Supporting Instruction With Technology

            The lesson plan that I chose for the third interactivity was “Decoding the Dystopian Characteristics of Macintosh’s ‘1984’ Commercial”. The main reason I selected this lesson plan was because I recently finished reading Thomas More’s Utopia. Also, the lesson plan is a fun and interactive way to segue into George Orwell’s, 1984. Students will be able to think critically, visually ‘read’ the underlying messages and meaning of the “1984” Macintosh commercial. Most importantly, students will realize that preliminary research on a text will help students get a better understanding of the text.

            The lesson plan provided the Common Core State Standards, but I still had to identify which teaching strategies were being used to meet the standards. Student-centered, group discussions are the foundation of this lesson plan. I did not make any adjustments to the group discussions because students will be more actively involved in their learning through a constructivist approach than a didactic one. The original lesson plan needed adjustments in technological support. For example, students will now be able to access and view the “1984” Macintosh commercial through a computer, instead of being given a scene-by-scene analysis handout. Teachers will use Aurasma to create an Aura for students to have instant access to the video. All handouts can be accessed and downloaded from Google Drive. Students can mind map the outline of their paper by using either Coogle or Bubbl.us. Additionally, teachers will have immediate access to how students use context as a clue to make meaning of a word from the voiceover text through Socrative 2.0.  Thus, the technology I integrated into the lesson plan directly supports the instructional strategies.

            Lastly, Coogle is a great 'free' mind-mapping tool for students to use in the classroom. I found the interface rather easy to use. Coogle provides a help sidebar for users who are having trouble with the interface, but I don't expect students to have trouble getting the hang of it. I personally prefer Bubbl.us, but I am also willing to use Coogle.

My Coogle Presentation.