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Lights On Educational School

Bianca Seger

July 1, 2021
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Teaching and Learning With Technology

When it comes to teaching and learning, they are both two sides of the same coin. As you

teach, you can learn, and as you learn, you can teach to others. Learning has been typically

stapled with desks in a row, a whiteboard or blackboard at front, and a shiny red apple sitting on

the teacher’s desk as they impart knowledge. The tools for technology have been the same for

years and years and years, they have all just adapted and evolved into different formats. Clay

tablets into slabs, slabs into slates, slates into paper, and with the most recent evolution, paper to

virtual paper.

We are living in an age where a phone is expected to be a tiny computer, where groceries

can be bought on the swipe of a finger, and where instant messaging and communication has

become the norm, outpacing letters by leagues. “Computers have been making it to classrooms

for over four decades, deeply affecting education. The rapid diffusion of the Internet, computers,

and telecommunications; new approaches to learning were created including online course

delivery. ICT provides a realistic, visually compelling, and motivating interactive environment for

developing the skills and knowledge needed in today’s multicultural environment, another

characteristic of the society we live in.” (Eteokleous and Leal, 2008) Society has shifted,

integrating technology alongside everyday pursuits, hobbies, and jobs, technology in the

classrooms has been a slow, crawling turtle that has yet to fully win the race.

I fully believe that technology should be integrated more with learning. As the world

changes, as society changes, we will move forward into the quickly-incoming future. Students

should have literacy with what they are doing--technology wise--and work or solve problems by

using every available resource around them. “A digitally literate citizen will be able to learn and

take responsibility for their learning so this results in a higher demand for education and a sense

of the needs for more equipment and tools.” (Mashadi and Kargozari, 2011)
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References

Mashhadi, V. Z., & Kargozari, M. R. (2011). Influences of digital classrooms on education.

Procedia Computer Science, 3, 1178-1183. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2010.12.190

Eteokleous-Grigoriou, N., & Leal, Y. (2009). Instilling a new learning, work and

communication culture through systemically integrated technology in education. Systems

Research and Behavioral Science, 26(6), 707–716. https://doi.org/10.1002/sres.983

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Name of Lesson: Letters Through Time

Grade-level Appropriateness: 11th to 12th Grade Students

Technology Content Standard Addressed: Standard(s) 3 - Knowledge Constructor

Other Content Standard Addressed: Common Core Standard 1: Research and evidence based

Objective: For students to research with accuracy, curating information on certain topics, while

creating a creatively-based project in order to inform, establish connections, and promote

self-study both inside and outside of the classroom and lesson.

Materials Needed to Facilitate the Lesson: Access to the internet, a word processing software,

and reliable resources for research.

Suggested Group Size: 2 to 3 People

Procedures:

Phase One: First 2 Weeks of Semester (Will be repeated when a new semester starts)

1. Create a character from any background, location, and age--make sure that this is

appropriate and school friendly--this character will serve as the main subject of this

assignment and cannot be changed. This character must be an original creation (meaning

that they were made entirely by the student) and can be from any time period between the

Bronze Age (3200 B.C. to 2000 A.D.)

a. Inappropriate and offensive characters are not allowed.

b. Make sure to note that time periods should be picked wisely. Do not pick a time

where research is difficult.

c. A 50 year maximum of flexibility in time periods is allowed. (Ex. Any event from

1600 to 1650 can be mentioned. Any event from 1900 to 1950 can be mentioned.)

d. This ‘Character Sheet’ will be turned in and approved by the instructor.

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2. Students will be randomly partnered with another student from a different class period.

a. Students are randomly partnered through a lottery.

i. Any ‘extra’ students are to be added as a third to a group.

b. (Ex. Students from Period 1 are randomly partnered with Students from Period 5,

etc.)

3. At the beginning of the week, letters are distributed from their pen-pals.

4. Students will, throughout the week, spend time researching the time period for their

character before turning in a letter at the end of the week.

a. Letters can be about anything, from ‘current’ events, to explaining how something

is done, to day-to-day things.

b. Letters at a minimum, must be 1 page long.

Thing to Add:

➢ Students can pick from an approved list of fonts that can be their character’s handwriting

and must stick with using that font through the duration of their character’s letters.

Assessment:

As I want this project to be more of students learning and teaching each other, each week, an

informal essay talking about what they (the student) found most interesting, enlightening, or if

they learned something new, when reading their pen-pal’s letter along with things they learned

that week from their research.

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Each letter is worth 10 points and will be graded based with 5 points for turning in a letter and 5

points for their assessment.

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Student Sample:

23 May, 1622
Dearest Lucius,

The voyage to the colonies has been a long and arduous one. My stomach has been flashing the hash more than my
own fingers can sample. A month and a half on the ship has left my legs weak on land, an oddity that I will not
miss once gone.

Presenting myself to the Virginia Company to be one of their ‘tobacco’ brides has been one of the most excitingly
nerve-wracking actions I have ever taken in my life. The opportunity! The adventure! Not to mention the
prospective men--I winked just now; if you get what I mean. I do hope that whatever man I wed, he is not
attached to some Indian. Have you heard of them? Oh, how silly of me, of course you haven’t. They are
practically savages from what I have heard from those around me. They attack and ravage the hard-working
men here, as well as their homes. The only good thing that has seemed to come out of their barbaric behavior is
that Virgina has been officially made into a colony, along with the Virginia Company sending along more persons.

It infuriates me to think of those Indians. Many men have left the comfort of home and familiarness in order to
pursue prospects of land. They work like slaves in an effort to earn their future and keep in a diligence that I
cannot help but admire. Some work themselves into their own eternal beds, and the pay is much too little to make
up for the work they have done. I must simply wait for commonality and civility to properly reach this colony, I
suppose.

Have you heard of the House of Burgesses? Despite being under our King’s generous hand, the colonists here
have essentially declared themselves their own House of Lords in a way. It is a smart system I think. Only those
with sizable land and labor may be a part of its elections--I think it is a good way to keep out those with little
education or notable background. Imagine if the miller down from the manor was able to make large decisions?
Truly amusing.

I can only hope that my future groom will be a part of the House of Burgesses. It seems like a high status for a
lady of my standing. I surely would’ve never risen as the eighth daughter of a Baron, most likely married off to
some nameless knight. Look! The thought has me shuddering in my dicky.

Oh Luciis, I do hope I haven't come off as some gilflurt. Being around all these other potential tobacco brides
has made me want to be the best I could in order to catch a good man. I do hope you understand.

On a new adventure,
Olivia
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Assessment Portion:

From this week’s letter, I sent one detailing the every-day life of the average Roman soldier,

going on to talk about my military packs, campaigns, and how brutal training is. I explained to

my pen-pal the different Roman gods and the temples that I had researched about, along with the

Vestal Virgins, women who were priestesses of the goddess Vesta, who was the goddess of

hearths.

Being a Vestal Virgin was a very important role and was linked to being fundamental in the

continuation and security of Rome. These individuals cultivated the sacred fire that was not

allowed to go out. Vestals were freed of the usual social obligations to marry and bear children

and took a 30-year vow of chastity in order to devote themselves to the study and correct

observance of state rituals that were forbidden to the colleges of male priests. There were only 7

Vestal Virgins at a time and they all had privileges afforded to few women in Rome. An

interesting fact I found about the Vestal Virgins was that they could free any slave or condemned

prisoner, just by touching them. The slave or prisoner was immediately considered free and

pardoned of whatever crimes at their touch.

Some interesting facts I learned from my pen-pal were tobacco brides. Tobacco brides are, in a

sense, America’s first mail-order brides. These women were sent to America to become wives of

men in America in exchange for tobacco and many of them were often voluntarily chosen to go

to America. The Virginia Company advertised that if English women agreed to come to

Jamestown in search of a husband, the company would loan them clothing, transportation and a
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plot of land. In Jamestown, they could have their pick of wealthy bachelors. Once they chose a

husband, he would reimburse the Virginia Company for her expenses with 120 to 150 pounds of

“good leaf” tobacco.