For the past several assignments for
this class, I have been working with a Language Arts unit on protest music. My
chosen lesson plan for Interactivity #3 that was the stimulus for this unit was
"A Collaboration of Sights and Sounds: Using Wikis to Catalog Protest
Songs" (not an original,
although I surely wish I could take credit for it!), and importantly, is one that requires technology to foster learning
and long- term retention.
The first standard that this unit
meets involves understanding how words are used in the text and how they impact
the meaning of the text as a whole (R.L. 9-10.2). To meet this goal, I would initiate
a discussion with the students about protest music and activate their prior
knowledge on the subject. After (and during, as it would be on- going) our
discussion, I would introduce the students to different protest songs using a
Smartboard with which I could project the Internet site YouTube that would
allow the students to hear the music while simultaneously reading the lyrics.
Again, we would discuss what the song meant to the students, and what ideas
they have as to what the songwriter was trying to convey, paying special attention
to word choice and literary techniques. Following this conglomeration of
lecture, Q&A, and discussion, students would work in small groups to
research other protest songs using laptops or tablets and the school library's music collection.
Within their small groups, students would then discuss their findings (i.e. songwriters,
what issues the songs addressed), and how the text as a whole and specific word
choice shape the songs' meaning. This portion of the unit also meets two ISTE*S
standards: locating information from a variety of media (the Internet and music
collections made up of CDs, records, etc.), and selecting and using
applications effectively and productively (i.e. using Google effectively).
The second standard that this unit
meets is citing textual evidence to support those claims about the text (R.L.
9-10.1) that students made through their research. Several of the same
strategies would apply (research, group work), and students would use the same
technologies listed above. But as this portion of the unit is focused more
specifically on lyrics themselves, such sites as YouTube that allow students to
read the lyrics while simultaneously listening to the song would be most
effective. The same technology standards (ISTE*S) apply as well.
The third standard that this unit
plan meets is the strategic use of media in presentation to enhance
understanding (S.L. 9-10.5). At this point in the unit students would compile
their research and insights about their protest songs into a class Wiki. The
Wiki would allow students to demonstrate their understanding of the material not
just to the teacher (me!) but to their peers as well. This form of assessment
is one over which students have ownership: as a group, they collaborate with
one another to construct a Wiki, a source of information, that would be
available for viewing by the public on the Internet. Students could also
construct a Padlet where they could include a link to the Wiki, as well as pictures
relating to the unit as a whole (artists, social/ political issuese that generated
the songs, links for further reading/ research). The final step in this process
would be to compile all their songs onto a shareable playlist or CD that the
students could have access to outside of the classroom. This was an addition that I
made to the unit as part of my analysis of it in Interactivity #3: my reason
for this extra step was that students would be more apt to remember the
material if they could continue listening to the songs long after the unit was
completed. Plus, such a compilation of songs promises to be one awesome CD!
This final portion of the unit meets
two ISTE*S standards: processing and reporting data (which would be met by
constructing the class Wiki), and collaborating and communicating effectively
using a variety of media (which would be met as they work together to construct
said Wiki, Padlet, and CD).
One of my favorite things about this
unit is that it allows students to show ownership over their work in creating a
class Wiki and Padlet. Sure, a similar unit could have been carried out before
these different technologies were available, but ownership of the material
would have been limited. It is only through technology that this goal can be
met; therein lies the truly transformative nature of technology for this unit.
