Inspired by the blog post “When Tools Become Culture”, this assignment invites you to think creatively about how schools reflect and shape culture. You will design an artifact that represents your interpretation of the cultural impact of schooling.

  1. Select a Focus Area
    Choose one aspect of schooling that demonstrates its role as a cultural tool. Analyze its relationship to culture (how it both reflects and shapes culture):
    • Artifacts: classrooms, desks, tools like pencils/whiteboards, other technologies, school buildings, bulletin boards, playgrounds, etc.
    • Processes: procedures, schedules
    • Experiences: everyday classes/lessons, test taking, sports events, field trips
    • Systems: grading, credit system, accreditation, policy
  2. Create a Representational Artifact
    Use AI or other creative tools to produce an artifact that encapsulates your analysis. This could be an image, song, poem, short story, interactive chatbot, infographic, video, podcast, or anything else you can think of.
  3. Accompanying Reflection
    Write a 1-3 paragraph reflection that addresses the following:
    • What cultural values or assumptions are embedded in the aspect of schooling you chose?
    • How does your representational artifact (image, song, poem, etc.) convey the ways schooling reflects and shapes culture?
    • How did using AI or other creative tools influence your representation of this idea?
  4. Vote
    • Vote on your favorite representation and reflection (opens 12/1/2024)