Conversation instructions

Carr Conversation

For your conversations, you will select and work with a group of a total of up to three students to engage the class in conversation on one of the topics listed below. These topics are all current controversies that have arisen because of and around digital culture.  Each topic can only be the focus of one group, so once you know the topic you want to do, sign up for it. Once a group has signed up for a topic, the other groups must pick a different topic. Conversations will be 20 minutes.

utube video of good/bad conversation habits

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5c1susCPAE

For your conversation, you must use Carr’s book and two outside sources (with a 3.5 or higher on newstrust, http://newstrust.net/sources ) to prove your position (utilizing a total of 5 separate references at least). Conversations are just that, engaged discussion led by your group.  All source material must come from NEWSTRUST and MUST be cited.

Topics

Develop a claim around your topic. The claim is up to you but it must make sense and it must help to explain the topic you are given. You may either defend the claim or argue against the claim. That is, for example for #2,  you can state that the internet violates privacy or that the internet does not violate privacy. Or more specifically, you could narrow your topic to specific claims such as NSA data collection violates privacy; or the police have the right to violate privacy to prevent crime.

1. Technology and education
2. Technology and Violations of privacy
3. Technology and social media
4. Technology and war
5. Technology used in humans (implants to fight dementia, technologically guided prosthesis, technological modification of DNA or RNA)
6. Technology to prolong life (data monitoring that will decrease disease, crop monitoring that will increase crop yields, technologically targeted drugs to fight disease)
7. Technology as replacement for human labor
8. Technology as possible threat to financial and/or energy infrastructure

1. First, pick a group (you may do the conversation on your own if you do not want to work in a group, but I strongly encourage you to work in a group). Remember, this may not be the best time to work with best friends. You want to pick people who have the same classroom ethic that you do so that your grade is not impacted negatively by the group and so that you are not negatively impacting other students’ grades.  Give some serious thought to this process. It matters. Late conversations (if someone doesn’t show up or shows up after I’ve called your group) will receive a grade deduction of 25%. Students will be given the option of going without all members of their group if a group member is late or doesn’t show up. The member who isn’t present will get a 0 on the conversation).
2. Your conversation should be designed in three parts: introduction, discussion, summary. All three parts can be and should be used to fulfill the goals and expectations of the conversations.
3. Goals and Expectations
1. You must clearly state the main idea of both Carr’s book and your conversation. What point are you trying to convey? How are they related to to one another?
2. Explain your topic and the debate surrounding it. Why is it controversial?
3. You must support your point using at least five different points that come from three different sources (one of the sources must be The Shallows). You can use more.
4. You will need to convince the class of your position using reliable and valid support from your source material. And, you need to make sure you understand the support you are using. Be sure to read about your topic and be sure that you understand it before you do your conversation in case students have questions.

4. As a group, design a 15-20 minute conversation in which all of you will participate and that will engage the class. Do NOT lecture. Your job is to prove your position in a way that makes those ideas meaningful to your classmates.
1. Visual Aids (like Prezy) should be used to add to the conversation but they cannot BE the conversation. For actual videos, do not use anything over 3 minutes.
5. Students will be evaluating one another’s conversations while the conversation is going on. These evaluations are part of the grading process and will be used to generate a grade for those conducting the conversation as well as the student’s participating in the conversation. You are expected to participate in both.
6. Students should be taking notes from each conversation that will facilitate them filling out a handout on the main ideas after the conversations are over.
7. Conversation process
1. Show up early to get yourself set up. Make sure that any video materials will work on the class computer (you might want to check this out BEFORE the day of your conversation).
2. Make sure all conversation leaders have a role, using prompts, games, questions, visual aids to spark discussion on your topic.
3. I will monitor the time and let you know when you have 5 minutes left. You should plan enough material to fill at least 15 minutes. If you go over 15 minutes, I will stop you. There is no penalty for having too much material, and don't worry if you don't get to all of it. Just make sure the essentials come early.
8. Some Hints for the conversation
1. Be patient waiting for students to respond to your question. Take a deep breath and don't freak out if they are silent for a few seconds.
2. Make sure everyone in the group has a specific, designated role and one or two people aren't running the whole thing.
3. Scan the full classroom when you ask questions or are hoping for engagement. Students often miss people who are trying to participate who are on one side of the room.
4. Practice!
9. Conversation Grade
1. 110 points for the actual in-class conversation (see rubric)
2. 30 points for the evaluation of conversations (this includes your participation in the conversation and in class and is graded individually)
3. 10 points for the after conversation hand out