Collaboration

The purpose of this assignment is for students to collaborate and explore the potential impact of a specific technology on society. I will facilitate this experience by acting as a guide as the students discuss possible topics, formulate a project timeline, share research, and collaborate on a final presentation. While students will be able to collaborate face-to-face during class, I will also set up an online learning space using Moodle in which the students will be required to interact with each other and me. There will be assigned "check-ins" with me both in person an in the online work space in order to ensure that the students are successfully completing objectives. I will also deepen student engagement by providing choices for the group as well as the group's individual members. As a whole, the group will be allowed to choose which technology they study and the type of presentation they decide to deliver. Individual members of the group will be able to study and propose a technology of their choice to the group before a final topic is chosen. They will also be able to choose which aspect of society (economics, world culture, etc.) they would like to study in regards to the group's topic, as well as have their own role in the final presentation.
 * HOME || OUTLINE || COLLABORATION || LESSONS || ASSESSMENTS || DIVERSITY ||
 * Collaborative Learning Experience and Engagement**

There are two strategies I intend to use in order to encourage and support my students' efforts to find a solution to this problem. First of all, I will make it clear from the beginning that there are no wrong answers to the problem to begin with. As long as their solution is based on research and evidence, they are free to offer any solution they can conjure. Secondly, I will encourage them to dig deeper by playing the Devil's Advocate throughout the project. By pointing out possible flaws in their proposed solutions before the final project is due, I can encourage them to dig deeper and find a more feasible solution. I will use the online work space as a vehicle to utilize these two strategies. I will add to or start discussion threads to guide or encourage discussion, as well as upload or link to resources that may confirm or refute the information students are finding.
 * Supporting Student Effort**

I will assign heterogenous groups of 4-5 students. I feel that heterogenous groups are important to encourage a variety of perspectives and ideals to be discussed throughout the project. If students were grouped with others who were of the same academic, socio-economic, or cultural background, then it would become more difficult to engage in meaningful discussions about how a technology might impact a diverse group of people across the globe. While I typically do not like to have more than four students in a group for a normal project, I feel that creating groups of 4-5 is appropriate for this project. A slightly larger group will allow for more diversity within the group and allow each group to explore a wider variety of social issues surrounding the technology they have chosen.
 * Assigning Student Groups**

Students will collaborate and store information in the Moodle learning management system. They will also be encouraged to explore a variety of presentation softwares including Prezi, Bubbl.us, iMovie, Google Sites, and Zoho. I will also provide links to the following sites for students to begin their research:
 * Digital Tools and Websites**
 * Michigan Electronic Library - a free online library for Michigan students with access to databases of scholarly articles
 * The World Fact Book - hosted by the CIA, facts about population, religion, economies, etc. for every country in the world
 * MIT's Technology Review - an online journal of everything technology
 * Tech News World - a section of this website focuses on emerging and future technologies

Students will be assessed on their individual contributions to the project. One tool I will use for assessing participation is Moodle. The online learning management system will track how often students logged on, participated in discussions, edited wikis, and uploaded content. I will also meet regularly with members of the group in person to formatively assess their progress on a given task. The summative assessment will include an individual reflection by each student in which he will have to summarize what he has learned, describe his contributions to the group, and explain what, if anything, he would have done differently. Combined, these assessments will provide me with an accurate picture of how each member of the group met the objectives.
 * Assessing Participation**