Assignment #4

I found this fun and exciting lesson about the geographic spreading of the flu virus in the Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919. I have always been enamored with the movies that focus on the outbreak of a deadly airborne disease, and I'm sure many of my students will be also.
Technology has been integrated into this lesson by using the Internet for research, and using copies of blank maps found on the Internet.
One way I think technology could be strengthened would be to use a SmartBoard to help with the lesson. The lesson calls for the use of a large world map for students to locate areas that were hit by the flu. It would be great if I could put the blank map up on the SmartBoard and have the students plot the points that correspond to the different areas where the flu spread, during what times. This would allow them to watch and see where the disease spread to, while explaining how it spread at the same time. Plus it would be much more exciting then just pointing at a boring old map on the wall.
Another way technology could strengthen the lesson would be to actually incorporate clips from movies like Outbreak into the lesson to get the students a little more interested in the topic. This would help them to see how a disease spreads and also arouse their curiosity of an actual real life situation of a disease that spread very far and took many human lives.
The tools I would need to incorporate this particular lesson are computers with Internet access, books, and blank maps. I would also need to make sure Adobe Acrobat Reader was installed on the computers so that the particular blank map used could be printed out. I would also need a large map of the world. In using a SmartBoard, Obviously I would need access to a SmartBoard and all the software needed use it effectively.
Some challenges to adding this technology is the fact that every student would need a computer with Internet access. I am sure that most schools would at least have a computer lab that the class could use for this particular lesson and for researching the Flu Pandemic. But if there is not access then they would just be limited to using books and articles for research. A large map of the world should be available, but if one is not then I could draw my own map on a large paper. It would not have to be perfect, just something to get the idea across. But I don't think a scenario like that would occur.
The biggest challenge would be the use of a SmartBoard. Most schools probably will not have one, but there would probably be ways of getting one. Obviously, asking the school to supply one would be first, but would probably be rejected. Next I could look into grants in order to obtain a SmartBoard, but then it would probably take too long to actually get it if the school was approved. Another option would be to find out where a SmartBoard is located and ask to borrow it or rent it for a day.
The NETS for Students this lesson covers are:
1. Creativity and Innovation
Students would use the Internet to find information regarding the where and the how questions of the Flu Pandemic. They would then use there creativity along with the rest of their individual group's creativity to make their own map of where the Pandemic was located and where it spread. They will be creatively making there own map to illustrate the spread of the disease.
2. Communication and Collaboration
Since this is a small group activity each student will collaborate with the other students in their group in order to figure out where the Pandemic spread. They will need to work together to agree how their map will be constructed and where to plot their points.
3. Research and Information Fluency
Each student will research the Flu Pandemic with the help of the Internet, books, and articles.
4. Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving & Decision Making
The students in each group will be allowed to divide the workload evenly amongst one another. After each participant has found there research, then the group will decide how to put it all together in order to complete the project (the finished map).
5. Technology Operations and Concepts
Each student will need to understand how to access the Internet to find the research information and to go to the links for the blank maps. If available, they will also need to have a basic understanding of the SmartBoard and how to use all of the functions needed for the activity.
I think this is an exciting possibility for a lesson plan. It has me curious about doing something like this for my final presentation, using the SmartBoard. Not only does the lesson provide historical insight regarding the Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919, but it also allows the students the opportunity for a lesson on geography.