Unit 3: Media & Technology
How can we incorporate media and technology into creating a culturally responsive classroom?
In this unit, we are going to examine ways in which we can use media and technology to support a culturally responsive classroom. Before beginning this unit, please take a look at the Virtual Passport Around the World template. This template was developed by me for students to complete throughout the year. Considering that cultural competence entails that a person be aware of their own culture, as well as, other peoples cultures, it might be good to consider having your students first complete a passport section on the country that they come from before having them complete studies on other countries. This will show your students that their culture is important to you and their classmates and it will allow them to develop a stronger sense of cultural competence and confidence.
Activities:
First and foremost, students will be given a Virtual Passport Around the World template that they can use throughout the duration of the year. This template can be revised by teachers to meet the educational needs of their student population and it can be edited by anyone who has the shareable link from Google Slides. The template includes a virtual passport cover page, several activity pages for a student to fill out for each country they study, and a teacher feedback page where a teacher can include comments, a score, and a virtual passport stamp upon completion of a country study.
You might want to consider breaking this up into three initial segments to start the school year off with cultural responsiveness in mind:
Country Study #1: Have students research the country that they come from to develop cultural awareness, competence, and sensitivity to better prepare them to positively respond to their own culture.
Country Study #2: Randomly pair students with a classmate and have them research that peers country to begin to develop cultural awareness, competence, and sensitivity of other peoples cultures to better prepare them to positively respond to other cultures.
Country Study #3: Have students research a country that they are curious about to continue to develop cultural awareness, competence, and sensitivity of other peoples cultures to better prepare them to positively respond to others culture. This will also develop a stronger sense of curiosity of other cultures and have a special focus on cultural knowledge building.
Activities for each project:
Activity #1:
Have students research the history, geography, government, and culture of a country to begin to get a sense of that country. The following computer resources are child friendly, informative, and easy to navigate to meet the needs of a diverse range of students:
During this activity, students can fill out the first three pages of the virtual passport, including
★Photograph of the country
★Capital: _______________
★Government: ___________
★Population: ____________
★Language: ______________
★Money: _________________
★Picture of the flag
Activity #2:
With the expansion of technology, it is now possible to explore the world right from your classroom. Google Maps makes this possible with a feature called street view. This feature allows people to walk through the streets of the majority of places around the world to explore the earth's features and historical sites. It is important to note that while Google has cameras all around the world, there are limitations to this feature due to private residences and developing nations. For instance, you will not find nearly as many street view access points in Africa as you would in the United States, and you will find even less opportunities to walk around Antarctica. However, Google Maps is constantly expanding to add more cameras in areas around the world. What’s more is that there are several virtual field trips that can be accessed through programs that are partnered through Google Maps. During Activity #2, you can have students go on a virtual field trip of the country they are studying through the partnership of Google Maps and the Cultural Institute. Here they can continue to explore other countries and get a better sense of that countries culture from virtual artifacts and descriptions provided in the virtual field trip. This will allow students to further understand and appreciate the culture they are studying by giving them a firsthand virtual experience of that culture. To visit some of the virtual field trips offered by this partnership, you can visit The Cultural Institute. Here you can watch a tutorial on how to search for virtual field trips to specific places and you can learn how to navigate once you go on a field trip.
Activity #3 - #6:
For activities 3-6, students can explore Youtube and other sources to find media on the following areas to include in their virtual field trip project:
★An mp3 files of traditional music from the country they are studying
★A video of a traditional dance from the country they are studying
★A media file or cooking tutorial on a recipe of a traditional dish from the country they are studying
★An online media file or video of a folktale from the country they are studying.
★A media file or video of a celebration happening in the country they are studying.
This again allows students to get a more genuine experience with understanding a culture on a deeper level.
Activity 7:
During this activity, students will create a mini biography of a famous person from the country they are studying. Students can use a variety of media and technology to assist them with their study. Like the other activities, this brings the culture to life for the student through media and technology. This particular activity can also be very engaging if they are able to find a famous person from the country that they are studying that they already admire or look up to in their lives. This is because it will give them a further appreciation for that culture if they associate it with this role model.
Presentation:
Upon completing this project, students will become an expert on the country that they have studied. This will allow them to become very knowledgeable about that countries culture and will leave them with a sense of accomplishment when they answer questions that other students have about that culture. Lastly, this will stem a curiosity for students to want to find out more information about that countries culture and will lend itself to hopefully getting students to explore other cultures, not only during class time, but on their own time as well.
Exit Ticket:
Before we move on to the next unit, reflect on the following questions in your reflection journal:
✎What were some aspects of the media and technology presented in this mini-lesson that you liked? Why
✎What are some aspects of the media and technology presented in this mini-lesson that you would want to improve upon?
✎What are other types of media and technology that you think would aid in creating a culturally responsive classroom? How?
DO: Choose one country that you identify with and fill out a Virtual Passport Around the World for that country. Upon completing your Virtual Passport, copy and paste your shareable link onto the Virtual Passport Submission document so that other participants can learn about your culture.
References:
https://www.atozkidsstuff.com/search.html
https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/about/wonders/
http://kids.nationalgeographic.com
https://www.kids-world-travel-guide.com
Now get ready for Unit 4: Assessment