Grade Cluster - 9 – 12
NETS-S – 4 - Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
Quick Look:
Students in the interdisciplinary 21st Century Issues course realize that not everyone in town has Internet access. They research options for providing and funding Internet access and use a variety of collaborative technology tools to develop and implement a proposal to provide “Internet for All.”
Scenario:
Maia, Sharvari, and Rachel are discussing their upcoming field hockey tournament as part of their nightly video chat. They wonder how they’ll get their math project completed given that they’ll be out of town for four days. Maia says they’ll be fine because they can bring their wireless laptops with them and can collaborate with their classmates back home anywhere there is cell coverage. Sharvari agrees, but she wonders aloud how the team members who don’t have laptops will get their work done. Rachel asks how kids with no or limited Internet access at home manage to get their homework done at all. After a few minutes discussion, they all realize that ensuring that all students in town have high-speed Internet access at home would be a great problem for the next project in their multi-disciplinary science and social studies 21st Century Issues course.
(4A, 6A, 6B)
In class the next day the three girls propose their idea to their peers. The students conduct a quick, anonymous poll using the SMART Response “clickers” to see if this really is a problem that affects their classmates. The students are shocked to learn that 17 of the 42 students in the class (over 40%) don’t have Internet access at home and that those students all say that it significantly impacts their ability to take part in the ever more common collaborative projects teachers assign. The students feel that they’ve found a pretty compelling topic for their next class project! (4A, 4C, 6A, 6B)
The class begins the project by collaboratively brainstorming the different facets of the problem and the project using a visual organizer on their SMART Board. They quickly decide to expand their focus from providing Internet access for students to providing Internet access for all the members of their town. They develop a list of tasks they’ll need to accomplish in order to achieve their goal of providing “Internet for All.” They copy the task list to the class wiki and students agree to sign up on the wiki as teams of four or five to work on each of the tasks. (4B, 6A, 6B)
Team One is responsible for overseeing the overall project. They use the ManyMoon (http://www.manymoon.com) online project management system to develop and manage the project plan for all the groups. They’ve never used project management software before, but they build on their knowledge of spreadsheets and online collaborative tools to quickly learn this new software. (4B, 6A, 6B, 6D)
Team Two develops an anonymous survey to collect data about Internet access in town.
They ask a variety of questions designed to get a firm understanding of the magnitude of the problem such as: “What neighborhood do you live in? Do you have Internet access:
if not, why not? If so, what type of connection do you have and how much do you pay per month? How many computers do you have at home? How many are connected to the Internet?” They post their survey online using Google Forms, and they also create a paper copy which they distribute widely to ensure that they collect data from as many townspeople as possible. (4C, 6A, 6B)
Teams Three, Four, and Five divide up responsibility for researching options for providing Internet access, such as satellite, cable, DSL, using wireless to access school and business networks after hours, etc. They determine such things as pricing,
availability in the various neighborhoods, and available tech support. They also explore different devices that might be used for Internet access such as Netbooks, laptops, and iPhones. They collect their data in a series of shared Google Docs. (4C, 4D, 6A, 6B)
Team Six uses Google Earth to map out data that the other groups collect. They create layers that display data such as which Internet service providers cover which
neighborhoods, where there are businesses that could provide wireless access after hours, and how many people in each neighborhood lack Internet access. (4C, 6A, 6B)
Teams Seven and Eight are responsible for developing a funding plan. They invite their teammates who are researching options to input their cost data into a shared Google Spreadsheet. They work with town and state government officials to identify possible funding sources. They also explore possible corporate sponsorships from Fairpoint, Comcast, and other Internet service providers. (4B, 4C, 4D, 6A, 6B)
Teams Nine and Ten collect and organize the data from all the other groups. They use Google Docs to develop a multi-option proposal that would provide Internet access for all townspeople. They invite the other students to critique the proposal online. (4C, 6A, 6B)
In a whole-class session, the students meet to finalize the proposal and to discuss next steps.
Teams who have completed their work interview townspeople and develop a set of PSA’s (Public Service Announcements) to promote their proposal. They use digital voice recorders and Audacity to create compelling audio PSA’s for radio and podcasts and high-end video cameras and sound recording equipment to create heart-rending digital video stories for TV and the Internet. The PSA’s all list a web site the students have created and a post office box where community members can pledge donations to help fund the project. (6A, 6B)
Teams Seven and Eight, with the assistance of members from other teams, expand their funding spreadsheet to create a concrete plan for sustainably funding Internet access for the low- and moderate-income families who cannot currently afford it. Pairs of students meet with potential funders and use several of the PSA’s to solicit their support. After all the pairs have updated the funding spreadsheet, they are ecstatic to realize that they have more than enough funding to make their plan a reality! (4B, 4C, 6A, 6B)
With funding in place, one team creates both online and paper forms that townspeople use to sign up for the Internet service that is best for them. Other teams work with local Internet service providers and computer/smart phone retailers to develop a plan to meet the needs of the respondents. The project planning and mapping teams use the
ManyMoon project planning site and Google Maps to plan and track the installations and hardware purchases. Other students develop an “Internet for All” Ning with online training and support materials. They also set up a discussion forum on the Ning where townspeople can post questions and answers. Finally, another group of students develops a series of training workshops for novice Internet users, both in-person and online (using the Scopia Desktop webinar software). (4B, 6A, 6B)
Overall, the project is a huge success! Within a year, everyone in town who wants Internet access has it. And the Ning that was originally set up as a training and support tool has morphed into a major community resource on a wide variety of topics.
Maia, Sharvari, and Rachel head off to another field hockey tournament. This time, however, they know they don’t have to worry about collaborating with their classmates back home. They know their town has Internet for all!
Student Standards:
The following NETS-S are noted in this scenario:4. Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making – A, B, C, D 6. Technology Operations and Concepts – A, B, D
Teacher Standards:
Teachers who teach this unit address the following:1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity – A, B, C
2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments – A, B, C
3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning – C, D
4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility – A, C 5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership – N/A
Content Grade Expectations
The scenario writer has identified the following content grade expectations that s/he felt might be assessed in this scenario. In most of these scenarios, there may well be
opportunities to assess other or additional content grade expectations across a variety of disciplines. If you are interested in developing a unit or lessons based on the following scenario, and you don’t see any grade expectations in your content area, we encourage you to capture the ideas presented in the scenario and make it your own by adding components that address the grade expectations you are most interested in assessing.
Writing:
WHS: 9 In reports, students effectively convey a perspective on a subject by…
• Stating and maintaining a focus/controlling idea/thesis.
• Writing with a sense of audience, if appropriate.
• stablishing an authoritative stance, when appropriate.
Math:
MHS: 1 Accurately solves problems involving conceptual understanding and magnitude of real numbers, or simple vectors.
History and Social Sciences:
H&SS9-12:1 Students initiate an inquiry by…
• Asking focusing, probing, and significant research questions that will lead to independent research and incorporate concepts of personal, community, or global relevance.
H&SS9-12:11 Students interpret geography and solve geographic problems by…
• dentifying, utilizing, and evaluating appropriate maps for specific purposes.
Also: RHS: 12; WHS: 1, 8, 10; MHS: 30; S9-12: 7, 8; H&SS9-12: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 14