I just put the finishing touches on a new ICT unit looking into the past, present and future of ICT, and how technology made us the species we are today. My aim is to get students away from the idea that high-tech is the only tech. Technology is everywhere in our lives, and we only live the way we do because of it. In short, without technology we would most likely be just another species of primate.
All the files need to run the unit are listed below. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or just want to have a chat.
- ICT Unit – Y8 – High Tech Stuff
- ICT Unit – Y8 – High Tech Stuff – Rubric
- ICT Unit – Y8 – High Tech Stuff – Punched Cards
- Example Visualisation (this is not a “perfect answer”, but something to get students thinking.)
Student Work
The way I run this unit allows students to use any number of tools to present their final answer to the four guiding questions. Whilst many students opt for a simple word processor or presentation application, others are more adventurous. In the past students have used tools as diverse as Tiki-Toki, EdCanvas, Storify and Prezi. The work below is a very strong piece of work submitted by one of my students, Adrien. What makes this work stand out is the excellent understanding Adrien shows for the big picture concepts covered in class, and his feeling for the effect of technology upon us. My feedback for improvements was for Adrien to include his sources and a Creative Commons license, and also to proof-read for minor errors.
Creidts: Thanks to marfis75 on Flickr for the thumbnail.
Thanks so much for sharing this! I am working with a group of Year 5/6 students in New Zealand and our year long inquiry is heading along similar lines for 2013. We will be looking at the big picture of technology and all that it is. Kevin Kelly is exactly the kind of resource I was looking at to share with my team of teachers but think it could well be useful for the children as well.
Our curriculum is divided into 3 parts:
– Technological Practice, the Nature of Technology, and Technological Knowledge.
It lends itself to Future Thinking very nicely.
If you are repeating this unit this year, we would love to tap into your older children’s expertise!
Many thanks, Claire
My pleasure! It is always nice to see work be reused and adapted. My kids will be doing this unit in Febraury, and should be ready for some collaboration towards the end of that month, which I would love to have them do. We could have them chat on Skype in small groups and then share some ideas through Google Docs or Tumblr.