FACILITATORS GUIDE
Overview
Welcome to the IMPACT facilitator’s guide! This guide is intended to walk you through facilitating an IMPACT experience. Please note that the purpose of this document is to give you a baseline introduction to using this teaching tool in the classroom as a facilitator, not a trainer or faculty member. A trainer/faculty member would traditionally provide instruction; they’re responsible for passing knowledge to the learners. A facilitator’s primary role is to guide the experience, giving learners the chance to take responsibility for their learning.
Room Setup
Remote
IMPACT experiences have been optimized for virtual settings. We recommend using the Zoom video conferencing tool because of the breakout rooms feature. Before the session begins, you should activate breakout rooms and enable screen sharing for the host/co-hosts. As the facilitator, you should have screen-sharing capabilities.
In-Person (no deck)
If you are utilizing IMPACT in a physical space without a deck, you should have ample room to divide the group into several small groups. Each group should have their own table and chairs. We recommend small groups of no more than 5-6 players. The room should also have a mechanism to share a computer screen. This could be a computer connected directly to a projector or a computer connected to a WiFi/Bluetooth media-sharing device (such as a Solstice pod or an Apple TV). Each small group should be able to see this shared screen.
Facilitator Preparations
As the facilitator, you should be familiar with the IMPACT website. This is where you will be facilitating. You should also be familiar and comfortable with using Zoom. You will be facilitating from the IMPACT website through a video conferencing platform (preferably Zoom).
You will also need to decide if you will be facilitating the group as a whole group or breaking the group into smaller groups. The recommendation is to break the main group into smaller groups; however, if you are facilitating a remote experience, this requires a facilitator for each breakout room in Zoom. If you plan on having five breakout rooms, you will need five total facilitators – and ideally, a host to coordinate the creation and distribution of participants across rooms.
Each facilitator should explore the IMPACT website and the card deck. They should understand the mechanics of the card game, the card colors/categories, the content on each of the cards, and the different ways to play. This is all outlined on the website, or you can refer to the “IMPACT Cards” section of this document.
Learning Outcomes
Standard Deck
- Players will be able to think critically about how technology affects everyday life, including within teaching and learning.
- Players will be able to weigh the pros and cons of specific technologies as they relate to complex scenarios.
- Players will be able to tell a story, based on reflection about a specific interaction between characters and technologies, defined by the deck assignments.
Activity Instructions
Things to Keep in Mind [Standard Deck]
There is no right or wrong answer to the reflection question cards – the goal is to think about your interpretation and have exploratory conversation with your fellow players.
If you aren’t familiar with a technology or any character’s information, please feel free to do some research and learn more about it – and encourage players to do so as well.
Rules [Entrepreneurship Deck]
Players are challenged to come up with the best pitch or idea, defined by the action card prompt. After each player or group has their idea, players will take turns pitching their ideas to the rest of the class, or group of players. Players will then vote on the idea that best addresses the need. The best idea wins one point. At the end of the game, the team or player with the most points wins. The number of rounds should be determined before play begins, or by the professor.
Basic Instructions
Step 1: Select cards.
There are two options to select random cards. The Shuffle All button (located in the top left corner underneath the home icon) will shuffle all three cards. You can also click on each individual card to randomize that card.
The lock icon, in the bottom, left-hand corner of each card, allows you to lock, or freeze, that specific card. If you lock a card, you can use the Shuffle All button to shuffle the unlocked cards.
Step 2: Read cards and complete the reflection question card prompt.
Use the character card and technology card to fill in the respected blanks on the action card.
If you aren’t familiar with a technology or any character’s information, please feel free to do some research and learn more about it – and encourage players to do so as well.
Step 3 [standard]: Discuss the completed action card.
Step 3 [entrepreneurship]: Brainstorm, create, & iterate.
Create a product or service based off of the completed action card prompt.
IMPACT Cards
As a facilitator, you should be familiar with all of the cards. Here is a PDF file of every character, technology, and action card in the deck: IMPACT Card Explainer
