Breadth of Knowledge – Page 2 – L4: Living Lab Learning Library

June 4, 2019June 6, 2019

The Peopling of New York City: Neighborhood Explorations

Monica Berger

Library

LIB/ ARCH2205: Learning Places

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

How do we understand a neighborhood in terms of who lives there? Specifically, we will look at the different immigrant and ethnic groups that people a neighborhood. This four-class unit is designed for LIB/ARCH2205, Learning Places, but could be used as a module for other courses. The timing of this module in LIB/ARCH2205 would depend on whether the course focuses entirely on the intercultural theme or if the module infuses or adds intercultural learning as a secondary or tertiary aspect of neighborhood exploration. For the full intercultural focus, I envision this module in weeks 4 and 5 after students have learned about New York City and United States immigrant and ethnic history and as well as ethnic studies as it relates to identity and intersectionality. I hope to bring in faculty with expertise in sociology, anthropology and/or history to either co-teach or guest lecture.

We will focus on the Sunset Park, Brooklyn neighborhood: it has a varied and rich ethnic and immigrant history and sociology and is easy to travel to from campus. Class one is an information literacy-oriented workshop that foregrounds student understanding of the neighborhood preparing them for intercultural and place-based learning and meaningful analysis and reflection. Next, in class two, students observe the neighborhood through the intercultural lens. They will be guided in their observations with a series of prompts. Chiefly using photography and audio recordings, they will record their observations. In class three, the students will work together in teams to create a short (5 minute) presentation. They will be supplied with a PowerPoint template that guides how their incorporate their documentation. In the final class of unit, class four, the teams will share out their presentations. The unit will culminate with an in-class reflection and a related homework reflection. For homework, students will also select a signature artifact from a cultural group in their home neighborhood. In the following class, the class will play a game to deduce the artifact and, in the process, may become more aware of individual presumptions. For courses with a semester-long focus on place-based learning, this unit prepares students to continue the iterative work of synthesizing close observation and research. Students would return to the neighborhood to develop and deepen the observation and research connection, moving towards and into a substantial research question.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

Class 1: In the Wikipedia exercise, the students will be introduced to domain knowledge about the neighborhood. The structure of the article will help students begin to see how a topic is structured and give them a frame for future research. The exercise will also incorporate many facets of information literacy including documentation, attribution and bibliographic references to published/library resources. Students will learn how to find books and other materials including newspaper articles. There will be a brief activity where they find the call number of location of the books in our library. Time will also be given to reading the Encyclopedia of New York City article on Sunset Park. The class will end with a group think-pair-share activity where students compare and contrast Wikipedia to library resources. Homework will require students to find an article in a local newspaper or magazine related to Sunset Park and write a 75-word blog post on OpenLab summarizing the article. Every article must be unique.

Class 2: The exploration: students will learn how to observe visually and aurally and record key facets of a neighborhood and its people through a series of prompts related to the intercultural knowledge and place-based learning. Students will practice utilizing non-text documentation to capture their observations.

Class 3: Preparing the presentation: Students will practice group work and learn how to incorporate their findings into a template that makes the observation coherent. Students reflect on what they observed about ethnic and immigrant culture(s) in a specific neighborhood. Did they see relationships between the culture of a specific group and the culture of their neighborhood-as-place? They will be guided by the affective aspects of the experience.

Class 4: Sharing the presentation. Students will practice oral presentation skills and reflect in class on the unit’s overall learning goal. They will journal to this prompt: How did this activity help you see relationships between a specific cultural group and place (how ethnic groups situate themselves in a neighborhood)? The homework will generate an explicit learning experience where students relate the unit back to their own neighborhood (and self). The homework incorporates metacognition since the students will be “teaching” (explaining to another person) what they learned in a new context. Homework will also involve selection of an artifact for a game for the next class. This little game will also help students to become more self-aware of their own intercultural knowledge.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

Between weeks 4 and 8. Provided this unit will be used in LIB/ARCH2205 which has longer class sessions, the entire class time will be used for all four sessions although the first class could be compressed into a shorter session of about 60-75 minutes. The other three classes will require the full two hours normally scheduled for this class. Time for assignments: Out of class time for class one: about 30 minutes; class four: about 30-60 minutes.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

Class one: no preparation. Tablets are needed for student work. For the two activities the instructions will be given on the worksheet and orally (see activity as attachment). For the homework, the instructions will be on OpenLab. Low stakes.

Class two: Observation prompt instructions will be given onsite to the students as a handout that will also have instructions for the production in class three. All instructions will also be added to the course site on OpenLab. Students need to shoot at least three photos but sketches are also permissible as a substitute. Students should record an audio note about why they shot the photograph and how it addresses the supplied prompts. They will also record at least two signature sounds of the neighborhood. We probably will lead the students all together initially for the first 30-60 minutes and then break them up into teams of three to explore on their own. Whether or not we’ll subdivide the neighborhood into discrete physical units for exploration will be determined.

Students should use their phones to record their observations as much as possible since written note taking is difficult in the field. Students are also reminded to be sensitive to anyone they are photographing or recording and to avoid any situation that might be construed as invasive. The activity is the high-stakes activity for the unit. Homework incorporates parts of the Learning Places site visit template and will be emailed to the instructor to avoid plagiarism. See Class Two details for instructions.

Class three: Instructions will be given in class on the white board. Students will break into teams of three where one student each is responsible for photos, audio, and artifacts. Students will copy their images and recordings to their laptops or tablets to integrate them into the PowerPoint template supplied by the instructors. Homework requires the students to work together to finalize their presentations.

Class four: Student teams will each have five minutes to present. After the presentation, each table of students not presenting will be prompted to ask the team who presented a good question. This will take at least 1 hour. [whether or not to have students use a rubric to grade each other is a big question]. The instructor will then discuss the student homework from the fieldtrip for 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes to discuss the upcoming homework. Next, students will spend 10 minutes on a journal reflection (see class description for details). Remaining class time can be spent in lecture preparing students for the next unit of the course.

Assessment: How do you assess this activity? What assessment measures do you use? Do you use a VALUE rubric? If not, how did you develop your rubric? Is your course part of the college-wide general education assessment initiative?

Parts of the INTERCULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND COMPETENCE VALUE rubric will be used for student work in classes 2-4, particularly the student presentations. Additionally, for the student presentations, elements of the VALUE rubric for INQUIRY AND ANALYSIS and ORAL COMMUNICATION will be selected, modified and simplified. Class one’s homework is too simple to apply the VALUE rubric for information literacy. It will relate to other assignments and products in LIB/ARCH2205.

No, this course is not part of the college-wide general education assessment initiative.

Reflection: How well did this activity work in your classroom? Would you repeat it? Why or why not? What challenges did you encounter, and how did you address them? What, if anything, would you change? What did students seem to enjoy about the activity?

I can only speak to the Wikipedia module I teach to English 1101 and 1121. Students enjoy it but I haven’t yet turned it into an active-learning experience since 50 minutes is very brief. I will move this forward over the summer as I flesh out the teaching material for class one of this unit. The site observation, using a very different theme and template, was challenging for logistical reasons because students often were late and got lost. Students generally enjoy any place-based learning but ideally it needs foregrounding, repetition, and scaffolding to be truly robust.

Additional Information: Please share any additional comments and further documentation of the activity – e.g. assignment instructions, rubrics, examples of student work, etc. These can be links to pages or posts on the OpenLab.

Teaching outlines and materials for classes one and two are attached.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

Class One: Wikipedia for Learning Places (70-90 minutes)
https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/mberger-portfolio/files/2019/06/wikipedia-for-learning-places-for-L4-deposit.pdf

CLASS 2 INTERCULTURAL PLACE-BASED LEARNING investigation / observation https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/mberger-portfolio/files/2019/06/CLASS-2-INTERCULTURAL-PLACE.pdf

June 1, 2019

Radiology Assignment

Audra Haynes

Dental Hygiene

Dental Radiology/ DEN 1218

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

This semester you have learned about the production, use and safety of x-radiation. As dental professionals, you will encounter people with diverse backgrounds and ideologies. Exposing x-rays is part of overall patient assessment, yet that can be a challenge for some. Your assignment will be to explain to clinical patients what x-radiation is and why we use it. You must be able to explain the benefits versus the risks. You will have to demonstrate and articulate the understanding of x-radiation in patient care and assessment. You will do this using different case scenarios that a dental hygienist may encounter in the dental setting.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

The learning goals that each student will aim to achieve are learning to communicate to diverse groups with both written and oral skills.
Students will apply global and multicultural orientation, by understanding the role cultural barriers play in patient care and assessment.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

Students will work on the assignment at the mid-semester period. The assignment will be worked on outside of class time, based on course material.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

This activity will involve working in groups of 2. Each group will be given a case scenario involving a situation that will require the group to develop patient education, which will address the case scenario. The patient education must involve a description of x-ray production, x-ray safety, and why x-rays are used in dental patient assessment. The group must account for cultural challenges and incorporate that into their patient education. While you will be working as a group on the assignment, each member of the group will submit their own written paper. The paper should be a 2 page, doubled spaced paper that will be submitted to the instructor. You are free to use additional resources not covered in class. All resources used must be cited.
Each group will create 2 role play videos of the case scenario. Each member of the group will have the opportunity to be both the clinician and the patient. The videos will 5-7 minutes at length and will be uploaded to OpenLab for peer review. The video must include all aspects of the case scenario as well as the written patient education developed by the group. Feel free to have fun with the video and make it as entertaining as you want but stay to the 5-7 minutes and keep to the case scenario and patient education developed. This low-stakes assignment is designed to help you incorporate what you have learned in the classroom into clinical practice.

This activity will be assessed using a 2 rubrics. One rubric will assess the written portion of the assignment, evaluating the completeness, the understanding, and the writing mechanics of the assignment. The second rubric will evaluate the role play, which will address the communication style, interactive dialogue and non-verbal communication. The role play rubric will also have a peer rubric where the students will evaluate each other.
The AAC&U Intercultural Knowledge and Competence VALUE Rubric will be used to as a guide in creating the assignment.

This information is not available yet. The activity has not been implemented yet.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

May 11, 2018

Ethics in Food Purchasing

Tracy Zimmermann

Hospitality Management

HMGT 1102 Introduction to Food and Beverage

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

A Three Part Assignment on Ethics and Food Purchasing.

PART 1 – The Lexicon of Sustainability Weekly Blog Assignment

Task-
To consider what exactly sustainability and the food system is and how it affects our food purchasing choices. This assignment will bring awareness to the subject of sustainability and it’s terms, concepts and challenges. Short films (3-6 min) from “The Lexicon of Sustainability” will be posted to our class Open Lab Site on a weekly basis.

Expectations
Each week the expectation will be to view the video and post a 4-5 sentence guided reflection / reaction blog post to our class open lab site. Weekly from Week 2 through Week 12

PART 2 – Market Visit (Week 7 or 8 of the semester)

Task –
A site visit to Eataly Gourmet Market. This will create an opportunity for the students to get out and visit a different type of market and to see food and beverage products that they may not have come into contact with.

We will explore the market in small groups, taking part in a photographic scavenger hunt. Our goal will be to see as much of the market as possible and encounter as many different products as possible.

Expectation
– Groups will post their scavenger hunt pictures to the open lab site
– Individuals will reflect on the site visit with a blog post on the open lab. This blog post will be guided by specific reflection questions, including whether they believe Eataly is a place that would support Ethical Food Purchasing decisions.

PART 3 – Final Group Project / Presentation (Week 12 or 13)

Task
Students will be placed into groups and given a food category to work with. (i.e. Meat, Poultry, Dairy, Vegetables, Fruits, Dry Goods, etc…).

Group – will research the food category and the items it includes. Included in the research they will explain the ethical concerns that may be involved in purchasing in this food category.

Individuals
– Will choose a product from your category to focus on and research that product and the specific purchasing factors. (price, size, purchase unit, age, quality level, variety, domestic / imported / local, ethical concerns, etc.)
– Visit at least 3 different markets that carry your item and compare and contrast the products found in each. Comment on where you would make your purchase and why.
– Explain the ethical considerations involved in your purchase decision. Comment on how important the ethical considerations were to your purchase decision. Why is this?

Expectation
– Each group will present their findings to the class, with each individual speaking about their specific product.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

A scaffolded approach to a full understanding of sustainability and ethics in food purchasing. This will allow the student to travel from concept to practice and include sustainability and ethics in their food purchasing decisions.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

This will begin on the first day of class with an introduction to the Open Lab and Blogging as well as a discussion of what some of the issues in our food system are. After this introduction the majority of this assignment will be done outside of the classroom on the Open Lab.

The Final assignment will be presented in the classroom

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

Part 1 – Videos will be posted, instructions and reflection questions will be given. Low stakes blog post assignments.
Part 2 – Pre-Reading on Eataly will be supplied, directions to site will be supplied with maps, scavenger hunt will be prepared and explained. Low stakes.
Part 3 – Groups and Categories assigned, outline given. High stakes – Final Project

Critical Thinking Value Rubric
Ethical Reasoning Value Rubric
Oral Communication Value Rubric

Has not been introduced yet.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

April 27, 2018

Political Action Assignment

Sarah Jacobs

English

English Composition 1101

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

Students will individually research a public policy or planning issue that is being debated at the state, city, or neighborhood level. Each student will post a summary of the different sides of the debate and the different parties involved on OpenLab. The summary will include references and citations to three sources suitable for an academic paper. Each student will then comment on two other posts. Students' comments will either suggest what additional information is needed to make a policy decision or state what policy decision the student thinks is best and why that decision is ethically correct. Students will then be divided into four or five groups, each of which focuses on a policy, based on which posts were most commented on. Within their groups, students will gather questions regarding what additional information is needed for their issue and will assign group members to find out the additional information. Finally, students will individually post their policy recommendations and will take a political action in support of their recommendations. In class, each group will come to an agreement through debating and/or voting concerning which policy decision or decisions the group recommends. Group members will then rate one another's contributions using a rubric.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

I would like students to grasp the ethical complexities of a current issue and develop language for talking about the ethical difficulties of that issue. I would also like students to gain confidence within their assigned group roles. Researching their topics will also help students evaluate sources. Negotiating with other members of their group on the group's stance will help students hone their ability to communicate with and convince others of their stance.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

This would be done during the latter half of the semester, and it would take up about four or five weeks of class. Completing the assignment sequence would require two hours of work outside of class each week.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

Students would need practice locating and evaluating sources. I would instruct them on the types of sources that would be appropriate, and I would suggest a list of databases and websites that they could use. I would say that the OpenLab posts are low to medium stakes, while the group debate and political action are medium to high stakes.

Students will assess one another's group work using a simple rubric. I will give students individual feedback on their posts, which would translate into a written response that takes the VALUE rubric into account.

How well this activity works will depend on how successful I am at assigning students roles within their groups and in giving them instructions regarding what their group needs to be accomplishing at set times. Also, I will try to choose four or five topics for the groups that I think have the strongest potential for complex ethical exploration.

Assignment: http://www.sarahruthjacobs.com/JacobsPolitical%20Action%20Assignment2.pdf

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

April 27, 2018

Ultimatum Game & Dictator Game

Ahmed Elkhouly

Social Science/CityTech

MAcroeconomics

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

The activity is based on game theory and social psychology research, and is designed to focus players on how they think about issues involving fairness and trust and how they predict the behaviors of others. the activity has two phases. in the first phase, Dictator, some players simply make a decision about how much of a sum of money they wish to share with another. Here, the primary focus is on the Sharer who makes the decision—and holds all of the power. in the second phase, Ultimatum, some power shifts to the person on the receiving end. Here, the Sharer makes an offer; if the Receiver refuses the offer, neither player gets any money at all.

Each phase can be played in just a few minutes, with minimal materials and little setup time. it can work with groups of nearly any size.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

“Reasoning about right and wrong human conduct”

Ethical self
– How much would you offer?
– What is the minimum would you accept?

Ethical issue recognition
– What ethical issue is this activity about?
– Where do your ideas of what is or isn’t fair come from?
Awareness
– Suppose the reward was bigger, how this will change your decision?
– Do you think fairness comes from our genes or is it something we learn?

Understanding different ethical perspectives
– Would you expect the kinds of offers made in the Ultimatum phase to be different from those in the Dictator phase?
– Do different groups or cultures have different definitions of “fairness”? can you give some examples to support your view?

Application of Ethical principles
– What exactly does it mean to be “fair” to others? Does it mean that you have to split the reward equally, or could an uneven split still be “fair”? is there some rule that determines what a “fair” offer is?

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

In the beginning of the semester

Two lectures will be devoted to this activity and the resulting discssions

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

1- Class will be divided in two groups

2- Random coin flip will determine which group will be proposers and which will be responders.

3- Instruction about the game: Proposers shall make an offer of any value the wish from the reward they have. If responders accept the offer, the split will happen. However, if responders rejected the offer, the reward will be withdrawn from the proposers and none of it will be given to anybody (neither the prosper nor the responder).

3- Each prospers receive a reward (say $10) to split. The offer shall be written on a blank paper (with a code number on the back) without names. Proposers shall write the code number in their notebook.

4- Responders receive the offers and make decisions. Reward shall be distributed according to instructions.

6- The game is repeated again using all the previous procedures except that proposers can be dictators. They can make any offer they want (abut splitting the reward), and responders have no choice.

Using Ethical reasoning VALUE rubric

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

April 26, 2018

Promotional Videos: For/Against Development In Downtown Brooklyn

Josh A. Kapusinski

Communication Design Department

COMD 2320 Introduction to Film/Video Production Design

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

Promotional Videos: For/Against Development In Downtown Brooklyn is a place-based learning assignment where students are divided into groups and play the roles of an advertising agency and a local community organization who are tasked to create a video promoting future development or a video trying to stop future development in aim to preserve the history and integrity of downtown Brooklyn.

The assignment: Students are divided into four groups (3-4 students per group). Two of the four groups play the role of an advertising agency who has been hired by a developer selling commercial and residential space in downtown Brooklyn. The developer is paying the agency to create a 30-second video to play on their website, and social platforms promoting why businesses and people should invest in their properties in downtown Brooklyn. Each student group will explore the downtown area during a class period on foot, and take photos with their cell phones to document what they believe will be the contents of an effective video advertisement. Interpretations and approaches may vary between the two groups. One group may choose to take photos that represent a modern style of living which caters toward the middle-to-upper class – such as City Point, Citi Bike stations, or chic high-rise luxury apartments, while the other group may want to focus on capturing derelict and closed-down businesses or “eye-sores” and are reason to tear down and build something new and fancy.

The other two groups are playing the role of a local business and community organization – made up of local business owners and local residents. Their goal is to make a video ad that builds consensus with enough people (city council members, government officials, and local residents) so that new development doesn’t happen. Their video aims to help preserve the integrity of downtown Brooklyn. Each of these two groups is to explore the downtown area during a class period on foot and take photos with their cell phones to document what they believe will be the contents of an effective advertisement. Interpretations may vary between these two groups. One group may choose to take photos of construction sites and “evil” machinery in action smashing the crumbled remains of a once historic structure to play off of the emotional side of a viewer. The other group may capture old historic landmarks or buildings, such as churches – of which has been a controversial topic recently – as some churches throughout the city have been selling off their land/buildings for new development.

Following the place-based component, students are to edit the photos together using video editing software, while also adding music and/or text – "live, work, play all in one place", "save downtown, preserve our history", and so on. This should consume 1-2 additional class periods. Once the videos are completed, each group will present their finished work, and then discuss reasons why they chose certain subject matter, and their approach to framing shots based on ethical reasoning.

Students finally write a brief reflection on OpenLab about their current beliefs regarding this topic; if those beliefs have changed as a result of this assignment; and their overall experience in working towards a goal that may have gone against their own bias or belief system – the topic of new development in any area.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

I aim to introduce the concept of ethical reasoning to students in context to video production and a future job they may have where they are asked to perform a task, such as to make a video that goes against their bias or belief system. How they should approach this, and navigate through this is good practice for potential opportunities and situations they may encounter in the future. Should they try their best for the sake of the company (i.e. their employer)? Or should they tell their boss that they disagree with the message and objective of the project? Secondly, students gain an awareness for detail in their surroundings – which is important in being a camera operator. Thirdly, students get practice at framing and composing shots, as well as the entire act of telling a story, approaching how to tell that story and the technical execution of the editing that story – video editing. Through their reflections – one at the beginning and one at the end, students also gain insight on themselves which should encourage open-mindedness.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

Due to the fact that this assignment is based outside – walking around downtown Brooklyn, it has to be done during months other than those in the winter. Approximately three class periods will be spent on this assignment. The act of just taking photos is ok, but to compile those photos into an order that tells a specific story and has a message makes this assignment much more engaging and worthwhile for students.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

Prior to the actual place-based component of this assignment, students are introduced (via a mini-lesson) to the concept of ethical reasoning, and are given a clear explanation of expectations, objectives, and purposed outcomes for this assignment. Sample photos that I have taken are shown to help illustrate points. Students are also required to write a brief reflection on OpenLab about their current beliefs regarding the topic, and therefore I will need to ensure that students sign up or have an OpenLab account. Setup of the reflection forms needs to be created as well – learning how to do this has to be taken into account since I do not use OpenLab.

I would assess this assignment based on a value rubric. Points are assigned to each of the two reflection entries; the quantity of photos taken on location – minimum requirement needs to be met; the application of certain editing techniques such as adding motion to still images; the final edited piece; and the final presentation during the screening.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

April 26, 2018

Testing Usability, Learning Ethics

Joe Jeyaraj

English

Planning and Testing User Documentation (Eng 3780)

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

Students will do usability testing of a health document either they or a friend or relative may have used.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

How well the document works for its audience and purpose.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

In the second section of the course.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

As assignments go, it is simple in its planning, but complex in its completion.

I use a rubric that I have for upper level courses in technical and professional writing.

I have given students a document I have personally used, and students generally respond well to this type of assignment because it involves their personal life.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

April 25, 2018

Native American Brooklyn

Ryan McMillen

Department of Social Sciences

History 1110

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

Walking Tour of Possible Native American Sites in Brooklyn (3-part assignment)

For our first field trip of the semester, we will take an imaginative tour of downtown Brooklyn, proceeding from City Tech, through Brooklyn Heights, to the Brooklyn Promenade. Along the way we will attempt to imagine the urban landscape as it would have seemed centuries ago, before the arrival of the first European settlers.

To prepare for this, students will complete a map-based in-class exercise using the 1946 John A. Kelly map, “Indian Villages, Paths, Ponds and Places in Kings County.” Kelly was the Brooklyn Borough Historian from 1944 to 1971. Students will be divided into teams and given a copy of Kelly’s map, and a modern day map of Brooklyn. Each team will be tasked with identifying the rough modern-day location of each of the Native American sites depicted on the map, making note of key contemporary landmarks, businesses, etc. Students can be aided in this exercise by using a map app on their phones. Each team will present to the class their theory and findings concerning the modern-day location of these villages and landmarks, and this information will be collated so that finding the locations on Kelly’s map is easier in the future, and the information will be posted publicly on Openlab.

Prior to the field trip, students will be asked to visit the National Museum of the American Indian website brochure about “Manahatta,” which extensively details the way of life of the Lenape who originally inhabited Lower Manhattan. Students will have to reflect, in a short post of 200-300 words, on what the site tells them about the difference between European and Native American land-use practices. How did Native Americans imagine Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn? What did they call it? Looking at the area in the photos and illustrations provided, what would they have seen as attractive about the particular area? How would they have been able to support a flourishing community continually for thousands of years in that place, without any complex machines or metal tools?

Alternatively, how would Europeans, upon their arrival in the 1600s, have seen the region? What would they have found attractive and why?

Most importantly, how specifically would these visions have clashed?

On the field trip, the class will be led on a short walking tour to the confluence of the East River and the Bay, under the Brooklyn Bridge, with a view of Governor’s Island. Each of the appropriate locations on the map will be examined and described in-depth (Ihretonga, Marechkawieck, Pagganck, Sassians.) The students will also be asked on the walk to pay close attention to the terrain, and what can and cannot be determined about the area in the 1600s from the walk. Elevation, vegetation, and proximity to water may be some of the only aspects that can be imagined, but student discussion and close examination, using details from the previous in-class session, may turn up more insights. The aim of the walk is to pay close attention to the Earth beneath Brooklyn, as the land would have been imagined by a people who depended on it for their sustenance.

After arriving at the Promenade, the class will be split into four different groups, each representing a different “stakeholder” in the 1600s: the financiers of the Dutch East India Company, Lenape leaders/chiefs, European colonists, and Lenape villagers. Each group will be asked to fill out a sheet which asks questions about motive, reasons for habitation, plans for the future, and also, how they saw, or understood, the motives, reasons, and plans of the other stakeholders. The results of this exercise will be collected, transcribed and posted on Openlab.

For the following class session, students will be required to post a reflection about what they learned on the walk, and what, if anything, they learned about the area where they attend school as it may have been four centuries ago. They will also be asked to imagine what the area will look like four centuries hence.

https://www.heyridge.com/2015/08/the-rarely-told-story-of-the-real-bay-ridge-natives/
https://viewing.nyc/map-of-the-native-american-trails-that-evolved-into-brooklyns-major-arteries/
https://nmai.si.edu/sites/1/files/pdf/education/Manahatta_to_manhattan.pdf

Historical Map Reveals Location of Brooklyn’s Native American Burial Ground

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

1. Building camaraderie in the class via the group map assignment and the walking tour. At the outset of the class, this bonding can be important in building class cohesion.

2. Teach basic map skills and make students aware of how maps change over time.

3. Help students fulfill the Student Learning Outcome of Ethical Reasoning by making them aware of the different stakeholders involved in the Native American-European interactions in 17th century North America.

4. Incorporate place-based learning on a local level to help students broaden their understanding of the process of colonization of the Western Hemisphere.

5. Help students understand how the area surrounding the school has changed over time, and how such a period of time since European colonization is so brief compared to the amount of time Native Americans had inhabited the region.

6. Help students understand how the urban landscape obscures the natural geography of the area, but that this original geography can be seen if one knows where to look. This can also satisfy the Ethical Reasoning SLO by helping students understand the tolls different systems of land use have on the natural flora and fauna of the area.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

This lesson is given early in the semester, likely in the second week. The assignment is designed for 1-1/2 class sessions for a three-hour class, with one entire three-hour session devoted to the walking tour.

Students will be expected to spend at least an hour on the out-of-class time assignment due prior to the map-based assignment.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

The activity is designed to be given in three stages: 1) preliminary readings, 2) in-class team activity, 3) field trip attendance.

The assignment is low-stakes and designed for team-building and class cohesion, as it is given early in the semester.

Below are the actual assignments as distributed to the students:

Assignment #1 – Creating A 400-Year old Map of Brooklyn (1 hour)

Supplies: Kelly map, and cellular phones with map app (Google Maps, etc.)

For this assignment, you will complete a map-based in-class exercise using the 1946 John A. Kelly map, “Indian Villages, Paths, Ponds and Places in Kings County.” Kelly was the Brooklyn Borough Historian from 1944 to 1971. Supplementary materials on the history of some of the sites pictured will also be distributed to aid in your short presentations.

Each of you will be assigned to be in one of twelve three-person teams. One member of each team will be the recorder and the other two will be the researchers. The recorder will write down the findings of the researchers, but of course can contribute ideas during the course of the assignment.

Each team will be tasked with identifying the rough modern-day location of one of six areas of Brooklyn — Gravesend, New Utrecht, Flatlands, Bushwick, Gowanus, and Brooklyn Heights. Using a map app on your phones, the researchers will make note of key contemporary landmarks, businesses, etc., based on where they have determined the Native American village or settlement appears on the map.

After 30 minutes of research, each team will present to the class their theory and findings concerning the modern-day location of these villages and landmarks, using a projected map of Brooklyn.

Assignment #2: From Manhatta to Manhattan

Before we go on our field trip, please visit the National Museum of the American Indian website brochure about “Manahatta,” which extensively details the way of life of the Lenape who originally inhabited Lower Manhattan. Also read this well-researched post on the earliest inhabitants of what is today Bay Ridge: https://www.heyridge.com/2015/08/the-rarely-told-story-of-the-real-bay-ridge-natives/

On the OpenLab forum designed for this, post a 200-300 word reflection on what insights the reading gives into the difference between European and Native American land-use practices. How did Native Americans imagine Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn? What did they call it? Looking at the area in the photos and illustrations provided, what would they have seen as attractive about the particular area? How would they have been able to support a flourishing community continually for thousands of years in that place, without any complex machines or metal tools?

Alternatively, how would Europeans, upon their arrival in the 1600s, have seen the region? What would they have found attractive and why?

Most importantly, how specifically would these visions have clashed?

Post your response on Openlab, and please respond to at least one other student’s post as well.

Assignment #3: The Field Trip
On the field trip, we will go on a short walking tour to the confluence of the East River and the Bay, under the Brooklyn Bridge, with a view of Governor’s Island, where we will examine some of the potential locations of the Brooklyn Heights sites on the map. (Ihretonga, Marechkawieck, Pagganck, Sassians.) Pay close attention to the terrain, and what can and cannot be determined about the area in the 1600s from the walk.

After arriving at the Promenade, you will be split into four different groups, each representing a different “stakeholder” in the 1600s: the financiers of the Dutch East India Company, Lenape leaders/chiefs, European colonists, and Lenape villagers. Each group will be asked to fill out a sheet which asks questions about motive, reasons for habitation, plans for the future, and also, how they saw, or understood, the motives, reasons, and plans of the other stakeholders. The results of this exercise will be collected, transcribed and posted on Openlab.

The response to the readings is assessed based on depth of insight, although unless a student completely blows off the assignment, they should get close to full credit for the assignment.

Attendance and participation are key markers for the assignment, since it is given so early in the semester.

I have not yet employed this activity in the classroom.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

April 25, 2018

Community Survey Report

Bridget Maley

Nursing

NUR 1030 Foundations of Caring

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

Students will walk around their neighborhood/Zip code and survey the neighborhood looking at the conditions of the buildings, stores, transportation, and health of the community.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

• Recognize the role of health care providers in providing a protective, supportive and/or corrective environment.
• Recognize the responsibility of the nurse as a client advocate in the health care delivery system.
• Professional/Personal Development: Demonstrate intellectual honesty and personal responsibility, discern consequences of decisions and actions, demonstrate intellectual agility and the ability to manage change, work with teams including those of diverse composition, build consensus, and respect and use creativity.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

This assignment is distributed to the students during the first class, we then discuss community nursing and health during the next 2 meeting dates. The students are expected to submit the exam by week 4. The students will probably spend about 4 hours on this assignment.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

Preparation is the overview of the assignment, the written assignment that is given to the students, and the discussion of community, health, and the role of the nurse in both of those environments. I would say this is a low-stakes activity only because it doesn't have any weight on the students average, however it could be considered high-stakes because it is a requirement of the course and the student will not pass without completing the assignment.

Right now it is just at the discretion of the professor, this is a pass fail assignment. Going forward I am going to use the writing rubric and the ethical reasoning rubric when marking this assignment.

This assignment is working fairly well although I do have some students resubmit any section that was not completed properly or not addressed at all. The students seem to really enjoy this assignment because many of them have not been aware of their surroundings and just go about their business. I think it helps them to think about their neighborhoods in a new way to see how as a nurse they can offer help or assistance to the people who live in their neighborhood.

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

April 24, 2018

Poster Session

Prof Sam Kleinplatz

Social Sciences/City Tech

Psych 1101

Activity Description: Provide a brief description of the activity

Students are asked to use international research from peer reviewed Psych Journals to identify a problem and then find solutions.

Learning Goals: What do you aim to achieve with this activity?

To use open Lab concept and extend learning globally.

Timing: At what point in the lesson or semester do you use this activity? How much classroom time do you devote to it? How much out-of-class time is expected?

Mid semester. Does require weeks of research.

Logistics: What preparation is needed for this activity? What instructions do you give students? Is the activity low-stakes, high-stakes, or something else?

The assignment counts for 25 percent of their grade. Creativity, critical and ethical thinking are involved.

Students are graded on format, graphics, no. of journals, use of foreign materials, presentation and legacy.

They love doing it. It can stimulate more activities. Public speaking is a challenge.

Will supply rubric

Please share a helpful link to a pages or post on the OpenLab

Category: Breadth of Knowledge

Radiology Assignment

Ethics in Food Purchasing

Political Action Assignment

Promotional Videos: For/Against Development In Downtown Brooklyn

Testing Usability, Learning Ethics

Community Survey Report

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The OpenLab at City Tech:A place to learn, work, and share

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Copyright

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