Brian Scott
Spanish Teacher
WL Consultant

Unit 2 – Nuestra existencia tecnológica

 

Themes – Ciencia y tecnología, Desafíos mundiales, Identidades personales y públicas, Vida contemporánea, Belleza y estética

 

Essential Questions

 

¿Cómo influye la tecnología en nuestra vida cotidiana?

¿Qué sacrificamos para avanzar la humanidad?

 

Topics covered

 

• Computadora XO and 1:1

• What’s app and other social media

• Indigenous Tweets

• AVE high speed train in Spain and electric cars in the USA

• Public transportation in Spain and South America

• Stem cells and genetic modification

 

Summative Performance Assessments

 

• E-mail – Use of cellphones in class

• Essay – Has technology improved or worsened human communication?

• Dialogue – Creating a community website

• Cultural Comparison – How has technology impacted the lives of people in your community?

 

First Day Hook

​

I show to the students 5 images.  One is of baby using a computer.  The second is of two people fighting via texting on cellphones.  The third is two people shaking hands through computer screens.  The fourth is a frazzled teenager surrounded by several electronic devices.  The fifth, in the middle, is of a robotic hand holding planet Earth.  I ask students to explain what the images are trying to convey.  Then I pose the question, “Do we control technology or does it control us?”

 

Authentic Resources & Activities

​

Interpretive Audiovisual – Students watch a video about the high speed rail system (el AVE) in Spain.  After viewing the video the students participate in the Think Pair Share activity.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIKPvGKLCag

 

Interpretive Print – Students read La IWM mil by Alicia Yañez Cossio, This is possibly the students’ favorite story during the year.  It was written in the 1970’s and is about an invention that does everything for human.  (Basically it describes a smartphone).  Then it highlights the adverse effects on humanity this device causes.  Students compare this story to what is happening today with the overuse of smartphones.

 

Interpretive Audio – Students listen to an audio about the Computadora XO 1:1 program for schools and students with economic challenges.  Students make comparisons to the 1:1 program currently in place in their school.

 

Interpersonal Spoken – Students simulate conversations with one being a human being and the other is an electronic device such as a computer, printer, TV remote, etc.  The activity is called “Little Voice”.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OX626_lAfU&index=13&list=PLcu_7s4zXarOedcBEjgMTX44F6FDrsece

 

Interpersonal Written – Students respond to me and to other students in regards to a question I propose.  This question is, “Is all this technology in school really making students more intelligent?”  Students use an online forum to respond to this question.

 

Presentational Spoken – Students participate in the “Ask the Expert” activity.  Students investigate new advances in science and technology in the Spanish-speaking world and present these findings to their “familias” and to the rest of the class. 

 

Presentational Written – Students are given a prompt on science and ethics.  An example question could be, “¿Debemos alterar los genes humanos?”  Students then participate in the Gradual Release Writing activity.