The students, working in groups and independently, will describe the societal and economic effects of radio, television and the internet as well as complete an opinion article describing which communications technology they believe had the greatest societal and economic impact on the United States.
California Academic Standard(s)
11.8.7 - Describe the effects on society and the economy of technological developments since 1945 including computer revolution, changes in communications, advances in medicine and improvements in agricultural technology.
Goal
The students will develop critical thinking skills while learning about the key communications technologies of the 20th century and their economic and societal impacts on the United States.
Time Frame
(2) 50 minute Classes
Learning Styles
- Auditory
- Linguistic
- Social
- Logical
- Intrapersonal
Anticipatory Set (15 min)
The instructor will write a question on the board that states "How has the smart phone changed how people communicate?" The instructor will give the students two minutes to think about the question and then ask random students to provide answers. The instructor will write the answers on the board.
Direct Instruction (15 min)
The instructor will briefly discuss the evolution of the radio, television and the internet. The instructor will write the following questions on the board:
- Describe the societal impact of the internet, TV and radio
- Describe the economic impact of the internet, TV and radio
- How are the three communications technologies the same and different? (Provide three examples for each)
The instructor will provide one answer for each question.
Guided Practice (30 min)
The instructor will place students in groups of two and each group will answer the questions using a smart phone, computer or textbook.
Checks for Understanding (15 min)
The instructor will ask random groups to provide answers to the questions and write the answers on the board.
Independent Study (30 min)
The students, working independently, will write an opinion article describing which communications technology they believe had the greatest societal and economic impact on the United States. The paper needs to provide at least five reasons to defend their position.
Checks for Understanding
The students will submit their article to the instructor.
Direct Instruction (20 min)
The instructor will poll the students to see which technology they believe had the most societal and economic impact and engage the students in a discussion about the reasons they came up with to defend their position.