Interactivity #4 Spreadsheet
I chose this particular lesson because it meshed with the unit plan I am working on in my methods class: The Cold War, and was a little more comprehensive than some of the others I had found. It does have it's shortcomings though. I found that it lacked specificity, especially in the inclusion of media technologies, but I'm giving it the benefit of the doubt, figuring that using things such as a PowerPoint presentation while lecturing are pretty much implied now, and need not be specified. I also thought that there could have been more emphasis on specifying media usage during the oral presentation, rather than just listing "visual aids". Again, this could be implied, as students today are more accustomed to including all types of technologies in their works.
The key point to this activity was the student's use of the internet to research their assigned topics. The plan offered three websites as examples to get the students started, but made no limits on which ones they used. I probably would have given them a few more examples, and encouraged them to explore ones that come up further down on the search results list, especially since the requirements stated that opposing views (U.S. v. USSR) were mandatory. The lesson probably could have been completed as a traditional research assignment, by having the students source books from the library, but I don't feel they would have come up with nearly the amount of information in the time allotted compared to internet searching.
Overall, I believe that this lesson will meet the stated learning goals, and conform to the NJCCCS CPI's, but would be better with the media recommendations stated above. Their inclusion will transform this from a good lesson to a great one by applying differentiated learning strategies that will be an asset to all.
Scott, as you stated power point presentations are implied parts of a daily lesson in schools today. However, I feel that it is still important to state that you are using them in a lesson or unit so that it gives meaning and more knowledge to the material. Power points are usually used to present background information that is necessary for the lesson, therefore, it is a fundamental part of an effective lesson. The author probably left them out as you stated because it is routine technique. After, looking through your spreadsheet I like the adjustments you presented above. Especially, providing students with more examples. The more scenarios a student can visualize or study, the better they will understand a topic. Also, I too think the internet is a fundamental technology in schools, both for the students and teachers.
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