Drumbeat/Hackasaurus/jams

This page includes resources to help you organize, run and publicize your very own Hackasaurus design jam. We created this content to provide educators who want to teach classes, teens who want to start their own hacking club and community organizers who want to hack the world that they live in support in getting their programs started. Please feel free to use the content below. If you see something that you want to edit, please do so. We want to make this a useful toolkit, and that means we need people to tell us when we are doing something right AND letting us know where we can improve. Happy hacking.

Step One: Start Early

A successful jam takes some time to plan, but with a little elbow grease, your event could rock. At least a month prior to the jam you should have the venue identified, the date confirmed and the core planning team more or less in the works. At least two weeks prior to the jam you should have permission slips disseminated. This is particularly important if you plan on having teens engage in open design, where they are sharing their work on the web and documenting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Step Two: Call All Superheros

Invite youth and facilitators who have experience in the field and/or with kids and work with them in advance to develop a game plan or curriculum for the day of the jam. It's good to have some people with technical skills on hand to troubleshoot as well as act as a creative support system. Consider approaching local universities or tech organizations to act as on-site mentors. After the team is formed, assign tasks to all of the facilitators in the room. Documentor, Tech support, etc. Don't have anyone lingering- this needs to be established as an interactive/ collaborative YOUTH space.

http://etherpad.mozilla.com:9000/hackasaurus-technical-checklist

Step Three: Choose a Theme or Topic

Hacking for the sake of hacking, can be fun for some- but not everyone. This is an opportunity to think creatively about incorporating technology into the work that you already do. Is there a project already underway in your organization or neighborhood that you want to build enthusiasm or crowd-source data or content for? Remember, the technology or media should not be the theme of the jam, just a strategy for implementation. Some past jams have included: Hacking Citizen Science, Social Hacktivism and Entrepreneurship 101

http://jessicaklein.blogspot.com/2011/04/youth-design-jams-101-building-your.html

Step Four: Set Expectation for Outcomes

The goal of every jam is to make something. Set expectations for outcomes so that both the youth and facilitators know the expectations coming into the jam. Reinforce this with publicity efforts and messaging happening around the event.

• 1 hour lesson
• Hacktivist
• Scaventagger
• Superheros of the Open Web
• Hacker-Jacker
• CyberSands
• Malcolm blogpost

Step Five: Create Lesson or Event Plan

Working with your team of Superheroes and H.I.T's - plan out the lesson or event plan. A jam is not a class, it is SUPPOSED to informal and playful. However, this kind of environment still needs to be structured- particularly when you are a) working with new technologies and b) planning for youth under the age of 18. Many of the event plans allow for some dedicated instruction combined with experimentation time. Check out hackasaurus.org and build off some existing curriculum or upload your own and get feedback from the Hackasaurus community of educators, techies and geeks.

• Videos
  • http://vimeo.com/21185874
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bmni1YjURYo
  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joahQOBwnGM&feature=youtu.be
• Tools: Instructables
• Logos
  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/jessicaklein/5498985094/in/photostream
• Permission Slip Builder
• Hackasaurus Badge
• Embeddable banner

Step Six: Set Up for Success

Define space in the venue that you will be hosting the jam. Break up the space as much as possible. We don't want this to look like a classroom. Move chairs into a circle. Set up a projector connected to a laptop that everyone can have easy access to share their work. Make sure that the space satisfies everything listed in the I.T. Checklist.

• Factsheets
• Sign-Up Sheets
• Stencils
• Stickers
• Fliers
• Cheat sheets

Step Seven: Design a Maker Space

Make every attempt humanly possible to define the jam space as interactive. Start out with some thematic ice-breakers to get people talking and defining their identities within the crowd. --ICE BREAKER ACTIVITY: HACK THIS DANCE-- a. Tell the participants that they are going to hack a dance. b. Play a familiar dance song (like the macarena, the qua qua "chicken dance", or the superman) and demonstrate, or have participants demonstrate the dance: Macarena:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vlzwuFkn88U Qua Qua:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UV3kRV46Zs Superman:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLGLum5SyKQ c.Tell participants that they need to hack the dance, but here are the instructions to hack it: Simple Rules for everyone:

   Participants form a circle and a song starts playing

   The facilitator makes a dance move and either  tags the person next to her or anywhere else in the cirlce

   If the person standing next to the facilitator is tagged,  that person has to repeat the dance move performed by the facilitator

   If  the facilitator tags someone not next to her, that person has to hack the move

   Repeat mechanic till everyone at the circle has danced.

Explain ground rules for the space: 1. Respect- we define respect in this space- don't talk when other people are talking and honor the fact that people have different opinions 2.Inclusion- collaborating can be fun and creative, let's figure out how. Finally, throw in a curveball-if they have a question or there is a word that they don't know they should interrupt that person