This lesson was created using the Nortel LearniT 6E + S template for integrating technology within the curriculum.

Overview:

The specific goals for this series of lessons are as follows:

Understand the cause and effect communication innovations have had on freedom press and freedom of speech practices;

Visually represent how communication inventions changed societies;

Analyze and explain the positive and negative impact of at least two different communication technologies from two different time periods;

Use a variety of websites and sources to gather information about how communication innovations have evolved over time.
 

Technology Integration:

Although not required, an interactive white board for projecting web content, mini-lessons and graphic organizers is recommended.

Internet access for small groups of students is also suggested.

Useful websites for interactive communication timelines and electronic Venn diagrams, and other resources are listed in the materials sections.

Lesson can be adapted without extensive technology in the classroom. Teacher can make printouts of handouts and use reference materails and books listed in the materials sections.
 

Prerequisite Experience:

Teachers should be comfortable using PowerPoint or other presentation software to create mini-lesson, guided notes and resource materials.

Teachers should be comfortable planning for diverse learners' needs, and integrating web resources into core reading and social studies content areas.

Teacher may have to provide guided reading support for lower level readers. Lower level reading material on Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet content may be required.

Students should be able to conduct basic search for information using Google or other suitable search engines.

Students should be able to distinguish between Before the Common Area -BCE/ BC- and Common Era -CE/AD to generate a logical timelines.
 

Teacher Prep Time:

Teachers may require time to review online resources on communication inventions such as the Gutenberg Printing Press and the Internet (30-45 minutes).

Preparation will be required for reviewing or preparing a communication timeline handout and Venn Diagram assignment (30 minutes).

Preparation time will be required to gather additional books and reference resources at school or public libraries (30-45 minutes).

The total estimated preparation time is 90-120 minutes.
 

Estimated Time for Completion:

Duration of Lesson: 6-8 Class Periods of 45 Minutes
 

Materials:

The materials and resources required for this lesson include but are not limited to: print, electronic and interactive resources, scissors, construction paper, glue.

Useful websites include: history of inventions, interactive gallery of ancient and modern communication, great moments in communication handout, and an interactive venn diagram.

Teachers with less access to technology can also check out books from school or public libraries about communication inventions. Books can also be used for students requiring accommodations for visuals learning or for lower or advanced reading levels.

Some suggested book titles include: communication inventions: from hieroglyphics to dvds (which came first), media & communications (eyewitness books) , and the history of the internet project.
 

Project:

This series of lessons and activities are apart of a “MySpace in Democracy" curriculum unit. Inquiry and critical thinking will be core skills students will master throughout this unit. These series of lesson plans initiate the inquiry by exploring the impact communication innovations have on democratic practices such as freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

The lesson plans incorporate timelines to provide visual tools for studying events that happen over a period of time -- a year, or topic across the centuries.

Researching and creating timelines are used to appeal to students' visual, mathematic, and kinesthetic intelligences.

Timelines will help students understand and apply cause and effect to social studies and media literacy concepts.

Students will use interactive-online graphic organizers to reflect on how communication innovations have evolved over time.

After modeling how to create timelines and exploring communication inventions, students will create interactive timeline and create hard copy of a visual timeline using construction paper.

Students' timelines will reflect how communication inventions like the Gutenberg press and the Internet impacted societies.

Students will create Venn diagrams to compare and contrast communication technologies (Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet)

Last, students will complete a constructed response to explain the positive and negative impact the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet have had on society.

Time Management:

To support the smooth pacing for this project, mini-lessons should be very focused and provide students with scaffolding opportunities to drive their inquiry. Mini-lessons should take between 7-15 minutes per class period. The mini-lessons will cover the following topics within the respective class periods.

Great Moments in Communication Time Line - 2-3 class periods.

Venn Diagram - Compare and Contrast Gutenberg Print Press Vs. Internet - 2-3 class periods.

Constructed Response- Positive and Negative Impact of the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet - 1-2 class periods.

Assessment:

Assessments will include evaluation of students’ timelines, Venn diagrams, and constructed responses.

The timelines and Venn diagram will be graded for completeness.

Assessment of students' responses will evaluate students' ability to cite evidence from textual references and research.

Included in the grade will be an assessment of the student’s ability to use and evaluate Internet and other resources.

Ultimately students should uncover how communication innovations influence democratic progress and freedoms.
 

Engage:

Quick Write - How do modern communication innovations (Internet, Phone, Skype, etc) make the world seem flat?

Students will write in their notebooks, 2-3 sentences describing how new ways of communication make the world seem more flat. Students may consider the increased speed at which people travel, receive goods and how much faster it takes to send and receive messages.

Explore:

Great Moments in Communication Timeline

Working in pairs or groups of fours, students will assemble a timeline to reflect how communication technologies have evolved over time.

Students will receive a pre-formatted activity sheet that contains great moments in communication covering- Before the Common Area -BCE/ BC- up to modern times, Common Era -CE/AD- communication inventions.

Using the great moments in communication handout, students will select at least 4 communication inventions that they are not familair with or would like to know more information about and conduct research using the web, teacher selected books or reference materials.(see material section for suggested resources) Students will record interesting facts or details in their notebooks to include in their timelines.

In small groups students will select at least 8 communication inventions and create an interactive communication timeline using the Read-Write-Think timeline resource. Groups could display their timelines on an interactive white board.

Next students will cut apart the great moment boxes located on the great moments in communication handout and place each event/innovation in chronological order.

Next students will create construction paper timelines by pasting the great moments in communication with logical scaling and interesting facts or details they learned about 4 different communication inventions.

Students should decorate and create attractive headers, borders, legends or other visual enhancements for their communication timelines.

Explain:

Venn Diagram- Compare and Contrast Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet

Using a Venn diagram students will compare and contrast the impact the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet had on freedom of press and free speech practices .

Student may visit the CBS Kids - History of Invention website for summary information about the impact of both of these inventions.

Students could view other websites, books or reference materials to help complete their Venn diagrams.

In small groups students may use an interactive Venn diagram located on the Read-Write-Think Venn diagram resource. Groups could display their Venn Diagrams on an interactive white board.

Students will use construction paper to create a hard copy Venn diagram. The Venn diagram should summarize at least 4 different ways each the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet's had an impact on society , and 4 similar ways both the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet had an impact on society.

In small groups, students may present their Venn diagrams to discuss and explain how the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet had both positive and negative effects on society.

Elaborate:

Constructed Response - Comparing and Contrasting Impact of Gutenberg Printing and Internet

Constructed response questions: are open ended, short answer questions that measure application-level cognitive skills as well as content knowledge; use a range of primary and secondary stimuli and authentic "real world" examples including time lines, maps, graphs, cartoons, charts, and short readings.

Constructed response questions can assess higher level thinking: comparisons, contrasts, causes, effects, changes; identify patterns or conflicting points of view; categorize or summarize information; construct graphs or charts from data; state a generalization, conclusion, explanation or prediction.

Students will respond to an open-ended prompt describing the positive and negative impact the Gutenberg Printing Press and the Internet had on freedom of speech and free speech practice.

Students will use the TAG it 3 strategy to complete this constructed response.

TAG it 3 is a graphic organizer that helps students craft quality responses to fiction and non-fiction text:

Turn a prompt into an opening statement;

Answer a prompt;

Give details, evidence and examples from the text to support their answers.

The more practice students have with this method of responding to text the better they perform on their standardized reading test.

Students will answer the following constructed response as major assessment for this lesson:

Describe the positive and negative impact both the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet had on the freedom of press and free speech practices around the world.

Provide two examples each for both the Gutenberg Printing Press and Internet.

You may refer to your Venn Diagram, notes from the CBS Kids - History of Invention website, other websites, books or reference material for textual support for your answer.

Don’t forget to use the TAG it 3 strategy - Turn prompt into an opening statement; Answer prompt; Give details, evidence and examples from text reference to support your answer.

Evaluate:

Rubric - Constructed Response - Positive and Negative Impact of Gutenberg Printing and Internet

Extend:

Interview - Impact of Internet in People's Lives

1. When and where were you born?
2. When you were growing up what ways did you communicate with people who lived far away from you?
3. What activities did you enjoy doing when you grew up?
4. Where do you have access to the Internet (Home, School, Work or Public Library)?
5. What was your earliest experience with the Internet like?
6. What do you use the Internet for (entertainment, information, chatting, ect)? How did you do these same things before you had access to the Internet?
7. How has the Internet changed your life?
8. How do you think the Internet has change society in general?
9. What are some ways do you think the Internet helps society?
10. What are some ways do you think the Internet hurts society?