The Modules | Resources | Pre-requisites | Duration Preface This is an activity in which students explore how society uses information technology, developed to explore some of the issues our technologically oriented society generates. What is this 'machine' I see all around me collecting and distributing data? Is everybody affected by it to the same degree? Who owns it? What has it got to do with me? Can I escape it? Can I control it? How do I best live with it? Are there alternatives to it? The course comprises four modules of five lessons each, with all four SOSE strands being explored over the course of 20 lessons. This course of study was developed to investigate some of the issues our technologically oriented society generates. Their is a strong emphasis on online resources, due mainly to my own proclivity. As time goes on I will expand these resources to include non-internet based support material. The following material serves as a brief overview of the course.
In Module 1 students look at how systems are supported or formed by the existence and use of information technology. In Module 2 a central focus is the fantasy scenario. In these three Scenarios technological infrastructure is threatened and as a consequence students are encouraged to evaluate what is dependent upon the infrastructures which are threatened. Students must evaluate the impact of the threat and develop a plan to deal with it. This activity includes developing an understanding of what agencies currently exist to deal with these types of threats. Students work in groups to develop a written, or multimedia, presentation in which the issues and possible solutions are provided. In Module 3 Culture and Identity are explored through consideration of the impact of technological change on different social and cultural groups. This is essentially an exploration of difference: The Information Divide. Socio-economic differences. Australia in the 'global village' etc. At this stage students begin to expand their analysis to determine what differences their may be in this scenario as it affects other cultures. A regional perspective is expanded to a global perspective and analysis of difference begun. In
Module 4 Place
and Space are explored through
consideration of human-environment relationships, especially as they are
impacted upon by information technology. For a more detailed overview visit the page on Modules Structure Resources are provided for each lesson. Their form varies from PowerPoint Slide Shows through to selected Hyperlinks related to that lesson or proforma for games and tasks selected to suit the lesson. Each Module has an appropriate assessment instrument developed. To see a list of all resources go to the Resources Page Due to the orientation towards internet resources and the probability of project reporting using software applications, students need to know how to use a web browser, utilise search engines, and ideally be able to copy and paste between applications (word processing, multimedia authoring, etc) which are running concurrently. Where students have not extensively developed these skills, group work within this project can be organised in such a way as to provide teacher and peer coaching for students. This course is designed to take twenty lessons. The course is structured in four modules. Greater detail is available on the page for Modules Structure and a list of all relevant pages is available in the Table of Contents.
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