Teachers

Much of the teacher’s page content is also provided on the student page. The text that is also provided on the student page is in black. Special notes to the teacher are highlighted.

This WebQuest was designed and created by graduate students in the Instructional Technology Program at The University of Texas as a group project for EDC 385G: Computer Supported Collaborative Learning. The WebQuest is designed to:

• Motivate the students.
• Build on the learner's prior knowledge.
• Allow students to synthesize multiple sources of information, take a position, research both Reform and Defend positions, and make a creative product.
• Be a collaborative Web-based activity in which learners are presented with a problem and task.
• Represent an inquiry-oriented process in which students search for information utilizing resources on the Internet.
• Allow for differentiation of instruction by offering a variety of activities that need to be performed. Students may choose different roles and perspectives, but both Reform and Defend must be selected.
• Implement the use of multimedia software.

You can jump to the specific topic by clicking on the links below:

• Introduction


• Task


• Process


• Roles


• Evaluation


• Conclusion


• Resources


• Standards

Introduction

Does your vote REALLY count in a Presidential Election?

Do you think it makes sense to vote when the votes cast by citizens may not count? During the 2000 Presidential election, the popular vote in Florida selected Al Gore yet the Electoral College System (ECS) chose George Bush, swinging the election. Key to understanding the election process is knowing the roles of the Electoral College System and the regular voting citizen. How do they work together to elect a president?

Because of this most recent controversy, you are part of the 2004 Presidential Election System Review Commission, a special commission created to investigate the ECS. As part of the team you will work together to return with recommendations to Reform or Defend the ECS.

The key questions surrounding the special commission are:

• How much influence does the Electoral College have in terms of choosing the President for this nation?
  
• Should we keep the Electoral College?
  
• What other system could replace the Electoral College?
  
• How would states small in electoral votes get treated if the Electoral College were abolished or retained?

Back to top

Task

The Electoral College System (ECS) is a historical American institution in the Presidential election process. Though it is the means by which the American President is officially elected, it has received its share of criticism and praise.

You are a member of the 2004 Presidential Election System Review Commission. The commission will explore the history of ESC and weigh the pros and cons of having ESC. After analyzing the information thoroughly, the commission will decide whether to keep the current system, to revise it or to devise a new system instead. Finally, the commission will carry out a series of activities to champion its position, primarily a multimedia-supported press conference.

You will notice that the teacher’s page is set up in the form of a timeline. If you follow this timeline, you will complete the WebQuest in two weeks or ten 50-minute classes. Feel free to make adjustments to the timeline as necessary.

DAY 1

After introducing the WebQuest and reviewing the Introduction and Task, begin the Process.

The students should be grouped before beginning the process. Each group should include 5 students. This lesson relies heavily on research and technology skills. Therefore, we recommend that students who are strong in these areas be dispersed among the groups.

If your class size is not divisible by five, we recommend that in a group of 4, the duties of the Concerned Citizen be performed by the group as a whole after their other duties are complete.

Back to top

Process

Congratulations, students! You are about to embark on a journey of the utmost political importance! By following the steps below, you and your fellow members of your group will have both an enjoyable and fruitful experience as you navigate this WebQuest.

1. Please refer to the the teacher evaluation rubric your teacher will use to ensure that you and the members of your group produce the highest-caliber work possible

It is important to review the grading rubric with the students before beginning the project to ensure that the students know what is expected of them as they work through the process. Also, let the students know that they will complete a group evaluation form at the end of the project, so the contributions by all group members are important.

2. All the members of your group must first get some background information on the Electoral College System (ECS). Be sure to check the general links in your specific Role, to get an overview of the ECS and its history within the United States.

If you have not previously studied the Electoral College System, it would be helpful to review the workings of the system with the students before they move on to the next step in the WebQuest where they will choose to defend or reform the system.

DAY 2

3. After becoming more informed about the ECS, your group must now make a choice. Your group must decide if (A) it will pursue this project with the intent to defend and maintain the current ECS or (B) it will pursue this project with the intent to reform the current ECS.

Allow the students time to discuss the issues and reach a consensus on whether they will “reform” or “defend”. This is a time in which the students will discuss both sides of the issue, arguing for and against and eventually reaching a consensus. By the time all but the last group has chosen positions, Reform and Defend should be represented.

4. After choosing from the “Reform” or “Defend” positions, your group must now decide upon roles for all 5 members of the group. Each member must assume one role from the list below:

Roles

• Historian
• Lawyer
• Activist
• Technician
• Concerned Citizen

Review the roles with the students before allowing them to choose their roles. The table below provides broad but important questions that will give you an overview of the specific questions your students will be answering in their respective roles:

DAYS 3-4

5. After choosing your roles, all members of your group must begin work individually according to the specifications of your roles AND collaboratively to help define and shape your group’s position, which will be explained at the time of the press conference..

DAYS 5-6

6. Organize your respective work into a cohesive document which will be used as the basis for the presentation during your group’s press conference. Make sure that the document create has the following:

• Introduction: Clearly and logically states your group’s position and the basic rationale for that position.
• Argument: Clearly and logically states the point-by-point rationale for your position.
• Solution: Clearly and logically states the point-by-point plan for the adoption of your position.
• Closing: Ties together all of your group’s points and restates your basic argument, as well as additional, ongoing efforts by your group and ways in which the public can get involved

7. Review, as a group, the work of the Concerned Citizen BEFORE the completion of the press conference presentation to ensure that it is in keeping with the position of your group and the argument presented by your group’s press conference.

DAY 7

8. Rehearse, as a group, your press conference and decide upon the roles your various members can play during the press conference. For example, will your Activist do all of the talking during the press conference or will the Activist call on other members of your group to validate points that he/she is making? Make sure that you include the ways in which your press conference will be used to draw attention to the work of the Concerned Citizen, and support for his/her promotional campaigns.

DAY 8

9. Edit and fine tune your press conference according to the feedback of your group after the rehearsal press conference.

DAYS 9-10 are reserved for the actual press conferences. We recommend that at the press conference, the students who are not presenting serve as “member of the press”. Limit the students to one question each per presentation. This will give the students who are presenting a chance to defend their position, and the students who are not presenting will play an active role in all presentations.

10. Prepare for the “press” questioning after the press conference. Decide, as a group, how you are all going to field questions. Is one person responsible for fielding all of the questions, or does each person answer the questions according to the relevance of the question to the respective roles? Your group might even anticipate some of the questions that will be asked of you in order to prepare for them ahead of time.

11. Each group will assign individual grades based on the work of each member, and the teacher's evaluation of the group segment.

Back to top

Evaluation

Feel free to modify the evaluation rubric to fit your own grading system. This information is also provided on the student page so any changes need to be made there as well.

• Evaluation Rubric (37kb)

After all presentations are complete, the students should evaluate their group members using the group evaluation form. These evaluations give the students a chance to reflect on their group's work and evaluate their own contributions, using the peer evaluation form, to the group as well as the contributions of their fellow group members. The evaluation forms should remain anonymous to ensure complete honesty.

Back to top

Conclusion

Students journeyed on a path of great political importance, learning the roles of the Electoral College Voting System (ECVS) and the ordinary voting citizen. Presented with questions from election year 2000, they chose to reform or defend the Electoral College Voting System and assumed one role from the following: historian, lawyer, activist, technician and concerned citizen.

They worked individually and collaboratively to define their group’s position. The deliverable is a document with an Introduction, Argument, and Closing. By actively constructing their own meaning before the rehearsed press conference, they learn in a way not possible by lecture alone. The learners are more apt to be responsible voters, or at least have well-defined reasons for being apolitical! Secondary Education students are almost of age to vote, and this WebQuest nudges them to think about issues to get them to the polls. Voting is power!

Back to top

Resources

The following resources are needed to complete the WebQuest:

• Computers with Internet access. A 1:1 computer-student ratio is preferred, but one computer per group is workable.
• The following web sites should be bookmarked:
o List web sites here
• Microsoft Word and PowerPoint should be installed on the computers.
• Adobe Acrobat Reader should be installed in order for the students to print their notes pages which are .pdf documents.
• An LCD projector for the student press conference presentations. If you do not have one of these in your classroom, see your technology person about borrowing one.

Back to top

Standards

The WebQuest is most closely aligned with the standards required by the Texas Education Agency for United States Government at the high school level. However, the Webquest could easily be modified for use in any 6-12 social studies course.

The WebQuest meets the following standards outlined in the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS):

§113.35. United States Government (One-Half Credit).
(c) Knowledge and skills.
(3) History. The student understands the roles played by individuals, political parties, interest groups, and the media in the U.S. political system, past and present. The student is expected to:
(B) analyze the impact of political changes brought about by individuals, political parties, interest groups, or the media, past and present.

(11) Government. The student understands the processes for filling public offices in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:
(B) analyze and evaluate the process of electing the President of the United States.

(12) Government. The student understands the role of political parties in the U.S. system of government. The student is expected to:
(D) identify opportunities for citizens to participate in political party activities at local, state, and national levels.

(16) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of voluntary individual participation in the U.S. democratic society. The student is expected to:
(A) analyze the effectiveness of various methods of participation in the political process at local, state, and national levels;
(B) analyze historical and contemporary examples of citizen movements to bring about political change or to maintain continuity;

(17) Citizenship. The student understands the importance of the expression of different points of view in a democratic society. The student is expected to:
(C) express and defend a point of view on an issue of contemporary interest in the United States.

(21) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
(B) create a product on a contemporary government issue or topic using critical methods of inquiry;
(C) explain a point of view on a government issue;

(22) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:
(C) transfer information from one medium to another, including written to visual and statistical to written or visual, using computer software as appropriate; and
(D) create written, oral, and visual presentations of social studies information.

TEKS for Technician’s Role
Source: The provisions of this §126.12 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 22 TexReg 5203.
Chapter 126. Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications
Subchapter C. High School
Statutory Authority: The provisions of this Subchapter C issued under the Texas Education Code, §28.002, unless otherwise noted.
§126.21. Implementation of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Technology Applications, High School.
The provisions of this subchapter shall supersede §75.123 of this title (relating to Computer Science) beginning September 1, 1998.

Source: The provisions of this §126.21 adopted to be effective September 1, 1998, 22 TexReg 5203.

§126.22. Computer Science I (One Credit).
(a) General requirements. The prerequisite for this course is proficiency in the knowledge and skills described in §126.12 (c) of this title (relating to Technology Applications (Computer Literacy), Grades 6-8). In addition, it is recommended that students have proficiency in the knowledge and skills for Algebra I identified in §111.32 (b) of this title (relating to Algebra I (One Credit)) or the equivalent knowledge and skills. This course is recommended for students in Grades 9-12. School districts may use the knowledge and skills described in subsection (c) of this section, the computer science course descriptions for the College Board Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate programs, or a combination thereof.

(b) Introduction.

(1) The technology applications curriculum has four strands: foundations, information acquisition, work in solving problems, and communication.

(2) Through the study of technology applications foundations, including technology-related terms, concepts, and data input strategies, students learn to make informed decisions about technologies and their applications. The efficient acquisition of information includes the identification of task requirements; the plan for using search strategies; and the use of technology to access, analyze, and evaluate the acquired information. By using technology as a tool that supports the work of individuals and groups in solving problems, students will select the technology appropriate for the task, synthesize knowledge, create a solution, and evaluate the results. Students communicate information in different formats and to diverse audiences. A variety of technologies will be used. Students will analyze and evaluate the results.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) Foundations. The student demonstrates knowledge and appropriate use of hardware components, software programs, and their connections. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate knowledge and appropriate use of operating systems, software applications, and communication and networking components;

(B) compare, contrast, and appropriately use the various input, processing, output, and primary/secondary storage devices;

(C) make decisions regarding the selection, acquisition, and use of software taking under consideration its quality, appropriateness, effectiveness, and efficiency;

(D) delineate and make necessary adjustments regarding compatibility issues including, but not limited to, digital file formats and cross platform connectivity;

(E) and (F) not included regarding programming languages.

(2) Foundations. The student uses data input skills appropriate to the task. The student is expected to:

(A) demonstrate proficiency in the use of a variety of input devices such as keyboard, scanner, voice/sound recorder, mouse, touch screen, or digital video by appropriately incorporating such components into the product; and

(B) use digital keyboarding standards for the input of data.

(3) Foundations. The student complies with the laws and examines the issues regarding the use of technology in society. The student is expected to:

(A) discuss copyright laws/issues and model ethical acquisition and use of digital information, citing sources using established methods;

(B) demonstrate proper etiquette and knowledge of acceptable use policies when using networks, especially resources on the Internet and intranet;

(C) investigate measures, such as passwords or virus detection/prevention, to protect computer systems and databases from unauthorized use and tampering; and

(D) discuss the impact of computer programming on the World Wide Web (WWW) community.

(4) Information acquisition. The student uses a variety of strategies to acquire information from electronic resources, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to:

(A) use local area networks (LANs) and wide area networks (WANs), including the Internet and intranet, in research and resource sharing; and

(B) construct appropriate electronic search strategies in the acquisition of information including keyword and Boolean search strategies.

(5) Information acquisition. The student acquires electronic information in a variety of formats, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to:

(A) acquire information in and knowledge about electronic formats including text, audio, video, and graphics;

(B) use a variety of resources, including foundation and enrichment curricula, together with various productivity tools to gather authentic data as a basis for individual and group programming projects; and

(C) design and document sequential search algorithms for digital information storage and retrieval.

(6) Information acquisition. The student evaluates the acquired electronic information. The student is expected to:

(A) determine and employ methods to evaluate the design and functionality of the process using effective coding, design, and test data; and

(B) implement methods for the evaluation of the information using defined rubrics.

(7) Solving problems. The student uses appropriate computer-based productivity tools to create and modify solutions to problems. The student is expected to:

(A) apply problem-solving strategies such as design specifications, modular top-down design, step-wise refinement, or algorithm development;

(B) use visual organizers to design solutions such as flowcharts or schematic drawings;
does not include

(C) on through the coding skills that were part of a college degree in computer science but not necessary for this collaboration.

(8) Solving problems. The student uses research skills and electronic communication, with appropriate supervision, to create new knowledge. The student is expected to:

(A) participate with electronic communities as a learner, initiator, contributor, and teacher/mentor;

(B) demonstrate proficiency in, appropriate use of, and navigation of LANs and WANs for research and for sharing of resources;

(C) extend the learning environment beyond the school walls with digital products created to increase teaching and learning in the foundation and enrichment curricula; and

(D) participate in relevant, meaningful activities in the larger community and society to create electronic projects.

(9) is excluded as unnecessary for this collaboration.

(10) Communication. The student formats digital information for appropriate and effective communication. The student is expected to:

(A) identify pictorial qualities in a design such as shape and form, space and depth, or pattern and texture to create visual unity and desired effects in designs;

(B) use a variety of lighting techniques including shadows and shading to create an effect;

(C) define the design attributes and requirements of products created for a variety of purposes including posters, billboards, business cards, stationery, book jackets, folders, booklets, pamphlets, brochures, and magazines; and

(D) use proximity and alignment to create a visual connection with other elements.

(11) Communication. The student delivers the product electronically in a variety of media, with appropriate supervision. The student is expected to:

(A) publish information in a variety of ways including, but not limited to, printed copy or monitor display; and

(B) publish information in saved files, Internet documents, CD-ROM discs, or video.

(12) Communication. The student uses technology applications to facilitate evaluation of communication, both process and product. The student is expected to:

(A) determine and employ technology specifications to evaluate projects for design, content delivery, purpose, and audience; and

(B) seek and respond to advice from peers in evaluating the product.

Back to top