Game Theory Breaks Down The "Game" of Trust

Okay, so I sat down to write my next blog post, but instead decided I should check on the subreddit I follow (r/matheducation) real quick before I started. It had been a while since I looked at Reddit, and I convinced myself it would just be a quick stop before diving into my blog post.

An hour plus later, I am now finally writing my post. However, my visit to Reddit completely changed its content. I stumbled upon one of the coolest things I have seen online. It was released this month by Nicky Case and can be found at http://ncase.me/trust/. The post on Reddit was calling it a game. And it is a game, but it is also so much more than that.  It is a commentary on society and the problem with trust. It teaches and makes you think. When I shared it on Twitter, the caption called it "an interactive guide".

Just found this on Reddit. Very cool! I'm interested in its implications for social media. #eme6414 Thoughts? https://t.co/AAio6BK8Mp

— Ginny Smith (@Ginny7s) July 29, 2017

There are 10 pages to the game (numbered 0-9). The first page, page zero, is the introduction, which states that on Christmas in 1914, during World War 1, British and German soldiers met in "No Mans Land" and celebrated the holiday together in a sort of truce. This is followed by the fact that in 2017 trust is at an all time low (looking at the last 40 years) according to survey responses over time. My favorite quote from the new game is on the first page: " Why even in peacetime, do friends become enemies? And why, even in wartime, do enemies become friends?" (Case, p.0).

The next page describes"The game of Trust". It is a basic two person risk/reward scenario game, where you can either chose to cooperate or cheat. The third page is your first chance to play the game. You play 5 opponents an unknown number of rounds (between 3 and 7). At the end of the play you meet your five opponents and are told the strategy (rule) they used to play the game. I cannot reveal any more because I do not wan to spoil the game for anyone, and I highly recommend you play.

I think the following quote from the seventh page is one of the reasons I decided to share this game on my blog. "I think our modern media technology, as much as it's helped us increase communication... has increased our miscommunication much more" (Case, p. 6). Miscommunication being one of the things that leads to distrust.

I leave you with a final quote from the game and one more reminder to go check it out at http://ncase.me/trust/. "In the short run, the game defines the players. But in the long run, it's us players who define the game" (Case, p. 8)

So play the game and let me know what you think. Or if you cannot play the game (for some really good reason), I hope you will share your thoughts on social media miscommunication.

Case, Nicky. (2017). The Evolution of Trust. [Website] retrieved from http://ncase.me/trust/

Teacher Tech Tools: Kahoot! Review Revised

So I wrote a blog a couple weeks ago about a list of formative assessment resources. I included a video from Kahoot! and a brief overview. Since then, I have spent more time working with the tool, and I want to update my review. I still think it is a great tool with many possible uses. For example, not only can you create quiz games, there are other options as well. You can create a survey where there is not a correct answer. You can also create a discussion, which limits you to one question, and is for spur-of-the-moment inquiries. The newest option is a jumble, where students must order the options instead of selecting one correct option.

Another cool thing about Kahoot! is that you can upload any image to the Kahoot! question slide. My biggest frustration with Kahoot! so far has been the limited number of characters you can use in the questions of the quizzes. This is very problematic when trying to use a math word problem. However, creating the question on a separate document and taking a screen shot allows you to upload any question. One thing to keep in mind is that the maximum time allowed for answering a quiz question is 120 seconds. Students need enough time to answer, so this also limits how much content you can include.

Kahoot! also has an extensive and well-written FAQs which I found very helpful. Another easy way to get help is to click the comment bubble (circled in red on the picture below). All you have to do is type your question and click next. Then it gives you some possible help topics or the option to send the question on to the help desk. I found what I needed every time from the links they suggested. It was easy and fast. A final way to get help creating an awesome Kahoot! is to check out their blog (underlined in blue with arrow on the picture below). The blog contains tutorials, cool ideas for using Kahoot!, and help with companion tools.

Overall, I think it is a great resource for teachers and one I will keep in my teacher tool box.

(Note to EME6414 folks: Make sure to check out my newest Kahoot in my student work sample for my Produsage Project, coming soon to the discussion board.)

Produsage Project - Look who is teaching now

My professor challenged our class to blog about our ideas for our Produsage Project and tweet the link. We can then give each other feedback on our ideas. Challenge accepted!

My idea for my produsage project is to have students do a curation assignment using Storify. I loved the process I just went through for the Knowledge Sharing and Tracking Project. I also love letting students be the teachers in the classroom. Logistically, it would be a multi-day lesson for the first week of school. The plan could be adapted for any grade level and subject area. My example will be for secondary math. The purpose of the curation is to review a topic from the previous year's curriculum. The teacher provides a list of carefully chosen topics and students work in small groups to create a collection of resources to review their chosen topic. The topics should be those essential for learning progression, the foundations for building the current year's new knowledge. Each collection should include at least 3 resources and each resource must be annotated by the students. For assessment, each group will create a game on Kahoot covering their topic. Students are required to view all of the class projects and make comments about the resources or leave questions about the concepts. On the final day of the project, students play each group's assessment game to demonstrate mastery of the concepts being reviewed.

My rational for this project is that many teachers have a hard time deciding what to do the first week of class (in secondary education), and most students need a review of the important topics from the previous course after the long summer break. This activity helps on both fronts. Another reason for the project is it allows teachers to begin developing relationships with students, as the teacher is free to roam and interact with students instead of delivering content. It will also help classmates begin learning how to work together. These are important components of classroom management for teachers to set at the beginning of each school year.

The prototype of student work will include a story (on Storify) on how to change fractions into decimals and a game (on Kahoot) covering the content from the story.

So, what do you think? Please let me know in the comments. Thanks!

Designing Instruction that Includes Social Media

I recently read an in-progress manuscript about the uses, advantages, and challenges of incorporating social media into instruction (Dennen, in press). Two tables are included, both providing useful summaries. Table 1 provides possible educational uses and descriptions for the major social media platforms/tools. Table 2 provides educational examples with and without social media. When combined, these two tables are a great quick resource for those desiring to incorporate social media into their instructional plans. Most of the educational uses the author discusses are communication related, instructor-to-student or student-to-student. Activities involving content creation (e.g., produce and upload your own video) are also discussed. This makes sense as enhanced communication and content creation are two main facets of social media.

Another key point the author makes is that social media should be used in education when the purposes of the instruction align with the attributes of the social media tool. "The driving force behind social media adoption in educational settings should be the learning objectives and context, not external pressures" (Dennen, in press, p. 10). To this message I exclaim, "Preach!" Incorporating technology and media into instruction can motivate learners, enhance communication, and engage students, but only when there is correct alignment between the tools and the instructional goals.

My instructional experience has always been as both the creator and deliverer of the instruction. While reading the article, it occurred to me that the role someone plays in delivering the instruction and the relationship (or lack thereof) someone has to those receiving the instruction greatly influences the challenges faced. As I see it there are three different roles: 1) Classroom teacher - knows the learner and delivers the instruction, 2) Trainer/online instructor - limited knowledge of learners and delivers the instruction, 3) Instructional designer - does not know the learner and does not deliver the instruction. While these are lose definitions, I think they work in general. I would argue that the more contact the person designing the instruction has with the learner, the easier it is to navigate the challenges and risks surrounding the use of social media for instructional purposes. For example, as a classroom teacher I felt comfortable introducing new forms of media into my instructional plans because I knew my students comfortability levels. I could anticipate what types of help specific students would need, and I was right there to keep them on track and to offer guidance. As an instructional designer, all of these details must be carefully thought out and included in the instructional plan. That seems a lot harder. (But, maybe that is just because I am a bit of a control freak.)

What do you think? How does the role someone plays influence his/her ability to incorporate social media into an instructional plan?