Heads nodding, eyes slowly shutting. Heads go down on the desks and … it’s nap time in English class. This is a problem that many teachers must deal with on a daily basis. English teacher Bruce Riley and history teacher Fred Merrick, however, believe that they have found a technological cure for this syndrome — the Internet. Riley and Merrick, with the help of Sharon Berger in the Writing Center, found a lesson plan for study and analysis of Kathleen Patterson’s book “Lyddie” on the Internet that utilizes web sites and class analysis to study the book. They then used the Internet lesson plan with their English 11/American History block classes to help understand the literary and historical significance of “Lyddie.” Although he has never used an Internet lesson plan before, Riley has had his classes in previous years read the book, and is very pleased with this addition to his curriculum. “This is awesome,” said Riley. “The Internet may not be the answer to everything, but this was put together in a nice little package and it’s really interesting.” The class used the lesson plan and followed Internet links to get background on the time period and to study issues in the book, such as the Underground Railroad, women’s rights and the industrial revolution. “It was really effective,” said junior Seth Smith. “You can just look on the Internet and find it right away. Overall it saved a lot of time for us. You didn’t have to search through books to find what you were looking for.” Berger was concerned that the class would have trouble using technology so heavily in relation to a class lesson, but the students didn’t seem to have a problem with it. “I was worried that the Internet was going to be a problem for them,” said Berger. “I was really impressed with how they dug in and did it. They seemed really interested in it.” The students enjoyed this versatile and innovative way of learning because of the lesson’s interactive approach. “It was way better than the way that you usually study things like this,” said junior Nick Sichting. “It was more hands-on than anything else I’ve gotten to do.” “At first, I couldn’t turn the stupid thing on (the computer),” said junior Justin Mordja. “Once I got started, it was interesting. It was different — more personal.” |
