Assignment Description
Project 1: Generational Changes in Learning

Does technology change the way people think and learn, or is learning so fundamental to human nature that it’s stable over time? Are you different from your parents because of the kinds of technology you had growing up? How will your children differ from you? What problems do these differences create?

For this assignment, you will work in a group to help design conduct, and analyze an online poll of your peers and people of your parents’ generation to test a hypothesis based on your reading of selections from Learning in the Digital Age by John Seely Brown, Twitchspeed by Marc Prensky and Growing up Digital, by Don Tapscott. You will propose hypotheses (using techniques described in Chapter 11 of The Thinker's Toolkit), assist in creating questions for an online survey (which Jim will create using Zoomerang), and solicit participation from 8 people from across the generational divide. Then you will work with a group to analyze the results and summarize them in a report and an informal in-class presentation.

It may be useful to you to view the results:

Your report should include the following elements:

  • The names of everyone on your team.
  • The hypotheses that you tested and the results of each (in a format similar to this worksheet).
  • On a separate page, for each hypothesis discussed, explain what data you found that was consistent, inconsistent or ambiguous with respect to that hypothesis. In other words, discuss the findings which are summarized on the worksheet.
  • A paragraph or two describing the meaning, probable cause or implications of your findings, particularly noting hypotheses which had the greatest and least support.
  • A final paragraph speculating on whether the experience of your children will be significantly different from your own. Suggest testable hypotheses and possible methods for testing those hypotheses (but don't actually do the testing).
  • A brief, informal presentation to your peers in class on March 23rd of your findings. All of your group should be involved in some way. You may use PowerPoint if you wish, but however you choose to present, your sharing of your findings should be meaningful and engaging.

This assignment counts for 20% of your course grade. You will be evaluated using this rubric. One person in your group should submit the final project to the appropriate spot in Moodle by March 16.