This year 8 unit is built on the following underpinning questions:
Essential Question:
Where is Web 2.0 taking the individual, society and the world?
Unit Questions:
How can communication-based technology empower users?
How can communication-based technology harm users?
How will communication look in the future?
How will information distribution services function in the future?
Content Questions:
What is an online community?
What new tools are available for developing an online community?
What are the dangers of our society's new emphasis on online communication?
What does the integration of technologies look like for communication online and what effects does this have offline?
Unit Summary:
Topics:
What is Web 2.0?
Navigating this New World - Cyber Communities.
Our Cyber Footprints - Introduction to Cyber Safety and Positive Cyber Conduct
Digital Content Creation: What're we about?
--Social Media
--Blogs
--Wikis and Forums
Giving us a Voice - Web 2.0 and The New Frontier of Communication
--Empowerment
--Helping or Hindering Social Interaction
Project-Based Assessment
--"What am I about?"
Structure:
This 10 lesson unit is based on 70 minute lessons, where each lesson usually begins with class discussion to get students engaging with the topic and how it relates to them individually. The unit would run in reality for more than 10 classed due to the nature of much of the project work, allowing projects to take more than the single class allocated.
Higher Order Thinking: How will it be achieved in this unit?
By getting students involved in content creation relating to the tool-sets we're discussion, we cater to the categories of learning in the cognitive domain of Bloom's Taxonomy, classed as higher order thinking. This aims to better facilitate learning. Projects get students to create content based around the theories of virtual content creation, responsible Web 2.0 usage and the local and global effects of these new technologies. The students will be designing theoretical new forms of communication media and analysing the possible use and abuse of their systems and demonstrating their usage to the class. Using their research into current trends in new media the class as a whole will be analysing the possible outcomes of their peers' theoretical creations. Hopefully, by giving ownership to their research by relating it to their own interest areas, and allowing their classmates to reflect on their work, we'll be giving students the opportunity to engage with the course material on a higher level.
Prerequisite Professional Knowledge:
-A basic knowledge of new media and Web 2.0 applications
-A very basic understanding of html code
VELS Levels/Domains Covered:
Level 5:
Standards:
Civics and Citizenship - Community engagement:
At Level 5, students present points of view on contemporary issues and events using appropriate supporting evidence. They explain the different perspectives on some contemporary issues and propose possible solutions to problems. They use democratic processes when working in groups on class and community projects.
Communication - Listening, viewing and responding:
At Level 5, students modify their verbal and non-verbal responses to suit particular audiences. They interpret complex information and evaluate the effectiveness of its presentation.They consider their own and others’ points of view, apply prior knowledge to new situations, challenge assumptions and justify their own interpretations.
Presenting:
At Level 5, students use the communication conventions, forms and language appropriate to the subject to convey a clear message across a range of presentation forms to meet the needs of the context, purpose and audience. They provide and use constructive feedback and reflection to develop effective communication skills.
Information and Communications Technology - ICT for visualising thinking:
At Level 5, students select and apply ICT tools and editing functions that support the filtering, classifying, representing, describing and organising of concepts, issues and ideas. They use rule-using software to assist with problem solving and decision making.
Students retrieve and modify successful approaches to visualising thinking for use in new situations. They explain what features of the new situations influenced their decisions to use particular ICT tools and techniques.
Students use a range of data types, including sound and still and moving images, to record the decisions made and actions taken when developing new understanding and problem solving. They evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of their decisions and actions in the given situations.
ICT for creating:
At Level 5, students independently use the operating system to manage their desktop workspace. They organise their folders logically, appropriately name and locate files for sharing with others and apply techniques to facilitate the easy handling of large files.
When creating information products, students prepare designs that identify the structure and layout of the products, the evaluation criteria, and the plans for managing collaborative projects. Students independently apply a range of processing skills, functions and equipment to solve problems and create products which contain minimal functional, typographical, formatting and readability errors. During the processing stage of collaborative work, students monitor project plans and record reasons for adjusting them. They apply criteria to evaluate the extent to which their information products meet user needs and comply with intellectual property laws. They use ICT in a safe, efficient and effective manner.
Students keep their bank of digital evidence up-to-date, and ensure it is easy to navigate, complies with ICT presentation conventions and demonstrates a diversity of ICT skills and knowledge.
ICT for communicating:
At Level 5, students select the most appropriate search engines to locate information on websites. They use complex search strategies to refine their searches. They judge the integrity of the located information based on its credibility, accuracy, reliability and comprehensiveness.
Students share their ideas through their blog, website or other public forums, which are correctly formatted, comply with ICT conventions and demonstrate an awareness of the characteristics that contribute to products meeting their purpose.
Students organise their email mailbox into a logical structure and maintain it. They evaluate the merits of contemporary communication tools, taking into account their security, ease of use, speed of communication and impact on individuals.
Interpersonal Development - Building Social Relationships:
At Level 5, students demonstrate respect for the individuality of others and empathise with others in local, national and global contexts, acknowledging the diversity of individuals. They recognise and describe peer influence on their behaviour. Students select and use appropriate strategies to effectively manage individual conflict and assist others in resolution processes.
Working in teams:
At Level 5, students accept responsibility as a team member and support other members to share information, explore the ideas of others, and work cooperatively to achieve a shared purpose within a realistic timeframe. They reflect on individual and team outcomes and act to improve their own and the team’s performance.
Lesson Plans:
(Also available in the Teachers' Resources in the tab up the top)
References:
- Any linked documents have either been created by me, or are property of the linked domain.
- I'd like to thank the IT/Media class for the inspiration for a unit topic and Marcellinus Blanks for a good guide to useful educational tools in the areas of communications technology.
