Teaching Computing in Society

Timeline #

Topic, Group, and Media Selection

Due Thu 09/28, 11:59pm at (bCourses link TBD)

Lesson Plan + Slides Presentation + Finalized Media Selection

Due Thu 10/05, 11:59pm at (bCourses link TBD)

Activity Pilot and Finalized Writeup

Due Thu 10/12, 2:00pm at (bCourses link TBD). This due date is before discussion!

Overview #

In this project, you get to design an H195 discussion! You will build a lesson plan for a 50-minute discussion for a group of your choice to engage critically with the social context of a particular computing technology or concept. We will provide readings on pedagogical practices.

Try to decide whom you will invite to the discussion before you pick your readings. This isn’t a hard requirement, but it will probably make it easier to have an impactful conversation.

You may do this assignment in pairs.

Topic, Group, and Media Selection #

The topic can be, broadly, anything that you are interested in as long as it has a computing component and a society component.

Some of the things that you shared at the beginning of the term in response to the question “What do you want to get out of this course?” might be good starting points.

1. Make a copy of this google doc template, add your last name to the title (and the last name of your parter if applicable), and submit a commentable link of your copy to bCourses.

2. In your doc few sentences explaining your chosen computing topic and how you plan to draw a connection to society or identity concepts.

3. Additionally, please provide at least one possible form of media (reading, movie, video, tweet, etc.) your discussion participants will be expected to look at beforehand. You aren’t obligated to stick with the media you choose at this step – this is just to give me a sense of the direction you’re planning on going.

4. Finally, in discussion we’ll be asking about everyone’s ideas! No formal prep for this is needed, just come to class with ideas :)

For example, if Ethan were to do this assignment, Ethan might design a discussion around FOSS (free and open-source software), covering its history and sustainability in capitalism, and select the core-js README by zloirock as a possible pre-reading. If you’re uncertain whether a topic would be a good fit, please ask!

This part is due Thu 09/28

Pedagogy Readings #

Please read the following:

• Tools for Teaching, (p. 97-p.101, PDF 115-119). Read up to and including “Starting a Discussion.”
• How to Write Learning Outcomes
• Establish Course-level Learning Objectives
• 5E Lesson Plan
• Knowledge Integration Environment

Lesson Plan + Slides Presentation + Finalized Media Selection #

1. Select and finalize 1-4 pieces of media that students should read prior to discussion that will situate your chosen technology or concept in the context of society. Student media should take about 1 to 1.5 hours in total, maximum. Add this to your doc.

   The UC Berkeley library is a good source for accessing possible readings.

2. Come up with a rough lesson plan that should last for about 50-minutes of discussion to engage the students critically with the social context and implications of your chosen topic. If you can’t get your group to meet for that long it can be shorter, but make a plan for at least 50 minutes. Write the rough lesson plan in your doc. (Hint: In a discussion, 50 minutes of discussion will take less planning than you think. You won’t be lecturing at the students, so you mostly need to plan to have enough interesting questions such that your students will be talking for 50 minutes! If you aren’t sure what counts as enough, feel free to ask us.)

3. Create a slidedeck to hold your discussion with. If you don’t want to use slides for your discussion (maybe you think the conversation will flow more naturally without them) just make a note of it in the doc and make sure your lesson plan is sufficiently detailed for you to use in the pilot.

Activity Pilot and Finalized Writeup #

1. Pilot: Try your discussion out with 2-7 people! If you are in a pair, try with 3-7 people. Make sure to ask your students to look at the media beforehand - but make the discussion in such a way that they are still able to participate even if they did not look at the chosen media.

2. Then, complete a one-page writeup that consists of:

   • What the background of your students are as it relates to their interest/perspective on the content and how that impacted how you held discussion
     • We only care about background as far as it impacts how you chose to hold discussion with them. For example, if their political leaning, age, etc. impact how they might think about these topics that might be relevant to mention. As always, you don’t need to reveal anything you aren’t comfortable revealing.
     • ex. I held discussion with my parents and grandparents. My parents are [blah blah] and my grandparents are [blah]. None of them know very much about technology, but rely a lot on it for their news.
   • Your learning goal(s) for the activity
   • A reflection on the pilot: What went well, what can be improved. This should be the bulk of your writeup.

3. In class, we will ask you to talk briefly about your discussion and how it went. In this synopsis you should include:

   • What are the computing topic and social context you are exploring?
   • What are your readings, and why did you choose each reading?
   • How did the background of your students impact your choices with regard to how you ran discussion and what readings you chose?
   • How did the pilot go, and what would you change or improve as part of your discussion?
   • What were your takeaways on how you communicate from this project? This is supposed to be a casual but in-depth discussion with your peers. Focus less on what the instructors learn from this and more on what you want your peers to learn about what you did.