I am currently brainstorming way I can begin to flip my classroom from the traditional paper and pen learning environment to a more relevant digital venue for collaboration and creation. To get some "ready to use" ideas I have reviewed a Google Apps lesson plan that can be found here.
Overall I think this is a worthwhile lesson. The topic is relevant and important in the current global context. The teacher does a nice job of setting up the activity with a bit of research to build background knowledge. Also, the assessment activity requires students to create an authentic presentation based on their research which is the highest level of thinking according to Bloom's Taxonomy.
I have a few critiques of this plan and some changes that would need to be made before I could use this plan in my classroom.
#1- The creator of this plan is very unclear about what is expected of the students. She is also unclear about what information is important for the students to come away with. The lesson lacks an objective and a focus for what the teacher wants them to get out of the news article. Specifically, the teacher wants the students to discuss the "main issues discussed in the media," If I gave these instructions to my students they would sit with blank stares. To modify these instructions to fit the needs of my students, I would ask them to look at three articles and find some common themes recognized among them.
#2- My major concern with this lesson plan and is the biggest roadblock to implementing this lesson plan in my class involves the lack of structure and direction given to the students about what is expected for their independent research. If I gave these directions, I would predict that less than 10% would attempt this request. Far more structure and instructions need to be given. Students should still independently search and select their research sources but expectations need to be more clearly defined.
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