Day 2: Effects on Communication

Learning Objectives

• IOC-1.B: Explain how people participate in a problem-solving process that scales.

Essential Questions

• How has computing changed the way people communicate?
• What are the benefits and drawbacks of computer-mediated communication?
• How have communication patterns evolved with new computing innovations?

Materials Needed

• Presentation slides on computing and communication
• Communication tools comparison chart
• Social media and messaging app examples
• Historical communication methods images/videos
• Exit ticket templates

Vocabulary

• Computer-mediated communication
• Synchronous communication
• Asynchronous communication
• Social media
• Digital communication
• Bandwidth
• Media richness
• Communication channels
• Digital footprint

Procedure (50 minutes)

Opening (8 minutes)

1. Review and Connection (3 minutes)

   • Review computing innovations from previous lesson
   • Connect to today's focus on how computing affects communication

2. Warm-up Activity (5 minutes)

   • Ask students to list all the ways they've communicated with others in the past 24 hours
   • Have them identify which methods involved computing
   • Create a class list of communication methods
   • Categorize methods as synchronous (real-time) or asynchronous

Main Activities (32 minutes)

3. Lecture: How Computing Affects Communication (12 minutes)

   • Discuss the evolution of communication technologies:
     • Pre-computing: letters, telegraph, telephone
     • Early computing: email, chat rooms, forums
     • Web 2.0: social media, blogs, video sharing
     • Mobile era: texting, messaging apps, video calls
     • Emerging: AR/VR communication, AI assistants
   • Explain key impacts of computing on communication:
     • Removal of geographic barriers
     • Asynchronous communication becoming dominant
     • Democratization of content creation and sharing
     • Shift from text to multimedia communication
     • Persistence of digital communication
     • Scale of potential audience (one-to-many)
   • Discuss how computing has changed communication patterns:
     • Frequency and brevity of interactions
     • Expectations for response time
     • Public vs. private communication
     • Formation of online communities

4. Analysis: Social Media Platforms and Communication Tools (10 minutes)

   • Examine several popular social media platforms and communication tools
   • For each platform/tool, analyze:
     • Primary communication format (text, image, video, etc.)
     • Typical audience size and relationship
     • Persistence of content
     • Public vs. private nature
     • Synchronous vs. asynchronous
   • Discuss how different platforms shape communication differently
   • Explore how algorithms influence what communications we see
   • Consider how platform design affects communication style

5. Discussion: Changes in Interpersonal Communication (10 minutes)

   • Divide class into small groups
   • Assign each group a communication context to discuss:
     • Family communication
     • Friendship maintenance
     • Professional/work communication
     • Community engagement
     • Dating and relationships
     • Education and learning
   • Groups discuss how computing has changed communication in their context
   • Groups identify benefits and challenges of these changes
   • Share key insights with the whole class

Closing (10 minutes)

6. Case Studies: Communication Before and After (5 minutes)

   • Present brief case studies showing communication scenarios:
     • Organizing a community event in 1990 vs. 2023
     • Maintaining a long-distance relationship in 1980 vs. 2023
     • Sharing news with family members in 1970 vs. 2023
   • Discuss the differences in effort, speed, reach, and richness
   • Consider what has been gained and lost with these changes

7. Exit Ticket and Preview (5 minutes)

   • Students complete a comparison chart: "Compare and contrast communication methods across generations"
   • Students identify one positive and one negative effect of computing on communication
   • Preview that next class will focus on how computing affects collaboration

Assessment

• Formative: Quality of participation in communication analysis and discussion
• Exit Ticket: Depth of analysis in generational communication comparison

Differentiation

For Advanced Students

• Ask them to analyze how communication platforms' business models affect communication patterns
• Have them research emerging communication technologies and predict impacts
• Challenge them to consider cultural differences in computer-mediated communication

For Struggling Students

• Provide a structured template for analyzing communication tools
• Focus on more familiar communication technologies
• Use more visual aids and concrete examples

Homework/Extension

• Interview people from different generations about how they communicated at your age
• Track personal communication methods for 24 hours and analyze patterns
• Research a communication platform's evolution and how its changes have affected user communication

Teacher Notes

• Keep discussions focused on impacts rather than just listing technologies
• Be sensitive to varying access to communication technologies among students
• Avoid value judgments about "better" or "worse" - focus on trade-offs
• Make connections to students' personal experiences with communication technologies
• Consider inviting a guest speaker who worked in communications before digital technologies