Instructional Plan - Communications Technology in the 1800s

| Topic | Goal | Content | Objectives | Standards | Procedures | Assessment | Materials | Reflection |

Topic: 

Communications Technology (Keyboarding - Grades 6, 7, and 8)

Goal: 

Major developments in technology have changed how people communicate.

Content: 

Could you imagine life without electricity, cell phones, cars, CD players, TV, refrigerators, computers, the internet and the World Wide Web, antibiotics, vitamins, vaccination, heating, bar codes, metal detectors, contact lenses, printers, digital cameras, play stations? Technology is everywhere and used by everyone in today's society.

How have developments in technology affected how we communicate?  Students will study developments during the 1800s in technology in visual communications, audio communications, and oral communications.  Exploration of inventions and inventors will give greater insight into how communication evolved during the 1800s.

After completing the unit, students should be able to describe how developments in technology have changed how people communicate.

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Objectives:

The students will be able to:

1. Give at least one example of contributions made in visual, audio, and oral communications technology in the 1800s. (Science standards--Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8).

2. Describe the impact that technology developments from the 1800s have had on communication today.  (Social Studies standards--Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8.

3. Format, key, and edit letters, newspapers, reports, and a slide show presentation. (Keyboarding standards--Grades 6-8).

4. Use technology to use independent research to access information using a variety of resources.  (English/Language Arts standards--Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8).

5. Present research findings in a variety of formats. (English/Language Arts standards--Grade 6, Grade 7, Grade 8)

Standards:  South Carolina Curriculum Standards

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Procedures/Instructional Cycle:

| Introduction | Development | Practice | Closure |

| Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four | Days Five and Six |

Introduction: 

• Scope and Sequence of Instructional Plan

This instructional plan is Part 1 of a three-part unit on technology, entitled "Technology--Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow."  This unit is used at the conclusion of keyboarding courses to provide historical overview and technology context for students.  It provides students the opportunity to reflect on the impact of technology on lives in the past, present, and future.

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Development:

• Student Prior Knowledge Required for this Unit

Since this unit is incorporated at the conclusion of keyboarding curriculum schema, students will have prior knowledge about formatting basic documents.  Students will know how to format simple letters, reports, newsletters, and simple PowerPoint presentations. 

• Teacher Prior Knowledge Required for this Unit

Before teaching this unit, the teacher should review the historical content about technology communications in the 1800s.  The teacher should visit the computer lab before launching the lesson to be assured that all appropriate software and plug-ins are loaded.  It is recommended that the teacher bookmark the lesson web pages on each computer in the lab that the students will be using in this unit.  The teacher should be sure all web pages are viewable and links are active.

Also, the teacher should be familiar with the literacy strategies used in this unit.  Students will create meaning rather than passively receive meaning in this unit.  These strategies will offer students the opportunity to move beyond the literal level to higher level thinking skills.  According to Doug Buehl in his book, Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning,  "By using classroom strategies that teach students to activate, focus, organize, integrate, and apply as they learn, we foster the development of individuals who are purposeful thinkers and independent learners."

• The Day Before Launching the Unit

Students will identify the machines (technologies) in their homes and agree to live without them for a 24-hour period.  Students will record reflections in a learning log.  By observation, this lesson will help give students a small glimpse into what life was probably like two hundred years ago and how we benefit from modern culture.

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Practice:

• Day One -  Introductory Event

We will start the unit with a whole-group reflection and sharing time about their experiences living without technology.  Students will be asked to share what technologies they sacrificed and the impact it had on their life for that 24-hour period.

Students will be asked to "Brainstorm Prior Knowledge" about inventions (Doug Buehl, Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, p. 31)  that have affected technology development.  In this activity, students will be completing a "sequential roundtable alphabet" chart individually to assist with brainstorming prior knowledge.  The teacher will use Inspiration (Rapid Fire) to create a map of student answers. 

• Check for Learning for Day One

With teacher guidance, the students as a whole-group will create a concept map for studying visual communication, audio communication and oral/written communication developments.  (See Concept Map as suggested final draft)

At the end of class, each student will complete a learning log summarizing their learning and stating questions and concerns about their learning.

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• Day Two - Visual Communications

Students will begin the second day of instruction by reviewing the PowerPoint entitled "Visual Communications" which highlights visual communication developments in the 1800s.  After the slide show, students will read about "Thomas Edison."   Before reading, students will complete the first two sections of a "K-W-L" chart --what they know and what they want to know (Doug Buehl, Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, p. 75).  When students finish reading the story, they will complete the last column of the "K-W-L" chart which states what the student has learned in the reading.

• Check for Learning for Day Two

Students will then use digital cameras to take pictures of each other.  The students will import their image into a word document and write a three-paragraph report summarizing three important facts about Thomas Edison.

At the end of class, each student will complete a learning log summarizing their learning and stating questions and concerns about their learning.

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• Day Three - Audio Communications

In the third day of the unit, students will be focusing on studying developments in the 1800s in audio communications.   Using Windows Media Player, students will listen to original recordings made on phonographs during the 1800s.

Students will then complete an online knowledge hunt to learn more about developments in audio communications during the 1800s.

• Check for Learning for Day Three

Students will then type a letter from Alexander Graham Bell to Thomas Edison sharing Bell's accomplishments and other news in his life.  Students will then read this letter aloud and record it to an audio tape or audio file.

At the end of class, each student will complete a learning log summarizing their learning and stating questions and concerns about their learning.

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• Day Four - Oral/Written Communications

On this day, students will be learning about important developments in oral and written communications during the 1800s.  Students will prepare magnet summary cards (Doug Buehl, Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, p. 80) summarizing key concepts from their textbook (Century 21 Keyboarding by South-Western Publishing Company) article on the history of the typewriter and the computer.

• Check for Learning for Day Four

Students will also complete a knowledge hunt to learn more about developments during the 1800s in oral/written communications.

At the end of class, each student will complete a learning log summarizing their learning and stating questions and concerns about their learning.

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• Day Five and Day Six - Web Quest

Students will be completing a Web Quest to answer the question, "What invention from the 1800s has most impacted the way you live and communicate today?"  Students will use Intel's Visual Ranking activity in groups to sort the answer to this question. The teacher has set up the activity online for the class.  Each group's ID will be Group 1 - Group 8.  Each group will be given the password to complete the task in the computer lab.  The teacher will review rankings online of each group and follow-up with a class discussion of the results.

• Check for Learning for Days Five and Six

At the end of this web quest, each student will complete a learning log summarizing their learning and stating questions and concerns about their learning.

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Closure:

Students will be working in groups to prepare a PowerPoint slide show summarizing their answer to the question, "What invention from the 1800s has most impacted the way you live and communicate today?"  Students will present their group recommendation as a PowerPoint presentation conveying the reasons they believe a particular invention should be chosen.  Additionally, students will prepare individual newspapers summarizing all the major technology developments and their pick as the most important invention.  These newspapers will be displayed on bulletin boards for students to share what they have learned.

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Assessment:

Reflection on Teaching:

This unit was completed at the end of our twelve weeks course as a culminating activity.  I attempted to complete this unit in five days, but quickly discovered that the plan needed to be a minimum of ten days.  The Web Quest activity alone took a minimum of three days for research and a minimum of two days for preparation of newspapers and PowerPoint presentations.  Additionally, we took two days to hear all the group presentations and discuss findings.  Overall, it was an excellent unit enabling us to combine language arts standards and social studies standards with technology application. 

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