Plan a Hackasaurus Hackjam

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Task Navigation 

Design an agenda for your event


What are you and your participants going to do?
Alright, you know what your theme is and what your learning objectives are, now it's time to figure out what your participants are going to do. These guidelines will help shape the agenda of your event. 
 
If some of these steps don't fit, or you want to improve them, hack the model and tell us about it.
 
 
Share your event plans here in the discussion wall. Give feedback about your peers' agendas & activities. Help them think through a successful event. If you hacked the agenda, tell us about it. Comment on two of your peers posts.
 
Did someone give you good feedback? Award them the Helpful Feedback badge! At the very least, follow up with them to thank them for their participation. Perhaps they might be a future event partner.
 

Learning Lab (scroll down for Hackjam!)

If you're doing a learning lab, you need to know how to use the tools you're showing! As an example, get to know the XRay Goggles, the tool Hackasaurus Learning Labs use.

  1. What’s the deal with Hackasaurus tools?  View some examples of what can been done with the Hackasaurus tools.
    Before: http://www.facebook.com
    After Hacking: http://poof.hksr.us/atdswumf
    Before: http://www.google.com
    After Hacking: http://poof.hksr.us/cldmpnvn , http://poof.hksr.us/tfpzzanf
     
  2. Training: Install the XRay Goggles. Go  to   Hackasaurus.org and install the X-Ray Goggles (This link will open  a  new  tab; when you're done, come back here!) Here's a How to Video!
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YBl6Tiv6Pro
     
  3. Remix the HTML.  Go to a news website (for example nytimes.com) and with your goggles     on, hover over parts of the webpage that you would like to change.    Click  R to remix an element.  Now look for a <p> and   <img>   elements, and remix the content to include your key issue and learning objectives.
     
  4. Share your Hack. Once    you've changed something on a website, you've "hacked" the content.    "Hacking" is just taking something that already exists, and changing  it   for your purposes. Hit P and copy and paste the url of your hack  into  the discussion wall.  Check out in the discussion wall what your  peers  have  hacked and hack   their hack OR remix a website to become  a  profile page  for your group.
     
  5. Challenge your crew to remix the web using Hackasaurus.  Comparisons of the BEFORE (original URL) and AFTER (hacked URL) can be shared to pledge for the HTML Decoder badge. Here are 2  assignments  for your crew but you might also invent your own invent  your own. Submit Before and After URLs or screenshots to the discussion  wall for each of your crew members.
     
  6. If you did all that, you're ready to hack the Learning Lab curriculum to fit with your learning objectives and key issue:
  • Hack the Ice Breaker  The Ice Breaker Activity is a way to get people warmed up and thinking about the concepts you're (strategically!) putting forth in your platform. Adapt the Hackasaurus Ice Breaker Activity "Hack the Robot Dance" to fit with your objectives and theme. 
  • Plan the Instruction Activity  The instruction activity is the "learning lab" part of the event. This is the activity that introduces more targeted skills or concepts to your participants. As an example, the Hackasaurus "Try on Your XRay Goggles" module will show participants how to use the XRay goggles to hack a webpage. Look at the example activity. Hack it to fit with your key issue/theme. Think about how you'll organize groups and facilitate this activitity. 
  • Create the Design Challenge Now participants will apply what they learned. Come up with a small challenge to demonstrate what's been learned. For example, ask participants to create fictional identities and web assets (websites, content, imagery, etc.) by remixing websites using the XRay Goggles. Play with the design challenge to fit with your key issue.

 

Hackjam

  1. Design a challenge. Using the learning objectives and theme, think about what things  participants could build and make. It helps to come up with an open question, such as "How would you make commenting on the web better?" or "How can you use the web to tell your story better?"
     
  2. Group Briefing: Opening with a demo can help participants at your hack jam see what's possible. Determine what you will show when all the participants and facilitators arrive at your event. Keep it short, because the motto should be, "Less yak, more hack!". If needed, you might want to offer a quick crash-course on the software before you dig in.
     
  3. Role Assignment: The group breaks into the small teams and determine how they’ll work together. Some might use napkin-sketches to quickly test ideas and interfaces. Some might already have code prepared. Some might address shared problems and team up. This is where facilitators can be especially helpful ensuring each team makes the most out of the time together.
     
  4. Writing Code: Midway through, projects should be writing code and creating the broad strokes of their experience. Take a break to recap of where each project stands and would like to achieve before the end of the event. 
     
  5. Sprinting: The remainder of the time is a sprint to the finish, always with the expectation that teams will "ship" a final project at a presentation and party.
     
  6. Presentation and Party: A screening and party is held at the end to demo final  projects, collect feedback, and to celebrate all the hard work. Before leaving, participants should decide on next steps for their projects. Examples include: continue hacking at an upcoming event, fold outcomes into an existing project, or publish results from the hack jam. Decisions on next steps are shared with the group and key stakeholders.

Task Discussion