Team and Consensus Building (slides)
U.N. Speech
Read a report on nanotechnology and write a speech to the United Nations explaining why you think nanotechnology is a good or bad technology.
Introduction to Cluster:
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Why you may never experience this again (ratio, focus, prerequisite, peers)
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Philosophy of teaching (strategies vs. facts, critical thinking, disciplines, memorization vs. creation)
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Your role (active ants, no speed limits, student-researcher-teacher, design anew)
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Carpe diem (attitude-approach-effort, reflect, seek concept & connections, surprise us)
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Discuss textbooks (Technology Challenged, Diamond Age), reading list
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See Schedule for daily homework assignments
Redwood trees:
Large structures built on a nanoscale level, molecule by molecule. Proof of concept. Contrast with carving down.
Activity: Traffic Jam (teamwork and cooperation)
Nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary field, requiring cooperation and teamwork. Sometimes a common objective is clear but the technique is not, making cooperation difficult to achieve. In this course, we have the common objective of answering nine essential questions about nanotechnology. Some answers will be in lectures, but more will be discovered by students through a variety of research. How will we all work together, bringing our diverse backgrounds and experiences, to achieve our objective? We will have to work as a team and learn to cooperate.
Also, we are looking for patterns in behavior and interaction. Often finding a solution requires that we detect patterns in our subject.
In the Traffic Jam activity, students divide into two groups, which occupy spots along a line, with one group facing the other separated by an empty spot. A student may move forward into an empty space, but may not move backward. A student may move around another facing student to an empty space, but may not move around a student facing the same direction or around more than one student. Only one student may move at a time. The objective is to get both groups past each other to the other end of the line:
Start...
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First...
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Perhaps second...
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Some time later...
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(Hint: try to keep one person facing the opposite direction between every pair facing the first direction. This allows checker-style jumping back and forth)
Sharing:
Share personal objectives for course and personal strengths (knowledge, skills, etc.) to offer the team.
If sufficient time...
Activity: Reaching Consensus
Teams assigned Alpha, Beta, Gamma
Teams pick name. Rules:
- Everyone in the group takes a turn making a suggestion (write them all in a table)
- The group discusses the suggestions
- If there is no agreement on the suggestions, go back to step #1 to make a new suggestion
Teams pick response for attendance call (i.e. at the start of each class and on field trips, I ask each of the teams if all their members are present; if they are, the affirmative response can be something more creative than "yes.")