This is an Engaged Civic Learning (ECL) course, meaning that the course is concerned with linking what we do in the classroom with the Camden community and thinking critically about responsible citizenship and community engagement. One of the key learning goals for this course is that students should leave the class with the ability to "clearly articulate the concerns discussed in this class to a public audience." You will be developing this skill during your final project. You will design and execute a "Sustainable Digital Practices" workshop with high school students from Camden.
By applying some of what we have discussed in class, you will design a hands-on workshop for students. You have already reflected on your own digital practices and have mapped the life cycle of a digital object. You will now apply what you've learned to create an experience for local high school students. In partnership with the Rutgers-Camden Center for the Arts and the "Digital Trash" exhibition running in the Stedman Gallery, you will will guide students through activities that allow them to think critically about what information they share and what kind of "digital trash" they produce. The workshop should, just as we have throughout the semester, address both physical devices and digital content.
You are tasked with planning and designing the workshop based on the readings and activities in the first two units of this semester. While the exact activities of the workshop are up to you, you might consider replicating some of your own assignments on a smaller scale (for instance, having students do some of the supply chain research you carried out for your own projects), or you might design entirely new activities. You will run this workshop for students in the Ignite program on December 11 at 4:00pm in the Digital Commons.
The project will account for 30% of your grade, and here are the different components of the project:
Planning Document (15%)
Think of this as a "lesson plan" of sorts. It should lay out the learning goals of your workshop, the key concepts you want attendees to understand, and a detailed plan for how you will use your time. This document should be very detailed and should account for various contingencies. What if technology falters? What if an activity is falling flat? What if you don't have as many students as you planned for? What if you have too many? This list is not exhaustive, but it reflects the kinds of questions you should be asking.
Presentation Materials and Documentation (10%)
Your workshop will likely involve some slide presentations, materials to hand out to students, instructions, and more. All of this should be carefully designed, keeping in mind your target audience (junior high and/or high school students), your time constraints, and your learning goals. Remember that you are trying to convey what you've learned about "digital trash" to this group of students in a workshop format. There should be an experiential component to your workshop - this is something more than just a presentation. So, your materials should plan for hands-on, engaged learning activities.
During the workshop, members of your team will be tasked with recording observations. What's working, what isn't? What would you do differently next time? Which activities were a poor fit for your audience? Which activities seemed to work particularly well? These are just some of the questions you'll be reflecting on during the workshop. Based on these observations, members of your team will generate a document that discusses the strengths and weaknesses of your workshop and what you might do differently if you delivered it again.
Reflections and Discussion of Your Contributions (5%)
All members of the class will receive the same grade for the planning document and the presentation materials, since all of you will work together on this project. However, in this paper of 500 words, you will reflect on the workshop, what you might do differently if given the opportunity to run this workshop again, and discuss (in detail) your own contributions to the project.
Note: If members of the class indicate to me that someone is not completing work, I will meet individually with that student. Students found to be not participating in the project will not receive credit for the project.
When grading these projects, I will be asking the following questions:
- Does your plan carefully lay out the workshop and consider as many contingencies as possible?
- Do your presentation materials reflect careful attention to design?
- Does your workshop make good use of the time and directly involve students with hands-on activities?
- Does the final presentation represent thoughtful critical reflection about what you did and what you might have done differently?
