A recent lesson that has incorporated technology tools in an engaging fashion is this:
Students in my 6th grade Digital Media class have very little experience with Photoshop, so this lesson introduces them to the power of layers, while working on thinking about their digital lives. I divide the class into table groups, each student with a laptop. We have group discussions about what comprises our lives, both real and digital. We then share out to the class and brainstorm a class list. I then ask them to consider what are their "power" aspects, from Facebook to fencing, etc. Their job as a table group is to build four linked illustrations in Photoshop to create a single totem.
Here are four examples:
Notice the juxtaposition of digital and real. For these students, reality very much includes technology, social media, etc. Are we prepared for their lives?
