Up to this point, I have been focused on how I can use technology to engage my students and their parents. I have thought of different ways to utilize my technological skills to make learning more fun and the information I wish to share more appealing. However, with the PowerPoint Lesson Plan I not only found a way to apply my technological skills, but also to help my students apply theirs while at the same time, helping them to comprehend the material we were covering.
This lesson plan focused on the creation of a modern day inferno using Dante's Inferno as the premise. With older texts, i.e. Dante's Inferno, The Iliad, etc. the language the author's used and the references/subject matter can make the text seem unapproachable and irrelevant. By asking the students to apply the subject matter, i.e. the inhabitants of the inferno in a modern context, it helps to illustrate to the students why this book is timeless. In addition, by framing the subject matter in relatable terms, the students are able to better understand what the author's original intention was.
However, regardless of how clever an idea may be, if it fails to engage students, it's useless. If I asked students to build a modern day inferno using construction paper and glue sticks, only a small fraction of the students would find this interesting. Not all students are artistically inclined in a physical medium. The beauty of technology is that with the right information, anyone can produce a professional piece that they are proud of. With so many students living in and playing in the technological medium already, by taking this lesson plan and asking students to build their idea of a modern inferno using PowerPoint, I am engaging the students on a more relevant level and helping them to hone their own technology based skills.
It would be easy to stop there, but I chose to take this lesson plan one step further. In the working world, cooperation and team work is a key component to success. By making this project a group project and allocating the tasks across relevant class periods, I am encouraging the students to work together as a community to accomplish a common a goal. In small groups they are asked to complete a PowerPoint presentation that depicts 5 types of Inferno Inhabitants with modern day examples. However, I have no assigned these inhabitants to the groups. The students are asked to communicate with one another to ensure that there are no duplications and to ensure all inhabitants will be represented. All of this communication is encouraged to take place both in the classroom, but also utilizing the class discussion board on the class website.
The online discussion board and class website are also key components to this technology based lesson plan. I want students to not only be engaged in the material, but with each other. The class website offers a discussion area to iron out concept issues and even discuss any confusion regarding the text itself. Students are also asked to share any interesting resource materials they may come across during their research that may prove interesting or beneficial to other class members. One of the requirements of this assignment is that students provide two hyperlinks to interesting resources they discovered in their research. In the past students have been pitted against one another in competition, but by asking them to share their resources, they will realize they are working within a community rather than working against one another.
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