KnowledgeContext tested activities in a one-semester technology elective and in multiple pilots ranging from one to five days in three different schools. It introduces concepts basic to understanding technology, including why do we use it, how does it work, and where does it come from. Field testing our five-day program showed that many concepts we considered important would not fit into five periods. Because of this, we incorporated these concepts into long-term projects that we show teachers how to integrate into the curriculum they are already using. The other teammates decide what happens when the time traveler attempts her imaginary journey using various anachronistic technologies.
Students quickly discover that there are no ready sources of electricity or supplies.
These workshops have two objectives. First, involve teachers in the experience of the First Context activities. And, second, facilitate teachers in placing First Context in the context of their own curriculum. The First Context activities are structured as games, so playing the games with other teachers in the workshop gives a visceral sense of how they may apply in the classroom. Through individual and group activities, teachers consider where in the student learning cycle, and where in their teaching portfolio, First Context and long-term projects will integrate.