand how democratic societies must balance individual vs. social needs

Design Your Assessments
Next, think about the assessment piece. How will you know that learners have reached those goals, or if they are headed in the right direction? Is there evidence that comes from data captured by the technology itself, or are there external tools of some kind which capture data from users? Figure out what form your assessment will take.

Civilization as a game provides interactive feedback on how the player is progressing and whether their civilization will survive, will be defeated in battle, or if it is going in the wrong direction. 


Display Your Data
Lastly, think about to whom your data is useful and for what purpose. The student should be aware of progress made and a publisher I have worked with--Soomo Publishing--has an analytic portion to its offerings.

DELIVERY FORMAT

Your work will consist of (at least) two parts. You may also want to link to your previously posted project description for people that need background on what your educational technology is all about.

• One part is a writeup describing your Assessment Plan. This will list the learning goals and describe each measure you are using, how it collects data, what content or skills it measures, and how it’s useful.
• The other is a mockup of the data display for each measure you are using. Specify who the audience is and create an image of the tables, text, or visuals that will convey the assessment results. Examples can be found on the next page.

PART 1

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Students will:
1. Explain how key social, cultural, and artistic contributions contribute to historical changes.
2. Explain the importance of situating a society’s cultural and artistic expressions within a historical context.
3. Identify major historical developments in world cultures during the eras of antiquity to the Renaissance.
4. Identify and describe key artistic styles in the visual arts of world cultures during the eras of antiquity to the Renaissance.
5. Identify and describe key literary works, styles, and writers from world cultures during the eras of antiquity to the Renaissance.
6. Explore the presence of cultural parallels between the world’s cultures.
7. Examine the influences of intellectual, religious, political, and socio-economic forces on social, cultural, and artistic expressions.
8. Use technology and information resources to research issues in the study of world cultures.
9. Write clearly and concisely about world cultures using proper writing mechanics.
10.  Demonstrate their knowledge of basic literary, philosophical, social, and cultural developments that affect the interpretation of texts, artifacts, and historical events.
11. Develop strategies on how to read and/or interpret literary texts and artifacts from the ancient world, such as art objects, material remains, monuments, inscriptions, and so on.
12. Appraise information in primary sources so as to appreciate the values of the ancient Greek culture.
13. Distinguish the different theoretical approaches in evaluating primary sources from the ancient Greek world.
14. Create and Role - play a character based on primary sources, representing key positions, as outlined in the Student Reader.
15. Engage in debate through improvisation and composition of consistent, historically accurate and carefully argued speeches. 16. Each student shall communicate effectively.

The oral communication rubric, for example, scores levels in central message, delivery techniques, language, organization, and use of supporting material. Each rubric provides graduated “levels” from 0–4, which echo the stages of Bloom’s traditional taxonomy. 1 is the benchmark, 2 and 3 are key milestones in student development, and 4 indicates the capstone.

          The Civilization computer game contains several concepts that can be used to strengthen students’ learning and prepare them for the international conflict role-play, Reacting to the Past. I will detail which learning aims in the University curriculum we expect to cover, and how they relate to Civilization.
           The Social Studies curriculum in the University is characterized by five main areas: the individual and society, working and business life, politics and democracy, and culture and international relations. Each of these contain between five and nine competency aims that the student is expected to attain by the end of the course.
            Though this game can be used in relation to certain competence aims within several of the main areas, I find it to be particularly relevant for preparing for the role play and international relations issues found in Reacting to the Past. The competence aims for international relations are as follows:

“the student should be able to:

• define the concept of power and provide examples of how power is practiced in the world
• explain the concept of globalization and assess various consequences of globalization
• provide examples of international cooperation and describe your Civilization's involvement
• elaborate on historic activities for peace and human rights and explain the your role in international activities
• elaborate on your civilization's aims and governing bodies and discuss your relationship to the world community
• use digital tools to find examples of different types of conflict in the world and present an international conflict and proposals for solving this conflict
• elaborate on why some countries are poor and some rich, and discuss measures to reduce poverty in the world
• elaborate on what characterizes international terrorism and reflect on the causes of terrorism
• discuss relations between economic growth, the environment and sustainable development”

      I will provide a description of how some concepts in Civilization can be used in relation to these competence aims.

      define the concept of power and provide examples of how power is practiced in the world
      An important aspect of the game is the interaction between leaders of different civilizations. In order to access vital resources or technologies, the player needs to enter into diplomatic agreements with other civilizations. The player’s level of success in these negotiations is dependent on their relative military, technological, economic and cultural power.
       explain the concept of globalization and assess various consequences of globalization
       Though it is theoretically possible to succeed playing this game utilizing a completely isolationist policy, the civilizations become increasingly dependent on each other throughout the game as trade partners and military allies.
       provide examples of international cooperation and describe your civilization’s international involvement
       The player has the opportunity to enter into bi-lateral and multi-lateral treaties and agreements with the other civilizations (Trade agreements, Military alliances, embargoes etc.). In the modern era, if the United Nations World Wonder has been built, civilizations can sign binding resolutions on areas such as human rights, the ban of nuclear weapons and access to the international marketplace
        use digital tools to find examples of different types of conflict in the world and present an international conflict and proposals for solving this conflict
        The game gives players the opportunity to simulate actual or illustrative conflicts. These simulations might give the player a greater understanding of the geo-political conditions that lead to armed conflict, and how those conflicts may be resolved.
        elaborate on why some countries are poor and some rich, and discuss measures to reduce poverty in the world
        Resources are divided unevenly across the playing field. Civilizations that originate near high yield resources develop more rapidly than others. Economic and population growth will quickly stagnate in civilizations that neglect the development of infrastructure (roads, railroads, irrigation). Furthermore, the choice of civics and the civilizations’ relationship with other civilizations will impact its level of affluence.
        elaborate on what characterizes international terrorism and reflect on the causes of terrorism
        Barbarian warriors and settlements, which the player will encounter in the early stages of the game, can to a certain extent be thought of as analogous to modern non-state terrorists. In the later stages of the game poverty, oppressive governments, foreign occupation, as well as discrepancy between the religion of the people and state religion, cause unhappiness. This in turn may cause the citizenry to revolt. Several parallels can be drawn between this and the causes of terrorism.
         discuss relations between economic growth, the environment and sustainable development
         Throughout the game, the player will need to make choices related to the environment and sustainable development. Players must assess the needs of their civilization both in the short term and the long term in order to succeed in the game. Some choices give immediate benefits, but may lead to future disaster. For instance constructing a coal plant will increase a city’s output, but will cause pollution which may lead to a dissatisfied and diseased population.

The students will receive summative and formative assessments. Their instructions are as follows:

1. Civics

In Civilization, the player can select between several different civics. Read about these in the Civiliopedia and list important terms. Each of these may benefit, and/or disadvantage your civilization. Which civics did you choose for your civilization? Why? How did your choices benefit or disadvantage your civilization? Imagine you were running a real country, would you have made the same choices? Draw parallels between the game and the actual events of history in the textbook.

2. Diplomacy

Which kinds of international agreements can one enter into in Civilization? Which factors decide how successfully you are able to conduct negotiations? Is the way diplomacy is represented in the game an accurate simulation of how diplomacy is conducted in the real world? Why, why not? Draw parallels between the game and the actual events of history in the textbook.

3. Power

Define the term power in international relations. How do states in Civilization exert power over each other? Relate this to the concepts of Charismatic/Ideological power, economic power and military power. Refer to real-world examples in your text.

---

          The Screenvideos are related to understanding the learning outcomes. In this task, students will use the WorldBuilder  function in Civilization to place resources, geographical features, units, cities etc. on the game map. They will then be using a screen recorder to demonstrate and comment on a recent or ongoing international conflict. Their instructions are as follows:

• Your presentation should discuss causes for this conflict arising as well as suggestions as to how this conflict could be resolved. You are expected to demonstrate understanding of the learning material and to utilize correct terminology in your presentations.

• Start your presentation by defining how you understand the term “conflict” for the purpose of this assignment.

• Screenvideo/Screenshots from Civilization gameplay should be used as an illustrative tool in your presentation.

• Duration: 7-10 minutes

• It will be up to you to decide which digital tools you will use to make your presentation, but if you require technical assistance some recommended tools could include iMovie, Camstudio, standard record function in Windows and Windows Moviemaker

• Recommended resources:you may select an ongoing conflict that you find interesting (subject to my approval)

List of Civics for Assessment (based on Civilization IV): Quiz (on Google Docs)

 

• In the Google document I have listed all the different civics that can be used in Civilization
• I have divided the class into pairs – Each pair will work with two terms. 
• Write a short description and be prepared to present a definition in your own words. The first sentence should provide a general definition of the term. The next 3-5 sentences should be an explanation of historical/cultural context and/or some facts related to the term.
• You are then going to be partnered with another pair/share partner where you will explain the meaning of the terms to each other. Bring a pen and paper, and take notes. Make sure you ask questions if you don´t understand the description 
• We will end the session with a quiz on the terms that you have been working with.

Civilization Log - Week 1 (etc.): on Google Docs

Table 1: Survey on Students’ Self-reported Experience with Civilization and Reacting

1. Were the two games (Civilization and Reacting to the Past) an advantage or disadvantage compared to “normal” classes?
Advantage
Disadvantage
Both

2. Did you learn more through the games?
Yes
No

3. Did you do more work for the game than you would have done otherwise?
Yes
No

4. Would you recommend friends take classes with Civilization and Reacting Games?
Yes
No
Depends

Table 2

Indicators of Student Engagement in Combined RTTP classes

Student Behavior
Asked Questions in class
1. More than 3Times
2. Never

2. Contributed to class discussions
Yes
No

3. Prepared more than one draft of a paper
Yes
No

4. Worked on a project that required using information from more than one source
Yes
No

5. Worked on a project that required using primary documents
Yes
No

6. Included conflicting perspectives in class discussions or writing assignments
Yes
No

7. Came to class without completing reading or assignments
Yes
No

8. Worked with other students on a project during class
Yes
No

9. Worked with other students on a project outside class
Yes
No

10. Stayed late or came early to discuss issues from class with classmates
Yes
No

11. Talked to the professor about class materials or assignments during class
Yes
No

Read more: http://blogsmithconsulting.blogspot.com/2014/10/week-2-assignment-2-httpscoursesedxorgc.html#ixzz3JAbIewrD

How Reacting to the Past Games "Made Me Want to Come to Class and Learn": An Assessment of the Reacting Pedagogy at EMU, 2007-2008
Authors: Mark D. Higbee
http://commons.emich.edu/sotl/vol2/iss1/4

Civilization in K-12, Norway
http://ngvcivilization.wordpress.com/

Part 2

(due to FERPA no personal information will be displayed)

Assignment 5.1: The Assessment Plan

INTRODUCTION

The goal of this assignment is to challenge you to think like an assessment designer and also to round out your ed tech pitch to include some useful tools to measure progress. You will get to use your own project as a context for figuring out how best to measure learning gains, engagement, or the skills you’ve decided to teach.

WHAT TO DO

Refine Your Learning Goals
First, take some time to develop your ideas for your pitch by revisiting and refining your learning objectives. What specifically are your learning goals for your product?  Why are those your goals? Write them out in a bulleted list that you can refer back to.
Design Your Assessments
Next, think about the assessment piece. How will you know that learners have reached those goals, or if they are headed in the right direction? Is there evidence that comes from data captured by the technology itself, or are there external tools of some kind which capture data from users? Figure out what form your assessment will take.
You want to be confident that collecting that information will really be indicative of a student’s progress. Assessments for foreign language vocabulary, math practices, or grit could look very different from each other, so make sure the format is appropriate to what you’re trying to measure. Also remember the differences between formative, summative, and performance assessments and design something that serves its purpose well. Don’t be afraid to have multiple types of assessment to get at these various aspects.
As an example, an immersive game for language learning might capture mouse clicks to see how many people the user talks to, thereby measuring persistence. It could use an intelligent agent who interviews the student to assess transfer of grammar patterns. And it may also analyze chat logs to continually gather formative data on vocabulary usage. Each type of assessment serves a purpose of measuring a stated learning goal, and they work together to provide a bigger picture of the learner’s progress.
Display Your Data
Lastly, think about to whom your data is useful and for what purpose. Is it for a teacher to assign a grade, a parent to support learning at home, or the student herself to be aware of progress made? Depending on the audience and uses, decide on a delivery format. This might be one synthesized score, a large data table, or a narrative comment, and it would almost certainly vary depending on the content of each assessment you’re building in. This course is about innovative technologies so don’t be afraid to get creative in your approach!

DELIVERY FORMAT

Your work will consist of (at least) two parts. You may also want to link to your previously posted project description for people that need background on what your educational technology is all about.

• One part is a writeup describing your Assessment Plan. This will list the learning goals and describe each measure you are using, how it collects data, what content or skills it measures, and how it’s useful.
• The other is a mockup of the data display for each measure you are using. Specify who the audience is and create an image of the tables, text, or visuals that will convey the assessment results. Examples can be found on the next page.

Share (External resource)

You will again post your work in the forums to gather feedback from your peers. Ideally you would be able to give feedback on some of the same projects you’ve reviewed before. That way you can think about how well the assessments fit an intervention you’re already familiar with. From the forum homepage, go to Week 5 then find the "Assessment Plan" discussion.

Launch 11.132x Forums

FEEDBACK CRITERIA

Although there is no need for a formal rubric in this assignment, these are the areas you should evaluate and respond to for each assessment plan you review:

• Are the learning goals laid out clearly?
• Are the assessments thoughtfully designed to get at each learning goal?
• Will the displayed data be easy to use and informative for the stakeholders?
• Can a stakeholder get a full picture of how the learner is doing and where they may need support?
• Are the proposed assessments more traditional or innovative in their design? What are the benefits and drawbacks of that choice?

DUE DATE

Technically the only due date is to submit this assignment by the end of the course. However, to get the benefit of peer feedback, we strongly suggest you submit it by the end of Week 5: November 18th. After that time the majority of course participants will be moving on to Week 6 work and won't be focused on this specific topic.

Drawing Heaven

Painter

Obama Stating He Stole Ideas from Obamacare Liar

Stole Ideas

Losing Liberty Bit by Bit

Boston Violation of 4th Amendment

Hear Obama Hurt the Poor: Legalize Illegal Immigration

Hurt the poor.

Obama Enemy of Press Freedom

Enemy of the State

Islamist Beheadings: American Taxpayers Support Mosques

Taxpayers Support Mosques

UAE Designates CAIR as Terrorist Organization

CAIR Terrorists

15 Nov 2014 – Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland OH

Life/All The Young Dudes/(Miss) Silver Dime/ATYD reprise/Goodnight Irene

All The Young Dudes

Review

Lone Woman Tries to Stop Islamist Takeover of National Cathedral

Dead woman

Gene Simmons, Kiss, Illegal Immigration

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/11/kiss-gene-simmons-immigrants-learn-goddamn-english_n_5669913.html

Gene Simmons: Bloodspitting Through The Years (HD Upgrade)

Blood

Obamacare Lies Continue

Lies

Rand Paul Against Thought Crime

Thought Crime

Ferguson Cop's radio and video

Video and audio

14 Nov 2014 – Park West, Chicago

Ian interview before the Chicago gig.

Muhammed Misogynist

Muhammed Misogynist

Ian Hunter, 12 November 2014, St. Louis

ATYD

Sheldon Concert Hall 3648 Washington Blvd. 63108 St Louis, MO, US

Police State

http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/from-boston-to-ferguson-have-we-reached-a-tipping-point-in-the-police-state/

Dana Loesch Obamacare

Dana Loesch

FCC's Tom Wheeler Confronted

Stop Bureacracy

Obamacare Lies

Obamacare Trickery

Islamic Indoctrination in American Public Schools

Islamic Indoctrination

American Sailors Attacked by Obama's Best Bud in Middle East

Obama's Friends

Israel Apartheid

Ari Lesser, Israel Apartheid

90% of War Casualties Under Obama

Obama War Mongerer

President Honors Veterans

President

11 Nov 2014 – Minglewood Hall, Memphis TN

When I'm President
All The Way From Memphis

Snippet

I Wish I Was Your Mother

Just Another Night

Standing' In My Light

23 Swan Hill (end)/Life/All The Young Dudes/(Miss) Silver Dime/All The Young Dudes/Goodnight Irene https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qZsBubh7Nxs

Use Case Scenario: Civilization and Reacting to the Past

• Age and knowledge level of the learner
The average age of the learners is 33 and they generally have had some college level experience. They are often knowledgeable from work and life experiences.

• What type of learner they are - visual, struggling, gifted, etc.
The predominant type are generally indicative of the general population. They are mostly visual learners. They struggle but after three quarters most students will continue and finish if they get that far.

• Why are they using the product - teacher assigned it, peers are into it, etc. They have assigned survey courses so it fits into their program to graduate.
• What setting they use it in - after-school program, on their phone on the bus, etc.
The setting is a four-hour night class generally after their work day.

• What are the stakes - is it graded, extra credit, just for fun?
It is graded as a part of their course work.

• Do they use it alone or with others?
The first part of the game Civilization is played alone; however, they will take what they have learned and apply it to a role-play experience, Reacting to the Past.

• How do others - teacher, peer, etc. - help or hinder their use?
The professor will be the guide and facilitator. The students will significantly interact with peers during role-play.

• When they start using it are they timid and want directions, or willing to jump right in?
Based on the research, many students have not experienced this type of class before so they will need directions until I, as the facilitator, can remove myself to the back of the physical room during role-play, and circulate as a guide during Civilization.

• What do they do first? What do they do next?
First, they will be presented with background and lectures on the Greeks. Then, they will engage the game itself to build their ideal civilization. Finally, they will role-play the threshold of democracy in Greece.

• Do they engage with the intervention over multiple sessions? How long is each session?
These are ten-week sessions: five on Civilization, and five on the Threshold of Democracy.

• How does the user know if they are doing well or not?
There are learning outcomes listed in the course syllabus and there will be quizzes, presentations, and assessments based on the learning goals.

• Where do they go when they can’t figure out what to do?
A Civipedia is a reference guide for the game, the instructor will facilitate, and the role-play relies on the participants for assistance.

• If there are community elements built in, how do they utilize them?
Both formats encourage communal efforts since the game and the role-play are engaged in with a group.

• Are there offline elements that complement the technology experience?
The students are often referring to materials and each other outside of class for assistance.

• How does the learner know when they are done? What do they feel when they have finished?
The game itself plays out with a resolution and the role-play has a set number of sessions. They will feel numerous emotions depending on how the game unfolds and how involved they get with the role-play.

Use Case Scenario

Use Case Scenario from Iconoclast on Vimeo.

          http://vimeo.com/111573982

Assignment 4.2: The Use Case Scenario 11 November 2014

Comments on Civ

Reacting by students

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B3uCVqqIuM4

Assignment 4.2: The Use Case Scenario

INTRODUCTION

At this point you should have a pretty good idea of what your learning challenge is and how you plan to address it with educational technology. In this assignment you will think about the big picture of how your intervention fits into a learning ecosystem, and write up a use case scenario. This should give you more insight into what specific uses you may need to design for.

USE CASE SCENARIO

What is a use case scenario? It’s basically the story of one user (or group of users) of your tool. It’s a written (or maybe drawn) narrative telling about who this user is, why they’re using the product, and in what context they are using it. So in the case of ed tech, we like to include things like the age and background of the learner, why they’re using the product, where, with whom, what are the stakes, etc. The key thing about a use case scenario is that it doesn’t detail all possible users and everything they might want to do with your technology. You just get to dream up one learner and tell the story of their experience. You can see a sample use case scenario in the next unit of the ribbon.

WHAT TO DO

For this assignment you will write a use case scenario for your product. Here is a list of questions you might answer in your story. You don’t have to hit all of these, and you will likely touch on things not listed here, but this will get you started. What’s important for one intervention may not be for another, so keep in mind what will best illustrate how your product could be used, and how it could benefit the learner.

• Age and knowledge level of the learner

The average age of the learners is 33 and they generally have had some college level experience. They are often knowledgeable from work and life experiences.

• What type of learner they are - visual, struggling, gifted, etc.

The predominant type are generally indicative of the general population. They are mostly visual learners. They struggle but after three quarters most students will continue and finish if they get that far.

• Why are they using the product - teacher assigned it, peers are into it, etc.

  They have assigned survey courses so it fits into their program to graduate.

• What setting they use it in - after-school program, on their phone on the bus, etc.

The setting is a four-hour night class generally after their work day.

• What are the stakes - is it graded, extra credit, just for fun?

It is graded as a part of their course work.

• Do they use it alone or with others?

The first part of the game Civilization is played alone; however, they will take what they have learned and apply it to a role-play experience, Reacting to the Past.

• How do others - teacher, peer, etc. - help or hinder their use?

The professor will be the guide and facilitator. The students will significantly interact with peers during role-play.

• When they start using it are they timid and want directions, or willing to jump right in?

Based on the research, many students have not experienced this type of class before so they will need directions until I, as the facilitator, can remove myself to the back of the physical room during role-play, and circulate as a guide during Civilization.

• What do they do first? What do they do next?

First, they will be presented with background and lectures on the Greeks. Then, they will engage the game itself to build their ideal civilization. Finally, they will role-play the threshold of democracy in Greece.

• Do they engage with the intervention over multiple sessions? How long is each session?

These are ten-week sessions: five on Civilization, and five on the Threshold of Democracy.

• How does the user know if they are doing well or not?

There are learning outcomes listed in the course syllabus and there will be quizzes, presentations, and assessments based on the learning goals.

• Where do they go when they can’t figure out what to do?

A Civipedia is a reference guide for the game, the instructor will facilitate, and the role-play relies on the participants for assistance.

• If there are community elements built in, how do they utilize them?

Both formats encourage communal efforts since the game and the role-play are engaged in with a group.

• Are there offline elements that complement the technology experience?

The students are often referring to materials and each other outside of class for assistance.

• How does the learner know when they are done? What do they feel when they have finished?

The game itself plays out with a resolution and the role-play has a set number of sessions. They will feel numerous emotions depending on how the game unfolds and how involved they get with the role-play.

DELIVERY FORMAT

Your use case scenario may well be a written “story”. If you want to supplement the written document with media, feel free to use images, video, perhaps a comic strip or storyboard element. You don’t need to write a book or detail every minute of the user’s experience, but it should cover each important phase of their use of the tool.

Share (External resource)

You’ll post your use case scenario to the forums to get feedback from your peers again. In the “Use Case Scenario” discussion (in Week 4 on our forum site), start a new thread and post your work. Once you do, please read through at least 3 other students’ pitches and comment on them.

Launch 11.132x Forums

FEEDBACK CRITERIA

Although there is no need for a formal rubric in this assignment, these are the areas you should evaluate and respond to for each use case scenario you review:

• Does it include the basics of who the learner is and in what context they are using the technology?
• Do you get a sense of the ecosystem? That is, all the pieces inside and outside of the technology itself, that have an effect on its use. Is there anything you feel is missing?
• Does it get you excited about the technology and its potential to help learners learn the content?

DUE DATE

Technically the only due date is to submit this assignment by the end of the course. However, to get the benefit of peer feedback, we strongly suggest you submit it by the end of Week 4: November 11th. After that time the majority of course participants will be moving on to Week 5 work and won't be focused on this specific topic.

 

 

Assignment 4.2: The Use Case Scenario

INTRODUCTION

At this point you should have a pretty good idea of what your learning challenge is and how you plan to address it with educational technology. In this assignment you will think about the big picture of how your intervention fits into a learning ecosystem, and write up a use case scenario. This should give you more insight into what specific uses you may need to design for.

USE CASE SCENARIO

What is a use case scenario? It’s basically the story of one user (or group of users) of your tool. It’s a written (or maybe drawn) narrative telling about who this user is, why they’re using the product, and in what context they are using it. So in the case of ed tech, we like to include things like the age and background of the learner, why they’re using the product, where, with whom, what are the stakes, etc. The key thing about a use case scenario is that it doesn’t detail all possible users and everything they might want to do with your technology. You just get to dream up one learner and tell the story of their experience. You can see a sample use case scenario in the next unit of the ribbon.

WHAT TO DO

For this assignment you will write a use case scenario for your product. Here is a list of questions you might answer in your story. You don’t have to hit all of these, and you will likely touch on things not listed here, but this will get you started. What’s important for one intervention may not be for another, so keep in mind what will best illustrate how your product could be used, and how it could benefit the learner.

• Age and knowledge level of the learner
• What type of learner they are - visual, struggling, gifted, etc.
• Why are they using the product - teacher assigned it, peers are into it, etc.
• What setting they use it in - after-school program, on their phone on the bus, etc.
• What are the stakes - is it graded, extra credit, just for fun?
• Do they use it alone or with others?
• How do others - teacher, peer, etc. - help or hinder their use?
• When they start using it are they timid and want directions, or willing to jump right in?
• What do they do first? What do they do next?
• Do they engage with the intervention over multiple sessions? How long is each session?
• How does the user know if they are doing well or not?
• Where do they go when they can’t figure out what to do?
• If there are community elements built in, how do they utilize them?
• Are there offline elements that complement the technology experience?
• How does the learner know when they are done? What do they feel when they have finished?

DELIVERY FORMAT

Your use case scenario may well be a written “story”. If you want to supplement the written document with media, feel free to use images, video, perhaps a comic strip or storyboard element. You don’t need to write a book or detail every minute of the user’s experience, but it should cover each important phase of their use of the tool.

Share (External resource)

You’ll post your use case scenario to the forums to get feedback from your peers again. In the “Use Case Scenario” discussion (in Week 4 on our forum site), start a new thread and post your work. Once you do, please read through at least 3 other students’ pitches and comment on them.

Launch 11.132x Forums

FEEDBACK CRITERIA

Although there is no need for a formal rubric in this assignment, these are the areas you should evaluate and respond to for each use case scenario you review:

• Does it include the basics of who the learner is and in what context they are using the technology?
• Do you get a sense of the ecosystem? That is, all the pieces inside and outside of the technology itself, that have an effect on its use. Is there anything you feel is missing?
• Does it get you excited about the technology and its potential to help learners learn the content?

DUE DATE

Technically the only due date is to submit this assignment by the end of the course. However, to get the benefit of peer feedback, we strongly suggest you submit it by the end of Week 4: November 11th. After that time the majority of course participants will be moving on to Week 5 work and won't be focused on this specific topic.

Tax Supported Planned Parenthood and Advice for the Kids

Tax Supported Planned Parenthood and Advice for the Kids

http://youtu.be/49I2df_4PaI

Obamacare Architect: Americans are Stupid

Stupid Americans

Lied to pass bill.

Google Karate Kid

Ralph Macchio

Fatherhood Challenge

Fatherhood Challenge

Fatherhood Challenge

Bow, East London, 7 November, Islamists Attack Police with Rocket Fireworks

Muslims Attack Police

Young, Gifted, and Diverse: New Face to the Republican Party

X Gifted

09 Nov 2014 – City Winery, Nashville TN

Full gig

Bastard

23A Swan Hill
Life/All The Young Dudes/(Miss) Silver Dime/ATYD reprise/Goodnight Irene
Gig

Qur'an 47:4 Interpreted

Wahhabi Cleric Explains Proper Way of Beheading to his Followers: You Should Enjoy Yourselves

http://youtu.be/yHt-eqrLEOY

08 Nov 2014 – City Winery, Nashville TN

Sweet Jane

Review

Muslim Attacks Israeli Police: Killed

Justice

You Have 'Near-Zero' Impact on U.S. Policy

'Near-Zero' Impact

Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens

07 Nov 2014 – Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA

http://youtu.be/CGbjfx_DGqI http://youtu.be/PjEva00m_Qg http://youtu.be/QZNP4A0Voyk http://youtu.be/HE0z54f8cK

When I'm President

Something to Believe In

I Wish I Was Your Mother

Sweet Jane

http://youtu.be/Ez2wHFXVRB0

Ian Hunter, Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA on 07 Nov 2014

Variety Playhouse, Atlanta GA on 07 Nov 2014. Tickets go on sale this Friday (22 Aug 2014).

Wealth Creation

Wealth Creation Where Does Wealth Come From?

Video Chats for Gitmo Islamists

Video

Spying on Citizens Sold as Fighting Crime

Spying from satellites now sold as fighting crime.

Islamists Slave Sale List of Christian Girl Prices

Slave sale

Harvard Spies on Students

Spies

Ian Hunter, Neighborhood Theatre, Charlotte NC

Once Bitten, Twice Shy
Once Bitten, Twice Shy
All The Way From Memphis
All The Way From Memphis
Bastard
Sweet Jane
Sweet Jane (snippet)
All The Young Dudes
All The Young Dudes/(Miss) Silver Dime/ATYD reprise/Irene Goodnight

Wages Down 23% Since 2008

Wages Down 23% Since 2008

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/08/11/U-S-Wages-Down-23-Since-2008Wages Down 23% Since 2008

Watters World on the Election

Watters

Obama vs. The Constitution

Troubles

Ian Hunter, 04 Nov 2014 – MOTORCO, RALEIGH NC.

All The Way From Memphis

All The Young Dudes

Elevator Pitch, Week 3

http://vimeo.com/110937257

Elevator Pitch
Content/skills the intervention is targeting (What is it about?)
    I am intervening on behalf of working, adult students, many of whom come from a full day of work to attend four hour classes in the evenings. Over half of the students are African American or Hispanic. The average age of students at the college is approximately 33. Many students receive financial assistance from federal government financial aid programs or education assistance programs operated by the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Format of the intervention (What is it?)
The students require an active, engaging experience after a long day and in order to complete their program of study. The format is the game setting, promoting active learning, and then an application with the Reacting to the Past role-play. The students will be challenged to build their own civilization in the five weeks of the course using Sid Meier's game, Civilization. In the second five weeks of the course the class will transition to "Reacting to the Past," a role-playing game which recreates the threshold of democracy in Athens in 403 B.C.

Theoretical basis (Why is it good for learning?)
It is action-oriented and is engaging for students. The intervention is based on constructionist technologies since the experience will expect the student to be speaking, writing, researching, and using role-play to learn.  Mark C. Carnes, Minds on Fire is an excellent resource.

Product goals (Why should people care about it?)
People should care because there is very little research and a dearth of quality historical games. There is relatively little funding for historical recreations but Civilization is a time and player tested product. The game is the best in terms of offering reliable content and the learning outcomes of traditional survey courses. The advantage for learners is that they are doing, and active, as opposed to simply hearing about the past.

Is the elevator pitch clear and concise? Does it leave you wanting to know more?
Does the write up give you a clear picture of what the product is and how it’s different from other products?

It is different from other products because it is not confined to a limited period in history, as in the case of the Oregon Trail, and 1066 games, but allows a learner to follow a contingent path based on their decisions to build their defenses, promote a sustainable society, or allow a dictator to rule. Students will understand the consequences of their decisions.

References
Minds on fire: how role-immersion games transform college by Mark C. Carnes,Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press, [2014].
Reacting to the Past Game Designer's Handbook by Nicolas W Proctor, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, [2013].
Civilization V CIVILOPEDIA Online, http://www.dndjunkie.com/civilopedia/ [Accessed 4 November 2014].

Week 3: The Elevator Pitch

Here is the problem that I am addressing. You know how many people feel that games are tremendously popular but they may not be conducive to education? That is a problem. What I do is to modify the game content to steer it in the direction of learning. In fact, when I have presented the content of the game Civilization my students have gained a greater appreciation for history and solving the problems of society.

Describe your chosen intervention. What is it? How is it used? What do you know about how effective it is?

My chosen intervention is to direct students using Civilization to learn from the content. The game is used as a springboard to learning more about how to build a sustainable society. It is effective as I have used portions of the game in a K-12 setting.

Identify weak points or opportunities for growth. What areas of this design are not working as well as they could?

The areas of design that are not as strong as they could be lay in the area of practice or acting out the results of building a Civilization. Therefore, what I propose is to use the Reacting to the Past series about the threshold of democracy as it arose in Greece.

Present your mods.  Clearly describe and/or show what changes you would make.

Students will present their counter-factual history based on how they fared in Civilization as compared to the textbook and what actually happened. Finally, they will react to the past using the book about the threshold of democracy in Greece.

Explain your thinking.  Provide evidence for why you expect these changes will improve outcomes. What learning theories are you basing them on? What related interventions have proven outcomes?

As used separately in my classrooms, components of Civilization, and debates about the beginnings of democracy in Greece have worked well. These related interventions have proven the outcomes I desired. Students were more interested in learning first-hand by understanding the game content, and then elsewhere students enjoyed participating in debates about the beginning of democracy in Greece. I based my expected results on important learning theories.

Since I have students write and present their own individual, counter-factual history, as compared to the actual historical events, and then role-play the threshold of democracy these procedures encourage active learning as noted in the readings. The students have to talk, listen, write, read, and of course reflect on their experience. Bonwell and Eison summarize activities that they include in active learning: visual learning, writing in class, problem solving, computer-based instruction, cooperative learning, debates, drama, role playing, simulations, games, and peer teaching. What I am proposing incorporates these techniques.

This is an important area since the simulations are biased towards the sciences and there are few historical re-creations. The 1066 game is an exception as well as of course an early simulation, the Oregon Trail.

References

Active Learning: Creating Excitement in the Classroom. 1991 ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Reports. Bonwell, Charles C.; Eison, James A.

http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED336049

http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/0-9/1066/game/index.html

Assignment 3.1: Make a Mod

INTRODUCTION

In this assignment you’ll apply what you know about approaches to learning and relevant learning theories. Instead of jumping right in and designing your own educational technology (which you will do soon), you’ll get to practice by first modifying an existing one. This will serve as a stepping stone to help you look critically at the design of a learning experience and come up with ways to improve it.

WHAT TO DO

1. Choose an existing learning intervention

For this week, we’re defining a “learning intervention” as an activity which engages learners with some particular content area. We’ve left this pretty broad because we want to give you a lot of latitude as you do the next part of the assignment. So it could be an educational game, but it could also be a textbook, science lab, set of flash cards, etc. Even a driver’s manual or a learn-to-juggle video. Anything goes!