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Background Scenario
This scenario assumes a class of 28 students at a Calgary Board of Education high school in an affluent neighbourhood. Students have regular and reliable access to computers and the Internet at school and home. Prior to the introduction of the project, the students will know:
Note: Any text (including books, plays, films, etc.) could be used as source material for inspiration. I selected Of Mice and Men because it is an approved resource for English 20-2, because it is short, because it contains numerous and obvious moral dilemmas, and because there are many relevant images available online for use and sharing.
- digital citizenship practices,
- principles of design and composition (students will have examined other pieces and identified principles used)
- the historical and cultural context of Of Mice and Men (brief overview or activity provided before students are assigned to read the book)
- the text Of Mice and Men (students will have read the text through once, employing close reading techniques; they will be prompted to note especially the decisions that the various characters make when faced with tough situations)
Note: Any text (including books, plays, films, etc.) could be used as source material for inspiration. I selected Of Mice and Men because it is an approved resource for English 20-2, because it is short, because it contains numerous and obvious moral dilemmas, and because there are many relevant images available online for use and sharing.
Introduce the Project
Discuss:
Provide project overview:
In the next 2-ish weeks, you and your team will explore the question: How can we use hypermedia narratives to explore the moral dilemmas we face in life? The purpose of your project is to practice and integrate the disciplines of close reading, writing, designing, and project management by creating a hypermedia narrative based on the novella, Of Mice and Men. As a design team, you will choose one of the main characters through whom your reader will experience the story. To do this effectively and validly requires a solid knowledge of the text as well as its wider context, as well as the ability to understand the characters’ perspectives and motivations. While there is no one correct interpretation of the text, you should attempt to fill in the gaps by drawing reasoned inferences. You could also rewrite the storyline to explore the potential consequences of making a different choice. You will use graphics and design to draw the player into the game and the story, to enhance its emotional appeal, and to communicate meaning. You’ll have to decide amongst your team how to divide and manage the work to meet deadlines. At the end, you’ll have a chance to experience and offer feedback on one another’s narratives.
Provide an overview of the 5 stages along with assessment handouts:
Explain that you will be a resource, but for the most part, students are expected to work collaboratively (within and among teams) to complete the project. Explain the use of the whiteboard chart and responsibilities of teams to provide status updates to teacher (see Project Stages). Explain also that, while teams may complete stages 1-4 at different paces, the ‘go live’ date for stage 5 is a firm deadline to ensure that students have time to play each other’s games and debrief. Distribute the assessment handouts, which will be students' guidance documents (see Assessment).
- What are some tough decisions you’ve had to make in your life?
- Have you encountered a problem that didn’t have an obvious solution or where you felt that any decision you make might be a bad one?
- Do you ever wish you could go back and change something you did in the past?
- When you read a webpage, do you often find yourself clicking on series of links, ending up on a page, and forgetting how you got there then trying to retrace your steps?
- Which do you find more engaging: books, or multimedia webpages? Why?
- In paper books, the author portrays characters that make decisions and then live with the consequences, much as we do in real life. What if books were written so that characters could make multiple decisions and we, as readers, could choose which story we wanted to explore (i.e., in parallel universes)?
Provide project overview:
In the next 2-ish weeks, you and your team will explore the question: How can we use hypermedia narratives to explore the moral dilemmas we face in life? The purpose of your project is to practice and integrate the disciplines of close reading, writing, designing, and project management by creating a hypermedia narrative based on the novella, Of Mice and Men. As a design team, you will choose one of the main characters through whom your reader will experience the story. To do this effectively and validly requires a solid knowledge of the text as well as its wider context, as well as the ability to understand the characters’ perspectives and motivations. While there is no one correct interpretation of the text, you should attempt to fill in the gaps by drawing reasoned inferences. You could also rewrite the storyline to explore the potential consequences of making a different choice. You will use graphics and design to draw the player into the game and the story, to enhance its emotional appeal, and to communicate meaning. You’ll have to decide amongst your team how to divide and manage the work to meet deadlines. At the end, you’ll have a chance to experience and offer feedback on one another’s narratives.
Provide an overview of the 5 stages along with assessment handouts:
Explain that you will be a resource, but for the most part, students are expected to work collaboratively (within and among teams) to complete the project. Explain the use of the whiteboard chart and responsibilities of teams to provide status updates to teacher (see Project Stages). Explain also that, while teams may complete stages 1-4 at different paces, the ‘go live’ date for stage 5 is a firm deadline to ensure that students have time to play each other’s games and debrief. Distribute the assessment handouts, which will be students' guidance documents (see Assessment).