A L E X A N D R A D

A L E X A N D R A D O L A N

THE BEAR MAXIMUM PROJECT DESIGN MATERIALS & UNIT PLAN

MAMMA-BEAR CENTRAL

UNIT PLAN: Learning Purposes of the Bear Maximum Project

EDUCATIONAL GOALS: Learning Purposes of the Bear Maximum Project The Overall Educational Goal and Purpose of the Bear Maximum Project is to create an online wisdom community for informal learning comprised of mothers of all ages in order to promote mentoring and support for one another in the process of collaborative knowledge innovation in order to faciliate transformational learning(Gunawardena, Ortegano-Layne, Carabajal, Frechette, Lindemann and Jennings, 2006, p. 217). The project will take place online, and will follow the WisCom model of Instructional Design, developed by Gunawardena, Ortegano-Layne, Carabajal, Frechette, Lindemann and Jennings (2006) to “design learning environments for ill-structured knowledge domains” (Jonassen, 1997, as cited in Gundawardena, 2006, p. 219). The project seeks to provide an online wisdom community for mothers to come together to create a supportive community of practice wherein mothers can share resources, information, and perspectives in support of perspective transformation and the actuation of personal and social change.Though the expectations placed on mothers today can be overwhelming, it can be helpful to come together as a supportive community wherein members can provide mentorship and support to one another as mothers and colleagues in the practice of the art and science of motherhood.

STATEMENT OF RATIONALE: Why is this needed? Mothers today wear many hats, while simultaneously keeping many different balls up in the air. They may be raising children, caring for elderly parents, working full-time, going to school, trying to maintain friendships and relationships, managing the household, all the while feeling pressure to be thin, beautiful, eat organic, grow organic, live sustainably, and be the perfect everything-to-everybody. Is balance possible given such a situation in which one is driven to maximize their potential across many divergent interests? Is this yet another example of the tragedy of the commons the tragedy of the common mom? While there is no single solution to the problem of being overwhelmed by the challenges of modern motherhood, having a supportive community of peers to collaborate and engage with can help us learn to survive and thrive for ourselves, and our families.

DESCRIPTION OF LEARNERS: Social Background: The primary target learner will consist of mothers who volunteer to participate in the Bear Maximum Online Wisdom Community Project. The audience will consist of mothers with varying levels of experience as a mother, represent a variety of social characteristics, occupations, and technological abilities. Primary Audience: Full-time Mothers/Homemakers Working Mothers Mothers who are Students

Secondary Audience: Step-mothers Grandmothers Pregnant Women Women in the process of adopting a child.

Nature of Learning Environment: Learning will be informal, and due to the web 2.0 nature of the technologies being utilized in the learning environment; a variety of learning styles, preferences, and orientations can be satisfied.

Learner Groups/Classifications: Level A: Expectant Moms, New Moms, and Moms of Young Children Level B: Veteran Moms and Moms of Older Children Level C: Grandmothers and Great-Grandmothers

Experiential Background: General Learner Description/Characteristics: Gender: Female Age: 18-65 Education: Range from High School Diploma to Advanced Degrees Experience:0 to 50 years experience as a mother. Technological Capability: From Novice to Highly Proficient Most will have other major responsibilities outside of the home that occupy their time.

Prerequisite Technological Capability, Skills, and Knowledge: Participants will have access to a computer with internet access and/or smartphone with internet access. Participants will have some level of comfort participating in social networking from experiences with sites such as Facebook or other online learning environments and web 2.0 applications. Level of prior knowledge will depend upon age, education, experience and learnerʼs individual characteristics, interests, and point-of-view.

Developmental Level:

Self Actualization

⇕

Esteem

⇕

Love, Affection & Belongingness

⇕

Safety

⇕

Physiological A Theory of Human Motivation(1943): “Goals are related to each other, being arranged in a hierarchy of prepotency. This means that the most prepotent goal will monopolize consciousness and will tend of itself to organize the recruitment of the various capacities of the organism. The less prepotent needs are minimized, even forgotten or denied. But when a need is fairly well satisfied, the next prepotent ('higher') need emerges, in turn to dominate the conscious life and to serve as the center of organization of behavior, since gratified needs are not active motivators. Thus man is a perpetually wanting animal. Ordinarily the satisfaction of these wants is not altogether mutually exclusive, but only tends to be. The average member of our society is most often partially satisfied and partially unsatisfied in all of his wants.The hierarchy principle is usually empirically observed in terms of increasing percentages of non-satisfaction as we go up the hierarchy” (Maslow, 1943, pp. 394-395).

Love, Affection and Belongingness Esteem Self Actualization: According to Maslowʼs Hierarchy of needs participants prepotent needs will likely move from Love, Affection, and Belongingness Needs to Esteem Needs to Self-Actualization as they move through the process of perspective transformation aided by engagement in the Bear Maximum Project Online Wisdom Community. It is assumed that physiological and safety needs of the majority of participants are met.

Motivation and Attitude: Motivations will vary according to participants prepotent needs at the time of engagement with the Bear Maximum Wisdom Community. Attitude, enthusiasm, and levels of participation will vary according to perceived utility of participation and engagement. Participation in project is voluntary and Learners may experience different constraints on participation, including: time, technological availability, equipment function, technological ability, and constraints presented by the physical learning environment, such as noise, poor lighting, etc. Motivations will vary, but include: desire for self-improvement, necessity for an outlet to vent frustrations, need for engagement, to find commonalities among a supportive group of peers, to acquire additional skills and resources. Results of a Formative Evaluation conducted to assess participants and their needs indicated social networking with peers as the primary motivation for participation, followed by the need for an outlet for frustration. Participants also indicated that they were motivated by the need to obtain resources and skills as well as advice and guidance. The results of the formative evaluation show that among respondents, the majority of momʼs indicated a tendency towards the alpha mom (aka supermom) orientation, which is indicative of a greater tendency towards control, greater internal locus-of-control, and higher levels of self-efficacy. Participantʼs Parenting Orientation

Alpha-Mom Nearly Alpha-Mom Middle-of-the-Road Mom

25%

38%

38% Participantʼs Motivation for Participation:

Social Networking with Peers Outlet for Frustrations Advice & Guidance Resources and Skills

8% 17%

33%

42%

Knowledge Level: Participants were classified by three primary levels: Level A: Expectant Moms, New Moms and Moms with Young Children Level B: Veteran Moms and Moms with Older Children Level C: Grandmothers and Great-Gradmothers

Number of Participants

Number of Participants

Formative Evaluation conducted to assess participants indicated that the majority of participants had an A.A/A.S. degree or a B.A./B.S. degree, and had young children. The majority of participants rated themselves fairly proficient or tech savvy. Novice

Fairly Proficient

Tech Savvy

2

1

0 High School/GED

Technical School

A.A./A.S.

Level A: Moms of Young Children Level C: Grandmothers

BA.B.S.

Level B: Veteran Moms

2 1 0 High School/GED

Technical School

A.A./A.S.

BA.B.S.

Education Level

Learning Style:

Preferred Learning Style

Formative Evaluation conducted to assess participants indicated that the majority of participants self-reported Visual learning preference is Auditory toward visual mediums.

25%

Tactile/Kinesthetic

13%

63%

Possible Perceptions and Constraints Affecting Participation: Participation will require too much time and effort: Time constraints may mean the mom will be too busy to have the time to join an online wisdom community or to maintain a presence within that community. Fear: A Powerful Motivator Against Engagement The supermom myth is a powerful one. Some moms might fear coming forward and admitting that they feel overwhelmed, for any number of reasons. Participants might fear changes or the unknown, and be afraid to make changes, or experience potential repercussions. Fear of what others will think, or how others will perceive them. Alienation/Powerlessness: Moms may not feel that they are empowered to actuate role transitions and make changes within their physical, cultural, and social environment. Other Constraints: Participation in project is voluntary and Learners may experience different constraints on participation, including: time, technological availability, equipment function, technological ability, and constraints presented by the physical learning environment, such as noise, poor lighting, etc.

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES: Objective I: Given resources on a disorienting dilemmas (issues, challenges, or problems) that mothers face participant will: 1. Examine resources related to that particular issue, challenge, or problem. 2. Engage in self-examination and personal reflection. 3. Post links to additional relevant resources to Delicious Bookmarks. 4. Conduct a critical assessment relating how participant has internalized psychocultural assumptions, ideologies, and expectations. 5. Share results of that critical assessment with others in online discussion.

Objective II: Given the critical assessment of another participant's internalized psycho-cultural assumptions, beliefs, ideologies and expectations, the participant will: 1. Evaluate critical assessment in light of one's own insights on the subject. 2. Relate one's discontent and alienation to that of other participants and public issues. 3. Recognize that one is not alone, and that one's problem is experienced by others. 4. Provide mentorship and support to other participants by responding to other participant.

Objective III: Given an exploration of the role of women in society participant will: 1. Post reaction suggesting alternative ways of acting and thinking to a group discussion. 2. Evaluate and respond to other posts, providing support and mentorship as needed. 3. Plan a course of action that utilizes new ways of acting and thinking. 4. Share this plan with other participants.

Objective IV: Given a plan of action, participant will: 1. Acquire knowledge and skills necessary to execute plan into action. 2. Share knowledge, resources and insights gained with participants. 3. Respond to other participants plans, providing mentorship and support as needed. 4. Try new roles.

Objective V: Given new roles, participant will: 1. Assess feedback on the process. 2. Reflect and make adjustments as indicated. 3. Build confidence and competence in new roles. 4. Report on efforts to other participants. 5. Reconcile new perspectives with society. " " "

6. Provide support and mentorship to others in the process of perspective transformation to empower other participants to become critically conscious and enact positive changes.

PERFORMANCE MEASURES: To Evaluate Learning Outcomes: Performance will be evaluated based on engagement and participation in the community via visits, posts to, comments on, resources added, and activity on Blog, Wiki, NING!, Website, and Delicious Social Bookmarks. Evaluating Learning that occurs prior to Instruction: " Information from Formative Evaluation " Pre-tests

" Topic Overviews " Advance Organizers " Engagement " Participation " Content and Resources Added or Accessed " Feedback " Observation" Evaluating Learning that occurs during Instruction: " Engagement " Participation " Content and Resources Added or Accessed " Feedback " Observation Evaluating Learning that occurs after Instruction: " Engagement " Participation " Content and Resources Added or Accessed " Feedback " Observation Participation and engagement will be tracked via Google Analytics for: Website at http://bearmaximum.webs.com Blog at http://www.bearmaximum.com Ning at http://bearmaximum.ning.com Participation and engagement will be tracked via Wiki Statistics, Recent Changes and History Tab for: Wiki at http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com Participation and engagement will be tracked via Tagroll and Linkroll and date for: Delicious Social Bookmarking at http://delicious.com/BearMaximum Ultimate Performance Goals: Add content and discussion posts to the Wiki Add content and discussion posts to Ning Add comments and posts to the Blog Add resources to Delicious Social Bookmarks Apply what they have learned to improve their lives, and the lives of others Bring additional members and participants into the Bear Maximum Online Wisdom Community.

OBJECTIVE STRATEGIES AND MATERIALS: The Getting Started Guide will serve as and introduction and initial presentation that will encourage participants to get involved in the community by providing them with guidance including direction related to useful features, functions, and access. The Getting Started Guide will include tips for navigating, using, participating, and contributing to the Bear Maximum Online Wisdom Community as participants explore an introductory issue.

Strategies for Objective I: Idea: As part of the Getting Started Guide and Presentation, Participants will be directed toward content relating to an issue, challenge or problem of their choice. Links will be provided to aid participants in their initial exploration of the Bear Maximum Online Community. Interpretation: Participants will be asked to evaluate available resources on a given issue, topic, challenge or problem, and to examine and reflect on those resources in light of their experience of the issue/topic/challenge/problem, and how it has shaped who they are as a person. Application: Participants will then be asked directed to add any additional resources they found helpful to delicious, wiki, or NING, and share their feelings with other participants.

Materials for Objective I: Getting Started Guide: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Getting_Started_Guide

Strategies for Objective II: Idea: Participants will navigate site content evaluating postings that provide examples modeling personal reflection, and well as tagrolls, links, citations, and RSS feeds that provide additional resources. Interpretation: Participants will reflect how their experience and observations compare and contrast to their own perspective. Application: Participants will share their frustrations, relating via discussion postings, comments, and additional information and resources.

Materials for Objective II: Blog Posts and Blog Tagrolls, Link Lists, RSS Feeds:: Located at: http://www.bearmaximum.com Ning Videos, Discussions, Forum and Chat: Located at: http://bearmaximum.ning.com Wiki Information, Resources, and Discussions: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com

Strategies for Objective III: Idea: View pages on wiki relating to Love and Marriage 1950ʼs Style and Sexism. Interpretation: Reflect on sexism, gender roles, stereotypes, in the 1950ʼs and today. Application: Post reaction to films in discussion tab of Wiki. How are things different now? How are they the same? How can we break away from the stereotypes and sexism that remains? Do you want to? How will you?

Materials for Objective III: Love and Marriage 1950ʼs Style Wiki Page: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Love+and+Marriage+1950%27s +Style Sexism Wiki Page: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Sexism

Strategies for Objective IV: Idea: Find additional resources and information relating to sexism and gender roles. Interpretation: What does it mean to be a woman? What is a womanʼs proper role? How have women been held back or empowered by sexism and gender? Discuss your ideas and understandings of what you believe a womanʼs role is, and how individuals and society might change and women might take on new roles or revise current ones. Post new resources to Wiki or Delicious Bookmarks. Application: Discuss changes you plan to make and try them out in your personal life. Try new roles and give and receive feedback via Discussion Forums on Ning.

Materials for Objective IV: Wiki: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com NING: http://bearmaximum.ning.com

Strategies for Objective V: Idea: Discuss changes you have made in your personal life. Interpretation: Give and get feedback on the change process initiated. Application: Revise and reconcile these changes with your life. Support others in making positive changes by providing adding resource and content to the community, and giving support and encouragement in forums. Get others involved, and support them by referring them to the Getting Started Guide.

Materials for Objective V: Wiki: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com NING: http://bearmaximum.ning.com Blog: http://www.bearmaximum.com Delicious: http://delicious.com/bearmaximum

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: Instructional Design and Materials are based on socioconstructivist principles and critical learning theories.

GETTING STARTED GUIDE: Watch the Screencast: Screencast Available from: http://www.screencast.com/t/ZGQ5ZThhM Screencast is also embedded within Wiki, Blog, and Ning.

Explore: Explore content on site, and choose a topic that interests you. Evaluate what content is available to the community. For example, go to MIT Courseware post and find a course that interests you from the list: http://www.bearmaximum.com/2009/11/mit-opencourseware.html

Browse ʻMom Newsʼ, http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user %2F10204656669028523184%2Flabel%2FMom%20News Start a discussion on http://bearmaximum.ning.com/forum or respond to someone elseʼs. Examine and reflect on those resources in light of their experience of the issue/ topic/challenge/problem, and how it has shaped who they are as a person.

Add: Anything You Want, This is Your Community! Add any additional resources they found helpful to delicious, wiki, or NING, and share your feelings with other participants via comments, posts, etc.

Materials and Handy Resources: Getting Started Guide: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Getting_Started_Guide Screencast: Located at: http://www.screencast.com/t/ZGQ5ZThhM Wiki: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com NING: http://bearmaximum.ning.com Blog: http://www.bearmaximum.com Delicious: http://delicious.com/bearmaximum

Read All About ʻItʼ: Explore: Blog Postings such as: Science, Pseudoscience, and the Great Vaccination Debate: http:// www.bearmaximum.com/2009/11/science-pseudo-science-and-great.html The Importance of Family Dinners: http://www.bearmaximum.com/2009/11/ importance-of-family-dinners.html Think About It: Reflect on personal experience and observations and compare and contrast to those presented. Talk Back: Share your frustrations, Relate via discussion postings, comments, and add additional information and resources.

Materials and Handy Resources: Blog Posts and Blog Tagrolls, Link Lists, RSS Feeds:: Located at: http://www.bearmaximum.com Ning Videos, Discussions, Forum and Chat: Located at: http://bearmaximum.ning.com Wiki Information, Resources, and Discussions: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com

Old School Love, Marriage, and Sexism: Back to the Future: View pages on wiki relating to Love and Marriage 1950ʼs Style and Sexism. Ponder: Reflect on sexism, gender roles, stereotypes, in the 1950ʼs and today as you view content on http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Love+and+Marriage +1950%27s+Style and http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Sexism Discuss: Post reaction to films in discussion tab of Wiki. How are things different now? How are they the same? How can we break away from the stereotypes and sexism that remains? Do you want to? How will you?

Materials and Handy Resources: Love and Marriage 1950ʼs Style Wiki Page: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Love+and+Marriage+1950%27s +Style Sexism Wiki Page: Located at: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Sexism

A Womanʼs Place: Query: Find additional resources and information relating to sexism and gender roles. Or, go to http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com/Reference+Materials to download a zip file of scholarly resources related to the topic. Perspective: What does it mean to be a woman? What is a womanʼs proper role? How have women been held back or empowered by sexism and gender? Discuss your ideas and understandings of what you believe a womanʼs role is, and how individuals and society might change and women might take on new roles or revise current ones. Post new resources to Wiki or Delicious Bookmarks.

Virtual Roundtable: Discuss changes you plan to make and try them out in your personal life. new roles and give and receive feedback via Discussion Forums on Ning.

Try

Materials and Handy Resources: Wiki: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com NING: http://bearmaximum.ning.com Google Reader Feeds: http://www.google.com/reader/shared/user %2F10204656669028523184%2Flabel%2FMom%20News

Bringing Inner Changes to the Outside World: Direction: Discuss changes you have made in your personal life. Reflection: Give and get feedback on the change process initiated. Circumspection: Revise and reconcile these changes with your life. Support others in making positive changes by providing adding resource and content to the community, and giving support and encouragement in forums. Get others involved, and support them by referring them to the Getting Started Guide.

Materials and Handy Resources: Wiki: http://bearmaximum.wikispaces.com NING: http://bearmaximum.ning.com Blog: http://www.bearmaximum.com Delicious: http://delicious.com/bearmaximum

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http://www.archive.org/details/whenyoumarry00duvarich

Gunawardena, C., Ortegano‐Layne, L., Carabajal, K., Frechette, C., Lindemann, K., & Jennings, B. " (2006). New Model, New Strategies: Instructional design for building online wisdom " communities. Distance Education, 27(2), 217-232, doi:10.1080/01587910600789613 Gunawardena, C. N., Jennings, B., Layne, O. L. C., Frechette, C., Carabajal, K., Lindemann, K., & " Mummert, J. (2004). Building an online wisdom community: A transformational design model. " Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 15(2): 40-62, doi: 10.1007/BF02940929 " Hardin, G. (13 December 1968). The Tragedy of the Commons. Science,162(3859), 1243-1248, "

doi: 10.1126/science.162.3859.124.

Huancaina. (2007, March 27). Are You Popular? Video. " http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8EyNvVV_mlc Institute for Womenʼs Policy Research IWPR. (2009). The Gender Wage Gap: 2008 (IWPR #C350). " Washington, DC: Author. Institute for Womenʼs Policy Research IWPR. (2008) Improving Pay Equity Would Mean Great Gains " for Women. Washington, DC: Author. Jayson, Sharon. (2007, May 9). ʻSlacker Momsʼ urge other mothers to chill. USA Today, Health and " Behavior.

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