Glencoe World GeographyChapter 22:
Africa South of the Sahara TodayWeb Activity Lesson Plans"World Links" Introduction
Students have read about many aspects of life in Africa south of the Sahara today. Specific information about the lives of today’s African students will help your students grasp some of the reality of life for their peers in Africa south of the Sahara. Students will read about a program that encourages Internet communication between groups in different countries. Students will examine the results of one such program and write an imaginative essay describing how the program might have affected an African student.Lesson Description
In this lesson students will learn about the World Links for Development (WorLD) program that enables participants to interact with students from other countries using the Internet. Students will read about one specific project and answer four questions about their reading. They will then write an essay which draws lessons from the project and how World Links can impact students.
Instructional Objectives - Students will be able to describe and analyze cultural exchange projects
that link students in all parts of the world.
- Students will be able to write an essay detailing the changes World Links can have on education.
Applied Content Standards
Standard 6: The geographically informed person knows and understands how culture
and experience influence people's perceptions of places and regions.
Standard 18: The geographically informed person knows and understands how to apply
geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.
Student Web Activity Answers- The program uses new technologies to link students in countries with differing
levels of technology and development. The project aims to enrich the experience
of all participating students and teachers. Students will gain knowledge and
technical skills for the twenty-first century and increase their understanding
of other cultures.
- Countries in Africa south of the Sahara that have participated include Cape
Verde, Ghana, Mauritania, Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe,
Botswana, Gambia, and Burkina Faso.
- The VSAT Pilot Project is dedicated to connecting Ugandan schools to the Internet. Schools were required to have a burglar proofed room, a telephone line in the computer room, long-term self-sustainability, the interest of the local community, and the capacity to innovate.
- Problems included high telephone costs, poor telephone lines that could not support data, low bandwidth, and the inability of rural schools to participate due to the lack of communication infrastructure. Schools with poor telephone lines were given mobile phones so they could use cellular dial-up. Many schools were given microwave modems to combat the high costs of telephone lines. Currently SchoolNet is attempting to connect rural schools to the Internet using VSAT technology.
- Students’ essays will vary.
|  |
|
