Standard - 8.1 Educational Technology: All students will use digital tools to access, manage, evaluate, and synthesize information in order to solve problems individually and collaboratively and to create and communicate knowledge.
Strand C. Communication and Collaboration
By the end of grade 12
Content Statement: Digital tools and environments support the learning process and foster collaboration in solving local or global issues and problems.
CPI #: 8.1.12.C.1
CPI: Develop an innovative solution to a complex, local or global problem or issue in collaboration with peers and experts, and present ideas for feedback in an online community.
To address this CPI, students could break up into groups and choose a local problem they would like to address. Local problems could include addressing inadequate funding for their school, low voter turnout, or local resource issues such as water, energy, or housing. Students can use online tools to help them perform research, but could be guided toward and encouraged to use resources such as library databases, government websites, and possibly NGO websites. Students should also be encouraged to contact and consult with experts and figures in positions of authority to offer relevant facts and opinions. After developing a hypothesis or proposed solution, they can post their ideas online to share with a broader audience and possibly develop community support. Ways to do this could include posting a on relevant message boards, starting a listserv, starting a blog, or creating a group on a social networking site, such as Facebook. Standard-based assessment could be done by judging how well students use digital resources for purposes of investigation, as well as for sharing and opening discussion with a broader community network.
Solving local problems work well in Social Studies. In an activity such as this one, best to provide as much structure as possible. Not only will you be dealing with teaching technology skills, you will also be introducing them to content material and collaborative and government processes. A lot here and depending on the grade level, a tremendous amount of scaffolding to assist in helping students build on prior and new learning.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of using technology to gain a voice is already an idea students have - social media like Facebook, twitter, etc. They love for people to read their thoughts. You will be capitalizing on this.