Grading

You earn points with participation, a presentation, a video interview, an organizational tech use profile, and by responding to content.

Your grade will be determined on a 100-point scale. Note that the items below total a maximum of 130 points.

Let me know if you have questions!

Participation

(up to 60 points)

Attend class, pay attention, and participate. (Up to 15 points; 1 point per class session). Due: every class session, please.

During each class session, we'll typically do one or two projects. These will be things like setting up a sample Wordpress website, enabling two-factor authentication on accounts, mapping, etc. Complete each of these during class for 1 point per project (up to 30 points total). Due: weekly, during class.

The day after each class, I'll post a topic to Flipgrid. Please review (read or watch) the materials, then provide a thoughtful, well-prepared video response to my prompt that indicates you have reviewed the content. (Up to 15 points; 1 points per response). Due weekly no later than 6:30 am on the Tuesday before each class.

Create and give a presentation

(up to 20 points)

Explain a technology and the problem that the technology solves. You may choose your topic, but it must be clearly related to nonprofit and government technology issues. I will need to approve your topic, as well.

The required format is the Ignite style of presentation, where 20 slides are presented, each being shown for 15 seconds. The intent is to provide an informative, visually engaging, fast-paced and focused overview of a single topic.

You’ll use Google Slides to create and give the presentation.

The project consists of four parts:

  1. Presentation description, written as if to be included in a conference brochure. No more than four sentences, or a total of 75 words long. (3 points). Due 2017-01-25
  2. A Twitter-length (140-characters) pitch about your topic, intended to convey the topic and prompt interest (2 points) Due 2017-01-25
  3. TWENTY slides (no more, no less) created using Slides in Google Docs (7 points) — draft due February 10; final version due March 2. This includes a title slide identifying the presentation topic and author. NOTE: You must cite sources and links to resources on slides. Due 2017-02-08
  4. In class presentation of the slides (8 points) Presentation dates will be assigned, and will occur between 2017-03-29 and 2017-04-19

Individual tech use video interview

(up to 15 points)

Conduct, record and edit a video interview of a classmate to understand their perspective on technology.

The final, edited interview must be between 3 and 5 minutes long (no less than 3, no more than 5). You are required to add a title that displays the class and interview subject’s name, as well as credits at the end that include your name. Post the video to YouTube as an "unlisted" video, and share the link in Slack.

You’ll be graded on the following three items:

  1. Interview quality (conversational questions; without constantly referring to notes) – 7 points
  2. Video/audio quality – 4 points
  3. Title, editing, and credits – 4 points

Due 2017-02-22

Organizational tech use profile

(up to 15 points)

Visit, document, and explain how people at an organization use technology.

You may select the organization that you want to profile, but I will need approve it. You’ll do a site visit and document core aspects of the organizations technology:

  • internet / network connections,
  • general profile of devices in use (network, server, laptops, mobile, other?),
  • important applications, unusual applications, mobile applications,
  • data (storage, security, databases)
  • challenges with using, deploying, or adopting tech?
  • your reaction to what you learned

Write-up your findings with tool you choose that allows you to share a link accessible to every one the class. (For example, with Quip, Google Docs, Wordpress, Microsoft Sway, etc.). Post the link to Slack. With the permission of your host, include relevant photos that document the organization’s technology use.

You’ll be graded on the following:

  1. Quality of your visit documentation: does it cover the required points listed above? (10 points)
  2. Clarity, conciseness and technical accuracy of your written profile of the agency’s technology (5 points)

Due 2017-04-12

Read or Watch, then Respond

(up to 20 points total)

You may choose to read or watch course-related materials, then respond. Your response should summarize the work and provide your own thoughtful response and analysis.

The form of your response may be:

  • A well-written response of at least 750 words,
  • A well-crafted audio or video response of at least 5 minutes long (and no more than 7),
  • A high-quality illustration (or series of illustrations).

You must demonstrate an accurate understanding of the work. Post the link to your response to the #assignments channel in Slack. If I need to request permission to view your response, I'll deduct a point. Each items is worth up to 5 points each, for a maximum potential of 20 points.


DUE DATES

Up to two responses may be completed no later than 2017-03-02 (i.e., before break), and

Up to two responses may be completed no later than 2017-04-19.


While many of these are free, some require rental, purchase, or access to a subscription streaming service.


To read:


To watch:


If you identify another resource you’d prefer, let me know. I’ll consider it.