THE PLAN THUS FAR...

This project is a work in progress and will hopefully be implemented in the Fall of 2010.  It is intended for Social Studies 10-1 in Alberta, Canada.  At this time only the portion of the project that corresponds with Related Issue #1 is complete, please check back soon for more! 

If you are interested, please check out the detailed lesson plan, including General and Specific Outcomes, as well as Skills & Processes.

Comments are welcomed!

If you would like to use any of the materials in your own classroom, please credit the work and enjoy!  Let me know how it works out for you!

Technoscapes: Assignment & Exemplar

Sometimes you will want to post a document on your blog that has special formatting, such as the Technoscapes assignment outline below.  In that case you will have to find an alternative way to share the document with the original formatting.  I chose to save the Word document as a PDF, and then upload it to My Scribd account.  From there I was able to embed the assignment below!  Voila!

Interested in seeing an example of the finished product? Check out my Prezi!

Technoscapes Assignment

DigiTools: You Have No Idea How Cool Google Really Is!!!

Throughout the semester, as you complete your project, you will be searching the internet and using web tools frequently. Knowing how to access information, different ways to understand that information, and having an idea of the millions of ways to communicate that information using digital technologies, will make sure that your project as successful as possible!  (The majority of these Google services require that you have a Google id.  It is free, offers an unlimited amount of inbox space, and allows you to send gigantic attachments - as well as giving you access to Google Reader, Documents, and more!)

The Google Menu: Thankfully, Google is designed brilliantly and everything you may need is plainly laid out in simple menus.  Check out the underlined words for more options...  Of particular interest should be Scholar, Blogs, Documents and Reader!  This is an excellent way to limit your searches to only include certain types of results!  (Such as Google
blogs, below.)

Google blogs: Use this feature to search the web for blogs!  This will be extremely helpful when compiling your blog roll for The Project! 

Google Wonder Wheel: In the blue taskbar underneath your main search title is a link to view your options; enable this view, scroll down the menu on the left and select the Wonder Wheel display preference to view your search results grouped by category.  This is an excellent place to begin researching an unknown topic!  And, if you prefer, the regular search results are displayed on the right.

Google docs: This is (in my opinion) the most effective way of uploading, sharing, editing and publishing documents.  The single button upload function (highlighted) is fool-proof, the share button offers you a multitude of options, and the My Folders system lets you organize files in the same way you would on your computer or in your email.  You WILL use this Google feature this semester, check it out!  (Please note that at this time Google docs is unable to publish PDF files, please go to scribd.com to do this!)

iGoogle: Have you ever wished that you could access all of your favorite web content from one page?  You can!  iGoogle allows you to customize your Google page to show any content you choose!  You can change the theme (above I have chosen a Lilac theme), view your gmail inbox from your homepage, chat with friends, view your Google Reader feeds, the latest from Facebook, and more!

Brainstorming: Who are Canadians? What is Canadian Citizenship?

Choosing a Topic

What matters to you? What are you interested in? Have any social issues affected your life? If you could change anything, what would it be?

The following list is intended to get you thinking....

•Poverty•AIDS•Global Warming•The Pacific Garbage Patch•Sexual Violence•Holocaust Education•Haiti Earthquake•Indonesian Tsunami•Genocide in Darfur•Fair Trade•Religious Violence•Rainforest Destruction•Aboriginal Awareness•Population Growth•Access to Fresh Water•Coffee Economy•Digital Divide•Americanization•Advertising and Propaganda•Politics•FGM•Oil Crisis•War•Residential Schools•Treaties•Cultural Revitalization•

Once you have chosen a topic, please discuss it with your instructor before digging in!

Welcome to The Digital Citizens Project

You know that the world is massive. . . .
You know that there is joy and love, as well as sorrow and tragedy.
You care about issues, but have no idea how to help…

You will learn about how globalization affects your life, and about how it affects other people’s lives. You will design ways that you can affect globalization – welcome to the Digital Citizens Project.

This project will ask you to raise awareness about an issue and try to effect real change using digital resources. The goal is for you to think critically and creatively, and use technology to be heard around the globe.

You can expect to:
-Create your own blog!
-Follow other blogs!
-Use Twitter to communicate with other students!
-Participate in web conferences with students from around the world to spread your message!
-Use Prezi and other cool web tools to create WOW-tastic presentations!
-Design and hold polls to gather opinion!
-Scribble on Google Maps and share them online!
-STRETCH YOUR IMAGINATION!!!