Author: admin

Final Reflection

In Authentic Learning in the Digital Age: Engaging Students Through Inquiry, Larissa Pahomov writes, “For student reflection to be meaningful, it must be metacognitive, applicable, and shared with others,” and defines metacognitive reflection as taking the process of reflection “to the next level because it is concerned not with assessment, but with self-improvement: Could this be better? How? What steps should you take?” (read full article here). In light of this assertion, I would like you to write a metacognitive reflection on the final project. This reflection should address the following questions, with an aim to identify how you could improve your work.

  1. Describe your contributions to the final project in detail. What writing/research/design/management responsibilities did you take on in order to complete this project? How did you complete your individual contributions to the group? What steps did you take? What tools did you use? Did you meet your deadlines (why or why not)?
  2. Did you feel like your contributions had a positive impact on the final project? Did you feel the other group members valued your contributions? Did the reactions of your group members (revisions, suggestions, critiques) help you develop your materials in a constructive way?
  3. How do you feel you worked as a team? How did you facilitate communication and collaboration between the group members? What tools did you use? Can you suggest improvements for this process? What did you learn that would help you in future group work situations?
  4. What did you learn through the process of creating and presenting this project? How did this project help you synthesize and apply the topics we covered throughout the semester? Do you have suggestions to improve this assignment?
  5. And finally, what readings, activities, assignments, and discussions did you find particularly helpful, informative, and engaging in this class this semester? What would you suggest be changed to improve this course next time it is offered?

You may expand or add to these guidelines in any way you wish. This is your opportunity to speak directly to me about what you learned in this course.

This will be submitted as a Google Doc (title: finalreflection_yoursection_yourlastname for example finalreflection_151ON1_licastro) that you share with me upon completion. You must invite me as an editor (with privileges to edit, not just read or comment). You will complete this after our final presentations on the day of our scheduled final exam.

Also, please include this statement at the bottom of the document and fill in your name and response:

I ____________ do/ do not give Dr. Amanda Licastro permission to use my final project as an example in scholarly presentations and publications.

 

 

Presentation Strategies

Presentation

Tips

  • Format
    • What form will your presentation take? Prezi, PowerPoint, Google Slides, a skit, a song?
    • Slides should be visual! Choose images, colors, and fonts carefully. (Cite all images and videos!)
    • Follow the rule of 7 (aim for 7 words or less on each slide).
    • Know of all your material without reading it from the presentation slides.
  • Flow
    • Avoid repetition!
    • Practice together as a group.
    • Speak slowly and clearly.
  • Interactivity
    • Engage your audience.
    • Make eye contact with your audience.
    • Design a survey, quiz, Q&A, or something to solicit responses from your peers.
  • Timing
    • 15 mins to present, 5 for questions.
    • Practice makes perfect.

The goal is to be engaging and informative. Watch Shark Tank and TED Talks for inspiration.

Reliable Sources

Finding Reliable Sources

For every source you wish to use as a resource for an academic paper, you should be able to answer ALL of these questions, and you should acknowledge these findings when citing the source in your paper. Your initial assignment is to find one source for the topic you choose to share with the class. Once you find a source you want to use for this class, answer the following questions:

  1. Who is responsible for the source? What do you know about them?
  2. What is the author’s general attitude toward the subject?
  3. What is the level of originality of the material? Can you find this material elsewhere? Is it too general or too specific?
  4. How authoritative or trustworthy does the material seem? Why?
  5. How completely does the site/article/book deal with the subject at hand?
  6. If a website, what sorts of links does the site contain? If an article, book, or chapter, who or what does the source site? How do these links/citations add the authority of the site? How complete and recent are they?
  7. How is the source biased?
  8. When was the source published? If a website, when was it last updated?

If you are unsure about a source, bring the information to class and together we will determine if it would be appropriate to use for a research paper and why. You should repeat this process for ALL of your work in this class and every class you take. If possible, consult a librarian, tutor, or e-mail your instructor if you are having trouble evaluating a resource.

Pitch feedback

On each pitch post, answer the following questions in the comment section.

  1. What excites you about this project and why?
  2. What do you want to see more of and why?
  3. What additional evidence does the audience need for you to be convinced that this research is complete?

Essay in class

In this class we have discussed how technology has impacted the education system. Both The Nether and Ready Player One show a fictionalized version of our future. Compare how both Jennifer Haley and Ernest Cline demonstrate the positive and negative impacts of Virtual Reality (VR) on our education system, and make a clear argument about how you feel VR should be incorporated into our classrooms.

  • Use in-text citations for paraphrasing, summary, and quotation in MLA format.
  • Use direct evidence from both texts.
  • Aim for at least 2 pages, double-spaced, Times New Roman, size 12, 1 inch margins.
  • Make sure to have a thesis statement and transitions.

Final Assignment

For your final project you will use all of the readings and discussions we have had throughout this semester to inspire your own creation: a virtual reality experience that focuses on the education system. You may draw from your own personal experience, the readings we have done, and outside research to design a short VR application intended to educate your audience. Consider using the NYTimes VR applications as inspiration ans models for your work. You will design this simulation as an entry to the grant competition being held by the U.S. Department of Education:

https://haptic.al/department-of-education-virtual-reality-42f5ce1187dc#.bvdpaqmgi

Please review the specific criteria here:

https://www.edsimchallenge.com/

Grant Winner Selection Criteria

The following criteria will be used to select the winner(s):

  • Learning Outcomes.
    Contains clearly defined academic, technical, and employability learning objectives; (1) spurs change or improvement in the user’s knowledge and skills; and (2) evokes empathy in the viewer.
  • User Experience.
    The simulation prototype demonstrates an engaging user experience on par with commercially available entertainment games.
  • User Interface.
    The simulation prototype exhibits a thoughtful user interface design on par with commercially available entertainment games.
  • Commitment and Research.
    The submission (1) demonstrates the entrant’s evolution and improvement of currently available VR applications; and (2) illustrates the entrant’s ability and intention to improve upon and scale the simulation beyond the prototype.
  • Implementation Strategy.
    The submission describes a detailed plan for implementation that takes into account potential barriers such as cost and technological constraints, including integration with existing and future technology, and proposes potential solutions to overcome such barriers.
  • Long-term Vision.
    The submission: (1) demonstrates a plan for encouraging collaboration among the developer community, including making aspects of the solution available through open source licenses; and (2) provides a vision of how the entrant’s plan will stimulate the broader educational simulation market.

To accomplish this task, the project will be broken down into steps.

  1. Individual pitches: each student will conceptualize and present their idea for a project in 3 minutes. The class will vote on the top 4 or 5 projects. (10 points)
  2. Group contracts: in small groups of 3-4, students will outline their plan for this project and assign roles and responsibilities for each student to accomplish. A timeline and due dates will be established. (5 points)
  3. Formal proposals: each group will compose a 5-7 page proposal for their project meeting the criteria of the competition. The proposal will include outside research, citations, and a bibliography. (50 points)
  4. Storyboard: each group will create a demo of the simulation by making script and storyboard for their prototype. (20 points)
    Storyboard (Hints and Tips)

  5. Final presentation: this is your mock presentation to the U.S. Department of Education. You will present all of your research and your prototype using: PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi, Emaze, handouts, poster, etc. You have 12 minutes plus 3 for questions (15 total).
    The final presentations are during our final exam period. Feel free to bring food/drinks to share!100 points total

Pitch

For your final project you will be creating an educational VR experience that evokes empathy. The first step in this process is to pitch your idea to your potential investors (your classmates). To accomplish this you must present:

  • A 350 word abstract in MLA format. Post this to the blog under tag “pitch.” Find examples here: http://www.umt.edu/ugresearch/umcur/sample_abstracts.php
  • A description of your intended audience and an explanation of how you will reach them.
  • A clear purpose and an explanation of why this is educational and evokes empathy.
  • Citations and evidence of research.

You will have 5 minutes to present, and I will time you. Think of this like a Shark Tank pitch. You want the presentation to be convincing, dynamic, and well researched. Be prepared to answer questions from the audience.

Provocations

Throughout the semester you will notice “provocation” assignments built into our syllabus. They are often broken into groups and correspond to longer works of fiction. Provocations are meant to provide context and support for your student-led discussions in class. In order to complete these assignments you must:

  • Read the assigned text very closely and annotate it thoroughly.
  • Choose one section of the text you found most interesting/problematic/controversial/stimulating and summarize it in 5-7 sentences.
  • All direct quotes, paraphrasing, and summaries must have an MLA citation.
  • Construct a complex question for your classmates to answer about that section of the text that will spark a lively debate.

On the blog, you will post your provocations BEFORE class time as indicated on the syllabus. ONLY post when your group is listed on the syllabus. Use the category and tag provided by your professor for each post.

These posts will be graded on a 5 point scale:

  • 5points= An engaging, thought-provoking post that shows attention to detail and comprehension of the text. Grammar and mechanics must be practically perfect (edit carefully!). Direct evidence from the text with a citation must be included.
  • 4points = An accurate summary and well-composed question that may contain a small, but not catastrophic, misreading or errors in grammar and mechanics.
  • 3points= A sloppy post that shows little effort and does not include the elements listed above.
  • 2points= A post that is a day late, or difficult to read, or phrased in a way that students would be unable to respond.
  • 1point= A post that is a week late, contains numerous errors, and does not contribute to the conversation.
  • 0points= The post does not exist.

Please create these summaries and questions yourself: DO NOT STEAL OTHER PEOPLES WORK. If I find you have plagiarized these posts you will be reported. If you are struggling please come see me or email me with questions.

Outline examples

How to outline: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/544/02/

Sample outlines: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20081113013048_544.pdf

Suggested Formats

Example 1

Introduction:

  • Hook – how will you draw in your audience?
  • Establish your authority – why should the audience trust your opinion?
  • Thesis – what is your overarching argument that ties this essay together?

Body Paragraph 1:

  • Topic sentence – what is this paragraph about?
  • Example from first article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you agree with this statement.
  • Example from second article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you agree with this statement.
  • Explain how these two examples relate.

Body Paragraph 2:

  • Transition sentence – how does this paragraph relate to your last two points?
  • Example from third article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you disagree with this statement.
  • Example from fourth article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you disagree with this statement.

Body Paragraph 3:

  • Transition sentence.
  • Provide your own experience and compare that to the experience presented in the articles we have read.
  • Explain how your experience influences your opinion.

Conclusion:

  • Based on the information presented above, how do you think the education system should adapt to the digital age in the future?

_________________________________________

Example 2

Introduction:

  • Hook – how will you draw in your audience?
  • Establish your authority – why should the audience trust your opinion?
  • Thesis – what is your overarching argument that ties this essay together?

Body Paragraph 1:

  • Topic sentence – what is this paragraph about?
  • Provide your own experience and compare that to the experience presented in the articles we have read.
  • Explain how your experience influences your opinion.

Body Paragraph 2:

  • Transition sentence – how does this paragraph relate to your last two points?
  • Example from first article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you agree with this statement.
  • Example from second article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you disagree with this statement.
  • Explain how these two examples differ and which you believe.

Body Paragraph 3:

  • Transition sentence – how does this paragraph relate to your last two points?
  • Example from third article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you agree with this statement.
  • Example from fourth article – summary, paraphrase, quote with citation.
  • Explain the example in your own words and why you disagree with this statement.
  • Explain how these two examples differ and which you believe.

Conclusion:

  • Based on the information presented above, how do you think the education system should adapt to the digital age in the future?

How should schools adapt to the digital age?

Instructions: The main objective of this assignment is twofold: 1) You will practice active reading by analyzing the arguments presented by the four authors we read – Carr, Murphy, La Farge, and Jabr – on how the Internet is changing our ability to read and research. You need to present at least four points from the articles through summary, paraphrase, and/or quotation (with citations) and explain the significance of each in your own words. 2)  You will present new knowledge about the subject being explored: a comparison essay should always do more than simply list similarities and differences, it should also incorporate your own opinion and experience. Therefore, based on the comparison you’ve conducted, you should also make an argument about which approach to education in the digital age is best and explain why. Your argument should take precedence over the comparison, so don’t let a lengthy comparison section overwhelm your overall argument.

Audience: For this assignment, your audience is an educator or administrator who is well informed and interested in the relationship between technology and learning. You may choose to imagine your audience as sympathetic to your argument or staunchly against your argument.

Requirements:

  • Length: 3-4 pages
  • Formatting: Your draft should be in Times New Roman, size 12, double-spaced, one-inch margins, MLA pagination and citation style, use spell-check. Your final will be posted to the course blog with the category “midterm” and the tag “midterm.”
  • Organization: Your essay should contain an introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs with strong topic sentences and transitions, and a conclusion.
  • Provide a title.

Learning Outcomes:

  • Solve a problem whose context and definition have been given.
  • Read and interpret texts rhetorically.
  • Use sources, differentiating between quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing.
  • Write expository and argumentative texts in the academic style and to the basic standards of content, organization, and correctness.
  • Communicate orally and nonverbally during class participation, workshops, and/or presentations.
  • Negotiate personal values by recognizing the values within a text.