Lesson Plan with Technology

Content	Civics Module 2 – Origins of American Government and Federalism Challenging Concepts – American Government was built on the principle of balance between States rights, Federal rights and Individual rights. The Constitution and the Bill or Rights were designed in a specific way to protect the rights of the individual. HSCEs: C2 - Origins and Foundations of the Government of the United States of America 2.1 Origins of American Constitutional Government 2.2 Foundational Values and Constitutional Principles of American Government
Pedagogy	I plan on teaching this unit to students over the course of several weeks. Students progress through the module at their own pace. I will add the wiki project as part of a requirement for completing the module. Students will get a foundation in the topic by reading articles, viewing slide shows and watching videos. They will be responsible for several discussion questions before adding their constructive comments to the class wiki page. I take into consideration the fact that students learn by doing the actual work. In the case of Social Studies, students do the actual work of a historian, examining the primary documents, reading what others have to say and contributing their own opinion to the collective knowledge base. I also consider the fact that kids learn socially and should feel more comfortable taking risks and making mistakes. Every wiki article will have several edits and there will be a discussion board element to work out the final version.
Content and Pedagogy	The topic of American government and the system of Federalism is not an easy one to teach. Many of the concepts are up to interpretation. Much like the Constitution itself, a lot if left to interpretation. The benefit of this lesson is to allow students the ability to arrive at their own conclusions while respecting the facts and respecting the opinions of others. Unlike a straightforward lesson on the foundation of the American government, this lesson gives a chance for engagement and reflection. Students can collaborate together on a class wiki. I chose this specific lesson because of the timing and the fact that there are many opinions on this topic.
Technology	I will be using Wikispaces to create a class wiki. This technology may not be absolutely necessary but it definitely helps to teach students that there is no one right answer to the proper role of our government. The purpose of creating a wiki is to have students come to an agreement of why our government is set up the way it while realizing that not all students will agree on the proper role of government. The use of a class wiki will produce deeper understanding and create more of a collaborate environment. The fact that all student work is completed online, and that many students do not actually see each other in person only adds to the need to create a collaborative online project. Students will have to refute their opinions and find evidence online to justify their stances.
Technology and Pedagogy	Technology and Pedagogy meet well here. Much like the idea of TPACK, the unity of technology and pedagogy mean that the medium, in this case a wiki, is used to express and reinforce the lesson. Students must explore the topic on their own in a guided fashion (pedagogy) and then apply their knowledge using the tools provided (technology).
Technology and Content	The choie of technology used for this lesson helps to portray the need to collaborate and compromise, much like our American government. Students will work together to find the best resources to explain the more concrete facts such as "What is Federalism?" and "Why is the Bill of Rights so important?". Students will engage the less concrete ideas such as the proper role of government and the separation of powers by contributing to a class wiki in a democratic form.
Assessment	I want my students to know why the Founding Fathers designed the government the way they did. I want them to see that compromise is a big part of our government and that the Constitution is meant to be solid enough to stand the changes of time while being flexible enough to evolve with our changing concept of government and the nature of change itself. I am not entirely sure how students will know when they know it. The idea of a self reflection is important in each module and I hope that students will provide a good idea of how much they know with the final writing prompt. Students will also display their knowledge by their contribution to the wiki. I will assess what students have done by tracking their contributions, which wikispaces does nicely. All I need to do is see what each individual contributed and grade accordingly. Students cannot pass the module and move on until they have showed some form of mastery. Technology plays a very important role in assessments.