6. Commerce Concepts A) Bartering
B) Value/Worth
C) Goods and Commodities
D) Money
E) Markets
F) Supply/Demand
G) Service
H) Banking/Saving
I) Taxes
J) Supply Chain
K) Capital
L) Scarcity
M) Advertising/Marketing
N) Brand
7. Financial Experts:
There are several experts in our group that can help us: Especially Greg Crosby, Robert Watkins,
8. Education Framework:
a. QUESTION for teachers (Emily/Troy/Cedric/Laura etc) : Is it better to concentrate on a specific point until the concept is mastered? (maybe? If it’s a fundamental concept then yes, while some more adjunctive concurrent ideas can be taught in line – – do some as stepping stones and the other as parts – some parts can be shuffled, some can’t be shuffled).
a. *Rubrics to be constructed by Greg (beginner, progressing, experienced, mastered). Examples and definitions:
- In education terminology, scoring rubric means “a standard of performance for a defined population –http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubric_(academic)
- http ://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/rubrics.cfm
- http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/
Location: Starbucks on Memorial
Please Provide availability for Sunday 27th of January (this sunday)
Topics
1) How to integrate new ideas (kinetic learning) into existing curriculum
2) Small discussion on progress on ideas
a) how can we do tribes (say there are three groups of kids, how can the tribes interact in the future)
b) Can kids play multiple roles?
c) Pam has really great supplies to bring to the group (she even knows how to make jewelry)
d) Cecy knows some african dance?
e) Music/Dance is a big deal in africa (according to Antoine) . much bigger than it is here.
3) where do we store stuff at Gardens (if possible?)
HERS FROM the discussion:
This is the step most people think of when they think of “library research.” It’s a hunt for information in any available form (book, periodical, CD, video, internet) which is pertinent to your chosen focus. Once you know the focus of your research, there are lots of tools and strategies to help you find and collect the information you need.
Your information search should be focused and specific, but pay careful attention to serendipity (finding, by chance, valuable things you weren’t even looking for). Keep your mind open to continue learning about your focused topic.
Now is the time to carefully record your sources in the bibliographic format required by your instructor. Every piece of information you collect should have bibliographic information written down before you leave the library. See the links to Citing Sources for information on how and when to use quotation, paraphrase and summary and how to conform to the required styles of citation in different fields of study. You should also pay attention to the quality of the information you find, especially if you’re using information you find on the internet. See the linked articles about Interpretation and Evaluation of Information.
Now is also the time to learn the details of using search engines. Many of the sources you will want to use are online, whether in the library or on the internet. See the Info Search section and specifically the Skills for Online Searching article.
4.2 Think about clarifying or refining your focus
As you gather information about your focused topic, you may find new information which prompts you to refine, clarify, extend or narrow your focus. Stay flexible and adjust your information search to account for the changes, widening or narrowing your search, or heading down a slightly different path to follow a new lead.
4.3 Start organizing your notes
Start organizing your notes into logical groups. You may notice a gap in your research, or a more heavy weighting to one aspect of the subject than what you had intended. Starting to organize as you gather information can save an extra trip to the library. It’s better to find the gap now instead of the night before your paper is due (obviously!).
Look through the articles linked under Organizing Information, which includes taking notes, outlining and organizing by mapping, cubing, etc.
4.4 Think about what your thesis statement will be
The thesis statement is the main point of your paper. The type of thesis statement you’ll be making depends a lot on what type of paper you’re writing—a report, an issue analysis, an advocacy paper or another type. As you gather specific information and refine your focus, intentionally look for a main point to your findings. Sometimes, a thesis emerges very obviously from the material, and other times you may struggle to bring together the parts into a sensible whole. The tricky part is knowing when to stop gathering information—when do you have enough, and of the right kind? Seeking a main point as you research will help you know when you’re done.
9. Further Q&A:
I’m kind of confused, too. But intrigued, at the same time. Plan for the design?
With regard to an economic focus, Sierra games had two outstanding video games based on ancient Greece and Rome. Zeus/Poseidon, the Greek one, did a fantastic job of introducing the player to the geography and mythological history of Greece, but its central focus was on import/export and trade or military alliances.
(We own the Sierra game. It’s not quite what we are looking for; in this case we want to create a game that is led by story and also to teach money and commerce.)
I want to avoid video games since they don’t always leave anything to the imagination. This is also a building club, to create items… you may have to build physical mockups (with say cardboard) when you want to own an item in the story…
As kids learn concepts like bartering then more of the world get’s unwrapped and new parts of the world come into play (role-playing). This is so story and interest can lead the teaching. The ‘kid-adventurers start with some provisions and have to learn how to start a career, i hope they can get into a game/immersion without electronic help)…
The CPA’s act as the ‘testers’ in the story, in Greece they can represent the gods, in colonial America the whispering tree, etc, etc….
The Roman game, Caesar, was more popular and more complex–it went through four redesign upgrades, I believe–but if his focus is Greece he might want to check out the Zeus/Poseidon one. The design is brilliant.
Don’t have this one, or we haven’t tried that yet.
This does sound like an intriguing idea, and my thoughts on it shoot out, spider-like, in a variety of directions. But being a hierarchical Latinist, I shall list them vertically.
1. For reference to a vast number of classically-themed games (plus, I suspect, games with an economic focus), the designers of this project should consult Mark Silcox, who has pointed out to me a long list of board games set in the ancient world. I have never tried any of them myself, but I know he and his gaming club students have.
I should check this out, the problem with static board games is you learn the rules and they are fixed to that game.
What we want to do is let people drive by interest…. This relies on a talented teacher who is really grounded in knowledge and passion…. (in this case who also knows their history)
We have helpers for the economics/money side…these CPA’s and will act as the ‘testers’ to enter new levels)…. Can the students explain what they learned back to the ‘CPA’s’ if they can they could move on to more of the adventure?
Teachers should be grounded in historical context to guide the group back to the main ideas of the adventure …
Should like children.
2. Remember that we do not actually have any students who are studying classics per se. We have some who are pursuing the minor in classical studies along with various other majors. Let me look over past class rolls and think about it. Dr. Spencer may also be able to think of some former mythology or literature students. (I teach Greek history, but economic history is very far from my emphasis.)
Anybody who is truthful to history will work…gets what a Greek person did…would be the best candidate, all they have to have is the context and a drive and passion to teach…or learn to teach (which takes experience and time…should be great experience and a big resume builder).
We pay for teachers!!! and they do interesting cool – curriculum.
To start with, I just borrowed every single ‘junior adult’ to kids book on what it was like to live in Greece from the library (there are about 20 books in our library system)
I think if some student read through these books (to be honest – probably take someone 10 hours to read/skim these books since they are kids books) and verify accuracy with their current university text then we would be very pleased with that.
Anyway, they should love to read this info if they are truly interested in the past.
The same with colonial (pre-revolutionary war).
3. The description of the project is a little confusing. If the game is mainly to teach economics, why is it set in ancient Greece, where the economy was radically different from a modern economy? *Or is ancient Greece just to be an overlay to the basic goal of teaching modern economics? The Percy Jackson reference makes me think the history content may not go beyond giving the players names such as Poseidon and Athena. Clarification of this question would help us know what sort of expertise is required of the student helper.
The goal is to create a fun, story-based way to learn about money and some history…. The kids can also be scribes (historians) who annotate their history…. This keeps the game on track…
*Its actually better to use historical economies instead of modern times because 1) it may be more interesting, 2) they can learn some history, 3) Most importantly the economies were simpler.
Profession: (circle)
1) Artisan/Craftsman
2) Merchant/Trader
3) Soldier
4) Law maker/Historian/Scribe
5) Teacher
6) Oracle/Priest/Clergy
7) Blacksmith/Engineer/Animal Caretaker
8) Farmer/Planter/Food Engineer
Provisions |
Skills |
What they can do/can’t do? |
How they can evolve? |