Introductory Activity : Duration: 2 weeks
Description: Students use the program SimCity to create a city. Afterwards, students use PowerPoint to create an election campaign to get themselves elected as mayor of their SimCity!
Goals: National Educational Technology Standards for Students :
1. Standard 3: Technology Productivity Tools - Students use technology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
2. Standard 4: Technology Communication Tools - Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
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Body : Introduce students to SimCity, a city simulation program. Use the first class session to instruct students on the "basics" for setting up a city (water pipes, power plants, residential and industrial zones, etc.). During the next 3-5 class sessions, students form their own SimCity.
When all of the cities have been constructed, introduce the class to the basic components of PowerPoint (this may take 1-2 class sessions). Focus on how to create a new slide, how to format backgrounds, how to add clip art and animation, and how to incorporate sound effects and transitions. Students should have 7 slides in their slide show. [ Author's Note: I usually build the first slide with the students. The first slide might say, Elect ______ for mayor! -- inserting the student's name.]
As for content, students may want to consider the following questions when creating their slide show:
* What qualities do you have that would make you a good mayor?
* What have you done for your town in the past? (students can make this up)
* What will you plan to do in the future?
Teachers may want to spend a class session on how to search for free clip art on the Internet and how to add the clip art to a slide show. (Some sample Internet sites are provide below.) Also, if access to a digital camera is available, then students can include pictures of themselves in their slide show. Once all of the PowerPoint presentations are finished, students can share their slide shows with the rest of the class. Students can share their feedback on what they liked about the slide shows -- both the technical aspects and the campaign content.
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