A Journey Through Time

 Introduction

It is the year 2004. You and your classmates are embarking on a journey through time to find out how computers began and what their future is. Imagine your starting point on this journey is the beginning of computer technology and your ending point is the year 2025. This quest challenges you to investigate technological advances from the past, the present, and the future.

Task

Mrs. Megabyte, your team leader, has asked you and a few select classmates to embark on a journey through time to discover how computers have changed and to predict how they will impact your future. You will be exploring the history of the computer, its pioneers, and the Internet. On your journey through time, you will also predict how computers will change your life, your job, and your home in the future.

As a group of 3 or 4, you will pursue these topics. As a group, you will create the following items that will show others what you have discovered on your journey through time:

• a technology scavenger hunt;
• a multimedia presentation;
• a formal report; and
• a photo album.

Process

1. You will form your groups by selecting puzzle pieces from the back table.
2. Before you start your research, brainstorm on what you know about the computers, their history, the Internet, and the pioneers of computers. Your brainstorming session should be completed on a piece of large construction paper that will become a part of your final project. The question that is leading this brainstorming session is "What do I know about computers and the Internet right now?"  This brainstorming list will be posted in our classroom to show what we already know about our topic.
3. Next, we will meet together as a group to discuss what we know as a group about computers, their history, the Internet, and the pioneers of computers.  We will share our knowledge!
4. Then, you will again meet in groups to write down questions you have about computers, their history, the Internet, and the pioneers of computers.  Please write down as many questions as you can to which you would like to know the answers.  These questions will be posted in our classroom to help focus our research.
5. Now, we will begin our research on our questions of interest as well as one of the following topics:  1.  computer history; 2.  computer pioneers; and 3.  Internet history. One group will have two individuals working the same area--1.  computer history, 2.   computer pioneers, or 3.  Internet history.
6. Now, you are ready to embark on your individual research. Choose four or more traditional and Internet resources from the Resources section. You should begin with the traditional resources first.
7. It is the responsibility of each group member to contribute two to three properly formatted typed pages for the group report. Your research report must include a title page as well as a works cited page which will be created by the entire group.
8. It is the responsibility of each group member to contribute four questions to the technology scavenger hunt that relate to his/her research focus:  1.   computer history; 2.  computer pioneers; or 3.  Internet history. The answers to the questions can be found in the traditional resources or Internet sources.
9. It is the responsibility of each group member to contribute his/her findings to a group PowerPoint presentation.  All group members will work on their individual slides which will then be put together into one PowerPoint slide show.
10. It is the responsibility of each group member to contribute scanned photos, digital camera photos, and/or ClipArt photos that relate to his/her research focus: 1.  computer history; 2.  computer pioneers; or 3.  Internet history that will help others to understand what was discovered about each topic studied.
11. Each group member will create his/her individual resource for the future.
12. Remember, you are expected to hand in a neat, properly formatted, and polished report and photo page(s). Your work is a reflection on the entire group!  You are also expected to turn in one creatively designed scavenger hunt as well as a professionally designed PowerPoint presentation.

Resources

• Traditional Sources from the Library (a collection has been compiled for you)

  You may also check Athena for additional resources.

• Internet Sources
  • Grolier Online Encyclopedia
  • PBS Online
  • Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century
  • UCS: The Ultimate Computer Source
  • Merriam-Webster Dictionary Online

            You may also do searches using our varied search engines on our homepage.

Evaluation

Please be aware that I will be giving only one grade per group.  You will be helping to create the grading rubric in class.

Questions to ask yourself and your group members:

• What would you see in an excellent report?
  • What would it contain?
  • How would it look?
  • What are some things you would need to remember?
    sample questions to get you started on the right track for answering these questions...

• What would you hear and see in an excellent PowerPoint presentation?
  
• What would make a scavenger hunt excellent?
  
• What would you see in an excellent photo album on computer history, the history of the Internet, as well as the pioneers of computers?

We will be putting our ideas on Post-It notes to share and work with to create our own original rubric.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have succeeded in completing your journey through time exploring the history and future of computers and the Internet. You have helped to inform yourselves as well as others about the history of computers and the Internet.

Updated On:  01/10/2007
Mrs. Cheryl Ross, RVMS Business Education Teacher

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