Simple PBL

PBL (problem or project) based-learning doesn't have to be a huge formal assignment. It is more of a state-of-mind than anything else. I just wanted to share a small example of this that spontaneously happened during class last week.

One of the Recentius teams in Operation LAPIS, while working on a particular collaborative task, strayed a bit off topic -- discussing giraffes of all things. They came to the decision that they wanted to buy a giraffe to keep as a pet (ignoring the logistics of such a thing, we'll just let it slide for now) and subsequently asked me how much denarii (a type of Roman currency) they would need in order to buy a giraffe. I haven't ever read an ancient source that listed a specific price for a giraffe (although we know they were sold and displayed around the empire), and so that would pose a problem to arbitrarily assign a price.

According to Dio, Caesar brought a giraffe with him back from Alexandria

Instead of declaring "No, you cannot buy a giraffe.", I explained to them how I set the price for some of the gear (see the post linked above), and then asked them how they could estimate what a giraffe might have cost a Roman in the time period of our adventure.

In a few minutes of discussion and problem solving, they decided that if the average salary of a Roman soldier was 225 denarii, and then they estimated the salary of a current soldier of around $35,000, they could use that ratio of denarii to dollars in order to estimate the cost of a giraffe. After some research, they discovered that (apparently) a giraffe costs around $30,000 on the open market and so if they saved up about 200 denarii, they could have their own virtual giraffe pet. (I suppose I'll have to let them know what the upkeep is after the initial purchase.)

There it is right there -- problem-based learning, not as a huge elaborate thing, but as an approach to how and why you learn new information. While there are obvious problems with the accuracy of the price that they figured out, nevertheless we have the ability to foster this kind of inquisitive knowledge on a daily basis. We should routinely embrace, not squash, these opportunities to model authentic exploration.

On Narrative, Collection, and Re-engagement

Traditionally, this a tough time of year for a certain cross section of my Latin I classes.

Traditionally, this is the point where the complexity of the Latin advances to the point where those skating by, not really understanding what a direct object is, or why it has a different set of endings than a subject, are now underwater.

Traditionally, this is where the extra noun declension sheets, or verb conjugation sheets, run hot off the copier and into their hands in a frantic attempt to prepare for the midterm exam.

Traditionally, this is a point when a small portion, no matter what kind of interventions are in place, fall off completely and check out for the rest of the year.

Tradition isn’t tradition any longer.

One of the powerful affordances of a continuous narrative -- a narrative in which the students have an active role in shaping on a daily basis -- is the opportunity to re-engage at almost every moment. They aren’t reading about some figures whom they have no attachment to but rather they are playing their own characters, characters whom they have a genuine investment in and ones that they genuinely care about.

One of the powerful affordances of working in a permanent social collaborative unit is that on any given night their team is ready to help them get back into the fold and contribute in a meaningful way -- even if they haven’t contributed for the last two weeks. Rather than competing against their classmates, in its place there is a common sense of camaraderie and companionship on their journey of learning Latin and subsequently saving civilization.

One of the powerful affordance of the collection mechanic is that it provides a simple, effective, and straightforward way to focus on small bits of grammar at a time in a way where progress is marked visually not just in their lists but also in their acclimation of Latinity Points for taking part in the grind.

One of the powerful affordances of an easy re-entry is that the student who may have been struggling now has a reason and a way to get back into the game and, more importantly, a way to demonstrate learning and growth that’s real and tangible to them because they can see the immediate effects of their renewed participation and engagement.

One of the powerful affordances of tossing out the old traditions is that you get to rewrite the rules.

Consider the rules rewritten.

Practomimetic Learning in Full View

Presented without comment and unedited (other than removing student names.) This is a single night's worth of engagement from one of my Latin I sections utilizing Operation LAPIS as their only 'text'.

The background for this mission is the student teams-as-their-avatars are attempting to find a scroll hidden in the house of one of their first adversaries, Marcus Maecenas, a fictional grandson of the real Gaius Cilnius Maecenas. Each action that a character takes is discussed in a separate forum by the team before they make the action, and, obviously, the reactions are also discussed.

I apologize if you don't read Latin fluently. You'll have to trust me that the Latin, composed by students only a month in to the course, is pretty darn good.


(2.3.b) 

>Vīlla of Marcus Maecēnās, Pompeiī, 79 CE< 

tū in ātrium intrās. tū larārium dextrā vidēs. larārium est malīgnum. tū quoque lectum geniāle vidēs. ātrium est dēsertum. clāmōrem ē peristyliō in trīclīniō audīs.

Prompt: find the volūmen in vīllā of M. Maecēnās. You are free to explore any area of the house that you wish, but be on the lookout for Marcus and his guards.


Link to the CODEX for 2.3

embedded visual aid for the mission

Team 1: Agricola currit in cubiculo quietly.

TSTT Response: in cubiculō est lectus. tunica et toga in lectō iacent. cista quoque est in cubiculō. cista est clausa. clāvem nōn habēs. aliquid nitidum sub lectō cēlat.

Team 1: Agricola tunicam et togam capit. quoque, Agricola videt sub lecto.

TSTT Response: Agricola nōn potest ambō (both) tunicam et togam capere.

RESOLVE ACTION BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Team 1: Agricola chooses the tunic.

Demiurgic Edit: Agricola tunicam capit.

TSTT Response: Agricola tunicam capit et tunicam in saccō ponit.

Agricola must rest before taking another action.

Team 2: Recentia Octaviana intrat cubiculum et cistam capit.

TSTT Response: cista est gravis (quoque clausa). Octaviana cistam nōn potest capere. ubi est clavis?

Team 1: Agricola quiescit. quoque Agricola ambulat ad tablinum Marci

TSTT Response: Agricola ambulat ad tablīnum sed... ēheu! custōs stat extrā iānuam. Agricola revenit ad ātrium.

Team 3: Priscus ambulat ad tablīnum, et quaerit a key. priscus quaerit rīmam in murō.

TSTT Response: Priscus vīdet Agricolam et ad tablīnum nōn ambulat quod custōs est prope tablīnum.

Team 1: Agricola intrat alia cubiculum.

TSTT Response: in aliō cubiculō est lectus. stola in lectō iacent. aliquid nitidum sub lectō cēlat.

Team 3: Priscus ambulat ad culīam, et capit a sharp knife.

TSTT Response: mēnsa est in mediā culīnā. in mēnsā est cēna optima. ecce! coquus est in sellā. coquus tamen in sellā dormit. prope coquum est mappa ōrnāta. litterae “SP” in mappā sunt. nōn est culter (knife) in culīnā.

Team 4: Recentia Tulliana slowly runs to inanuam ligneus that lead to the cubliculum.

TSTT Response: Tulliāna est in cubiculō cum Agricolā. stola in lectō iacent. aliquid nitidum sub lectō.

Team 1: Agricola videt sub lecto.

TSTT Response: sub lectō est rōbīginōsus gladius!

Team 1: Agricola rōbīginōsum gladium capit.

TSTT Response: Agricola pōnit gladium rōbīginōsum in suō saccō.

Team 4: Recentia Tulliana videt sub lecto

TSTT Response: ēheu! est nihil sub lectō. stola est in lectō! fortasse Tulliana vult (wants) stolam capere?

Team 3: Priscus ambulat ad latrinam, et circumspectat gravis(important) objects.

Team 4: Tuliana capit stolam.

TSTT Response: Tulliāna stolam capit et stolam in saccō pōnit.

TSTT Response: Prīscus ambulat ad lātrīnam. in lātrīnā est multum stercoris. cavum est in mediā lātrīnā. aliquid nitidum prope cavum in lutō cēlat.

Team 4: Tulliana lente et quietly ambulat in desertum hallway ad culinam.

TSTT Response: Tulliāna est in culinā. mēnsa est in mediā culīnā. in mēnsā est cēna optima. ecce! coquus est in sellā. coquus tamen in sellā dormit. prope coquum est mappa ōrnāta. litterae “SP” in mappā sunt.

Team 1: Agricola ambulat lente ad custos in tablinum et inquit, "eheu! sum sordidus! sines ego intro?"

TSTT Response: custōs clāmat, "quid!!! iuvenis in villā? cūr ades? Marcus est iratus quod iuvenis eum vexāt (annoy)."

The custos grabs Agricola's newly found sword before he has a chance to react.

"et meum gladium habēs? fūr! (thief!)" inquit custōs.

Agricola is dragged across the house and thrown out the front door. Thankfully the guard was so distracted with the situation that the rest of the Recentiī went unnoticed and can continue their search for the scroll.

Team 3: Priscus capit nitidum object, et cleans it ad get a closer spectat.

TSTT Response: ecce! Prīscus invenit clāvem in lutō! Prīscus clāvem in saccō pōnit.

Team 2: Recentia Octaviana ambulat ad tablinum (now that the guards are distracted) et intro. Recentia Octavina quearit tablinum.

TSTT Response: The tablīnum is empty of people, but full of papers.

tū in tablīnum intrās. tū mēnsam vidēs in tablīnō. stat mēnsa māgna in tablīnō. in mēnsā est lumen. in mēnsā est tabella. in mēnsā est lapis. in mēnsā est volūmen.

in tablīnō quoque stat mēnsa parva.

TSTT Response: lectus geniālis est in ātriō. lectus est līgneus et imāginem Iūnōnis habet. litterae ‘SP’ in lectō sunt. strāgulum in lectō iacet. aliquid nitidum sub pulvīnō cēlat.

Team 5: Recentia Horatiana quaerit lectus genalis. she looks around in the lectus genalis and looks for the volumen.

Team 5: Recentia Horatiana quaerit sub pulvino

TSTT Response: Horātiāna invenit stolam fulvam sub pulvinō! Horātiāna stolam in saccō suō pōnit.

Team 4: Tulliana capit mappam et in sacco point

TSTT Response: ita vero! Tulliana mappam capit!

Team 3: Priscus ambulat ad cubiculo et aperit cistam clāve (priscus opens chest with key)

TSTT Response: ecce! Prīscus in cistā togam candidam et pallium fulvum invenit! Priscus eōs (them) in suō saccō pōnit.

TSTT Response: The custos turns around when he hears something in viā. This gives Agricola the opportunity to slip back into the vīlla unnoticed.

Team 1: Agricola currit in villa et latet.

Team 2: Recentia Octaviana capit volumen et lapidem

TSTT Response: Recentia Octaviana legit volumen: (link to the volumen). lapidem parvum est modo saxum.

estne volumen verum (true)?

Team 3: Priscus capit togam candidam et pallium fulvum.

Team 5: Recentia Horatiana quaerit lararium

TSTT Response: larārium Marcī est malīgnum et antīquum. statua in larariō est frācta. statua lapidem in manū tenet. statua gladium in aliā manū tenet.

Team 1: Agricola ad ceterus cubiculum ambulat.

TSTT Response: est nihil in certerīs cubiculīs.

Team 1: Agricola ad peristylum currit.

TSTT Response: As Agricola approaches the peristylum, he hears a large commotion coming from tricinlium. Marcus' cena is starting to break up. tempus fugit! Agricola currit ad tablinum cum ceterīs Recentiīs.

Team 4: Tulliana ego aperit ianuam to the tablinium et intrat

Team 2: Recentia Octaviana inquit "volumen est non verum."

Team 5: Recentia Horatiana quaerit rimam in muro

TSTT Response: Recentia Horatiana alium (another) volumen in murō invenit! est volumen verum! (link to the scroll)

omnēs Recentiī currunt ē villā ad Sextum.

Selling the Drama: the First Day of the New Year

We are now three weeks into the start of a terrific school year and I wanted to take just a few moments here to reflect on what day one looked like for my group of new Operation LAPIS recruits (that is, my two new Latin 1 classes.) Each year that I've run LAPIS in my classrooms, the initial presentation has become more straightforward and more "in-character." This year I attempted to stay entirely "in-character" -- as Demiurge Omega, the representative from Project ARKHAIA's Mission Control, for the entire time during the first day of school. It was unbelievably fun and, using the first few weeks as a comparison to the past, it worked incredibly well. Selling the narrative -- the ARG layer which is so important to Operation LAPIS -- is vital, I'm finding, to the initial buy-in of the students.

As the students filed in, I said very little to them. Only the "splash screen" with the Project ARKHAIA logo was projected up on the board. After the bell rang, I moved to the center of the room and begun moving down the list of students, calling them each by their name -- except adding "Recruit" before hand. Recruit Johnny. Recruit Beth. Recruit Cameron. The confused looks that they exchanged with one another was priceless. When roll was called, I began the "initiation process", which included a series of automated computer-terminal-like slides processing the new recruits. It concluded with asking all of the new recruits to rise and swear an oath to Project ARKHAIA. I was shocked to see every student immediately rise and prepare themselves to swear the oath without any delay. So much of the success hinges upon students willing to suspend belief, if only for a moment, and allow themselves to pretend to be recruits on a mission to save civilization as we know it.

With the oath sworn, and another series of automated slides pretending to analyze their responses, I begun discussing some of the more intricate logistics of the Operation. I discussed how we (Project ARKHAIA) have infiltrated Google and customized some of the components to fit our need. A few days later I actually prove this to them when we explore how to easily add macrons (long marks) in a Google Doc -- the "Insert Symbol" menu item has the omega character located next to it. The other major component is, of course, Edmodo, for the collaboration and discussion portion of the Operation.

Since our first day is comprised of shortened periods, it works out perfectly to give them enough information to spark some curiosity without overloading them with the sheer number of various components and aspects to Operation LAPIS or practomimetic courses in general. The key is to scaffold in the components over time, rather than trying to explain everything at once -- something important that I've learned over the last couple of years.

As the clock ticked down, I handed out their New Recruit Startup Guides and explained their first two missions:

1. create a Google Account and initiate contact with the Demiurge -- so that I can set up their first two documents in Google docs
2. create an Edmodo account and greet their new (and permanent year-long) teammates, in the process finding out which character they will be controlling in the immersions

I've never had a 100% success rate with new recruits on the first night. Inevitably there are always a few in each class who either forget or just don't create the accounts. That changed this year. By 8pm, all 46 new recruits had created their accounts and introduced themselves to their teammates -- excited and a little confused about how different this seemed from their other courses. In years past I've also lost a handful of students over the first couple of days who decided that all of this felt too uncomfortable being so different from business as usual in school. Not only did I not lose any students, I actually gained a couple whose friends convinced them that this was the class to take (although that means that they broke the secrecy instructions...but I think I'm ok with that.)

What I'm continuing to find is that the more the students see me "buying in" to the narrative (that is, not breaking from character as much as possible), the more that they will continue to do so. The role that the teacher plays in a practomimetic course is much different than that of one in a traditional classroom and that perception shift (from a student's perspective) needs to happen, and continue to happen, starting with day 1. When they see me as a facilitator and guide (sent from Mission Control), rather than an instructor, their attitude and approach to the activities shifts in a positive direction -- something that the 100% success rate indicates. Even as I'm writing this now, after three weeks, I still see nearly 100% participation each night on the new immersion episodes. This, frankly, is uncharted territory based on past experiences. Selling the ARG narrative in a way that I haven't before, I believe, was vital to making this happen.

An Edu Review of the Nexus 7

As a fan of Apple's minimalistic packaging,
Google did a great job with the
presentation of the Nexus 7

So what is a self-proclaimed Apple fanboy doing purchasing a new Google Nexus 7 (Google Nexus 7 Black Wi-Fi 16GB Tablet - NEXUS7ASUS1B16 (Google Affiliate Ad)? Curiosity, for the most part. See, there's been a lot of hype about the Nexus 7 and its potential (like every other new product, it seems) to "disrupt the educational market." Hype aside, but given the price tag, I was very interested about two things: the 7" form factor as a primary device (for students) and how well the Nexus 7 could handle the tasks that a typical student taking part in Operation LAPIS would need it do. As we move to a BYOD policy this upcoming year, if the Nexus 7 fits the criteria, the $199 price tag could be a very attractive solution for parents and students alike.

The 7" Form Factor and Screen

Lots of space for icons and informative
widgets on the home screen

The size of the Nexus 7 is no foreign entity to me. I have a plain vanilla Kindle that I've come to adore for reading. Previously I was using my iPad as my primary eBook reader but now that has been almost completely supplanted by the Kindle. The Nexus 7 fits very comfortably in one hand. The textured back makes a good surface to grip and for general browsing or reading, one handed operation is perfectly natural.

The screen, at 800x1280 pixels, is crisp and bright. Because most 7" tablets have a lower resolution, it certainly feels like there is a lot more screen space with the Nexus 7. Many complaints from professional reviewers have centered around the quality of blacks on the screen, especially when viewing movies. To tell you the truth, I generally keep my devices at low brightness to preserve battery life and so I haven't found the black level to be worthy of complaint.

Outside, I found that with the brightness turned up, the screen was very usable. This is a positive thing for students thinking about using the device on campus in areas other than the classroom.

The on-screen keyboard is good, but I find it slightly less accurate than the iPad. I'd imagine this is on account of the screen size although subjectively I might argue that my iPhone feels more accurate as well. For teenagers with smaller (and slightly thinner) fingers, the keyboard might feel a bit more natural. I've also found the predictive typing to be less accurate than on my iPad, especially with my frequent misspellings.

Focus: Google Drive Integration

One of the largest complaints that I have about the iPad is how poorly Google has developed the mobile application of Docs. The document text editor (even in Chrome) is poor at best and the spreadsheet editing feels very antiquated for 2012 going on 2013. Google Drive (the app) on the Android platform is thankfully slightly more advanced than it's iOS counterpart.

There's a number of rich formatting options, including colored text and colored highlights - something students need, especially in the documents which serve as their virtual 'workbook' of sorts. 

It is also very easy to cut and paste text from Chrome into a document in the Drive app. For the most part, formatting is preserved with two major exceptions. First, tables are still not support within the mobile editing interface, even within the Google Drive app. This is unfortunately problematic from my point of view since tables allow for neat formatting of various things, especially in language instruction. Second, in-document comments (one of Google Docs most amazing features) appear to be inaccessible.

Spreadsheets, unfortunately, still haven't received any kind of interface overhaul. Even within the Google Drive app, you still have a line-by-line editor. This is a bit unwieldy from a student's point of view, especially since the collection mechanic is housed within their Operative Dossier (a specially constructed Google spreadsheet.)

I know that Google has recently acquired the company behind the QuickOffice app and I hope that over the course of the next year, they will improve the mobile interface for the various Docs components. Until then, the experience is slightly cumbersome for students to manipulate anything more than a simple document or spreadsheet. I'd also like to see them figure out how to improve the ability to read (and respond to) comments within the mobile experience. 

However, one positive change is that docs opened within the Google Drive interface will show you live editing from additional users. This is an incredibly important feature with so much of Operation LAPIS being focused on collaborative learning.

The Edmodo App

So much wasted space.

This is a short section. The Edmodo app, unfortunately, is designed for Android phones, not the tablet. As a result, you have a lot of wasted space and a very limited feature set. The iPad version basically wraps the normal web interface in a frame. Hopefully the wonderful folks over at Edmodo will develop a tablet specific app which will leverage the form factor in a more advanced manner.

Fortunately Chrome on the Nexus 7 is a full featured browser and the standard Edmodo interface runs fairly well, albeit a bit slow, inside of it. With pinch and zoom (wait, is that an infringement now?) it is easy to navigate around the various sections and zoom in on posts and discussions. With the impending launch of the Edmodo redesign/overhaul, I'm eager to see how the mobile experience changes. Hopefully there will be a speed and responsiveness increase.

In addition, for an instructor, the LAPIS Console app (which is located in the Edmodo app store in order to post the immersion sequences) works just fine in Chrome on the Nexus, including the edit function before posting. There's plenty of space to zoom in without obstructing a wider view of the material. It's responsive and just as snappy as it is on a desktop browser.

The CODEX inside of Chrome

Speaking of Chrome, how does the rest of the LAPIS experience play out on this 7" tablet? Surprisingly well. Again, on account of the pixel count, you end up with a lot of visible space on the screen. The rollover tooltips work like a charm, text is crisp and clean, and even the integrated Google Maps portions load without a hitch. Overall the mobile implementation of Chrome is almost as good as the desktop version. This is true on the iOS version as well.

 Other Thoughts:

The tight integration of Google's core services into the device is outstanding, especially GMail, Calendar, and Google Talk. I especially like the automatic download and update feature for keeping apps at their latest version in the most unobtrusive way possible.

The battery is solid and a student could expect (with conservative management of the screen brightness) to easily get through the day on a single charge. Most of the "must have" apps on my iPad are available in the Google Play store which is great to see if you are platform agnostic, but not fully committed to a pure web-based environment for your students.

The native display mode is portrait and the Nexus 7 is clearly designed with this layout in mind. In fact, it took me an embarrassingly (for me) extended period of time to figure out how to disable the screen lock and rotate it to landscape mode. I did find, however, that the Nexus 7 felt a bit unnatural to hold in landscape mode (unlike the iPad) and I've mainly found myself using it in portrait like I would my Kindle or iPhone.

The lack of a rear camera may be a turn off for some educational settings. Given the improvement to apps like Evernote, I think the lack of a rear camera may be an unfortunate oversight on the part of the design team, especially since the rumored iPad Mini is all but assured to have that rear camera. While the full sized iPad is a bit unwieldy to use as a camera, the Nexus 7 would fit the bill just fine.

The Bottom Line:

I didn't expect to like the Nexus 7 as much as I do. This has proven to me that the 7" tablet form factor, if done right, is a force to be reckoned with -- especially at this price point. The screen, speed, battery life, and tight Google integration are all big selling points in my eyes. The web experience is almost as good as it is on my iPad at a fraction of the size, weight, and cost. However, if the rumored iPad Mini does hit the $249 price point (as many predict it will, although for my part I think $299 is far more likely), the Nexus 7 fame could be short lived.

As I mentioned above, Google still needs to do some work on it's mobile implementation of Google Docs. This one area holds me back from fully embracing the Nexus 7 as a top tier device for students and parents to consider. If Google can find a way to make that experience work better, the Nexus 7 becomes a homerun in terms of features for the price. Without that, though, it's tough to argue that a $199 (or $249) Google Nexus 7 is a better option than, say, an Asus Netbook or something similar.

If a student has access to a traditional computer at home for some of the more complex tasks (which is how I feel about the iPad), I think the Nexus 7 is, with only slightly reservation, something that I could recommend at this point in time.