February 18, 2013
Document Developed with Tryggvi Thayer
We hope you are able to join us for our first booksprint in the production of an infographic about the future of education. This infographic hopes to influence policy and awareness to some of the changes that are taking place in education as a result of new theories and technological developments.
This project is an initiative of the OLPD Technology Redesign Task Group (TRTG) with support from:
Facilitator:
Tryggvi Thayer, Advanced PhD Candidate, Futurist, Policy Researcher and Education Technologist
Members of the TRTG:
Tryggvi Thayer, Advanced PhD Candidate, Futurist, Policy Researcher and Education Technologist
Daniel Woldeab, PhD, Education Technologist, IT Fellow, 2012 PSLSA Award Recipient
Matt Finholt-Daniel, MA Student, Director of Technology at Seward Inc, ICT for Development
Alfonso Sintjago, PhD Student, IT Fellow, Specialist in Open Education, EVP of GAPSA
Ahmed Essa, Compute Scientist, Technology Maintenance and Assessment for OLPD
What is a Booksprint:
A booksprint is an intensive collaborative activity where a group of individuals come together to create a high quality distributable or publishable work in 2-5 days. Booksprints utilize the dynamic creativity of a group and modern technologies to facilitate the production of informational artifacts such as books, manuals, or infographics. Booksprints share various elements with “hackathons” and were originally organized to develop manuals for open source open source software. Today, over 50 FLOSS (Free and Open Source Software) manuals have been produced using this methodology, each taking less than 5 days. A similar method has successfully been used to create open textbooks in Siyavula, South Africa for grades 10, 11, 12 totaling over 1,800 pages of content over a mere 10 days.
More information about the methodology is available at http://www.booksprints.net/.
The goals of this booksprint are to:
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Increase awareness of how technological developments affect education within the UMN, CEHD and OLPD. At-large stakeholders are welcome to join. We hope that this event will promote openness and new forms of knowledge construction and become a model for future collaborative and creative endeavours.
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Encourage participants to discuss possible futures for education and to promote future-oriented thinking about educational issues. The booksprint will emphasize the importance of envisioning the future and brainstorming what is possible in 5, 10 and 15 years from now. This booksprint hopes to influence local policy makers.
Prices:
All participants will be entered in a raffle for various ebooks and an iPad Mini.
The outcome of this booksprint will be:
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A series of “infographics” that illustrate alternative education futures given current and foreseeable forces driving technological change. The specific topics of these infographics will vary depending on the group of participants. A growing list of possibilities is available can be accessed at: http://z.umn.edu/topics. All ideas are welcomed.
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An interactive website where topics and issues detailed in the infographics can be further explored and expanded on.
Ideas and Examples of effective infographics:
http://visual.ly/ & http://visual.ly/education-infographics
http://pinterest.com/mashable/infographics/
http://www.coolinfographics.com/
Scheduling:
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The event will take place the weekend of March 2nd – 3rd, 2013 (Saturday and Sunday) in Wulling Hall – 140. Changes may take place if a larger room is needed.
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The event will start at 10:00 am March 2nd. While there will be a brief introduction to the process, participants are welcomed to join the event throughout the day and join one of the work tables.
Recruitment:
Any interested party is welcome to join. To account for materials needed please RSVP to the event by February 28 (RSVP at http://infographicfutureofed.eventbrite.com/). The event will includes a set of ground rules to encourage positive and constructive conversations. By bringing together individuals with different skills, knowledge, experiences and interests the event can result in a more diverse and rewarding experience.
Planning:
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Organizers will supply various resources that can be used for brainstorming to increase the sharing of ideas, and the effectiveness of the event. Snacks and lunch will be provided to participants at Noon. Participants must fill out a Subway form at the beginning of the event.
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The event will include multiple groups which will work sometimes simultaneously during the event. Participants are welcome to move around different stations and make suggestions but every team is responsible for an element of the infographic.
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Social media will be shared during the event. We will be live-blogging throughout the duration of the booksprint. Participants will also be urged to share their experiences using social media, for example tweeting to #UMN, #CEHD, #Booksprint, #Future, #EdTech, #2020, #OLPD, #GAPSA. We will also be recording brief interviews of participants during the event!
Information Packet:
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A detailed itinerary of the day will be provided to all participants.
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A brief brochure explaining the booksprint process.
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The information packet will include additional information relating to the event.
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Raffle tickets will also be included.
Teams Needed:
The booksprint will consist of multiple objective-specific teams. These teams will in many cases work simultaneously. Participants of a team are welcomed to visit other teams and change teams throughout the event.
Visioning team(s): Articulate a vivid story about what future will look/be like
Content team(s): Translate story into information to be conveyed on infographic(s)
Information design team(s): Decide how information will be presented
Graphic design team: Decide the look and feel of the infographic(s)
Web development team: Construct web-based platform for further info/interaction
Editing team: Check all content for grammar, spelling and style
Communication team: Update live blog about the booksprint process
Production team: Finalize artwork to be print-ready and for electronic dissemination
Brief Timeline: (Subject to Modifications)
10:00 a.m. Explanation of goals and overview of project
10:30 a.m. Group brainstorming – Open Space Technology
11:15 a.m. Organization into groups (Flexible framework)
12:00 p.m. Lunch and brief status check
12:45 p.m. Continued work in teams, increased inter-group collaboration
02:30 p.m. Brief check in – Answering lingering questions
02:45 p.m. Continuation of group work. Compiling of data
04:00 p.m. Continued compiling, missing pieces. Final Day 1 touches
05:00 p.m. Continued brainstorming. End of day 1
The schedule on the second day may change depending on the level of completion.
It is possible that the infographic could be finished on Saturday.
10:00 a.m. Debrief of prior day. Brief forum discussion of day two objectives
11:00 a.m. Continued group work. General input in dissemination
12:00 p.m. Group overview of web elements. What is missing?
01:15 p.m. Collection of experience interviews.
02:30 p.m. Comparison of different versions and styles
03:30 p.m. Depends on status. Group discussion of experience.
04:45 p.m. Closing circle. Sharing of final product
Afterwards: Depending on the state of the product, members may remain involved online on the day to come. The product should be finished or mostly finished by the end of the second day but it could potentially require additional work over the next few days to finalize certain elements. A Google Group may be created to continue this conversation.
Skills needed by team: Teams are neither permanent nor fixed, nor exclusive. Teams may be composed by a single member.
Visioning:
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Understanding of future studies and the process of “futuring” (see for example: http://www.slideshare.net/tryggvibt/tt-futuring
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Understanding of forces driving technological development (a list will be provided)
While the focus of the participants will be developed organically, participants could choose to focus on a particular aspect of the educational system and a particular timeline. Some ideas include higher education in the US, higher education worldwide, changes from 2015 to 2020, K-12, Informal Learning, Invisible Learning, Diversity, Etc.
Content:
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Members must have good writing skills and the ability to condense info into meaningful bullet points.
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Emphasis on facts that help others perceive an important message from multiple and insightful perspectives.
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Responsible for identifying information sources, filtering by quality, and by potential for engagement. Condensing relevant information.
Multiple magazines will be shared during the event. Data from books, journal articles, and recent reports on the subject may be shared by any participant. We encourage participants to find the most reliable sources. If a substantial number of members prefers working with different data they will be able to pursue multiple projects.
Information Design:
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Understanding of various ways to visualize and present info. Understanding the affordances of an infographic.
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Familiarity with “infographics” (A list of websites will be provided)
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We encourage participants to review the list of sources and think of ways to effectively present data.
Participants are encouraged to look at sources before and during the event. Wireframing and rough drafts can help the brainstorming process. The emphasis of information design is to ensure that the most important elements are being conveyed. Sources for all of the information must be included in the lower margin of the infographic. The information design team will ensure that all sources are accurate and reliable.
Graphic Design:
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Familiarity with design processes and supportive of a collaborative process. Use of brainstorming techniques that promote the visualization of multiple ideas.
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Emphasis on creativity, testing of different possibilities, and visual appeal.
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Advanced users of computer programs used in graphic design (vector drawing, photo, layout, etc.)
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Familiarity with analyzing graphics critically.
Multiple resources will be brought to the event. Participants should also own various programs with which they intend to modify and create various graphics. Participants who are knowledgeable with animations could aid the web development team in creating an interactive version of the infographic. Participants are urged to visit similar websites to familiarize themselves with infographic styles and elements.
Web Development:
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Advanced knowledge of web development and an interest in collaborative work.
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Familiarity with commonly used tools (HTML, CMS, JQuery, etc.)
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Advanced knowledge in web programming languages is also welcome.
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Understanding of limitations in mobile devices and screen sizes.
The web development team will brainstorm various ideas that could be used for creating an interactive version of the infographic. This group will decide the tools to be used and the layout of the web page.
Editing:
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Prior editing experience is helpful. Especially editing for the web and media that use short, concise messages to deliver critical points.
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Excellent writing skills.
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Emphasis on constructive criticism and collaboration. Encouraging and promoting greater tolerance for differences.
Editors will review content from various groups to double check for quality and for accuracy. The editor must trust the decisions made by each team while making recommendations that he or she feels might improve the final product. Editors are welcome to visit different groups and provide suggestions.
Communication:
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Good writing skills and understanding of social media. Twitter and Facebook, and other forms of social media may be used during the event.
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Editing of images, videos, and other resources that may be gathered during the event.
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Familiarity with common blogging tools (blog sys like WordPress, interaction with other web services like photo, video, etc.)
The role of the communicator is to help share the experience with the public via the internet. By sharing the different activities that are taking place in the booksprint we hope to encourage others to consider conducting booksprints while also finding ways in which to improve the method for future events.
Production:
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Familiarity with printing processes and production for paper-based and electronic distribution.
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Planning of distribution and distribution of materials once they are completed.
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Familiarity with print formatting.
The production team will be in-charge of planning the printing and distribution of materials. This team will think of ways to distribute electronically and on paper. We recommend that the infographic be shared with related twitter accounts, and organizations of interest.
