"The Voting Public" Exercise

Original lesson plan link:
http://www.indianastandardsresources.org/lesson.asp?ID=746

The purpose of the preceeding exercise is to familiarize students with the topic of voting in the United States. From public documents to voter registration to voting machines, the students will learn the process and effeciency purpose of the American voting system.

Part one of the exercises is familiarizing students with public documents vital to understanding the voting system. This exercise can be better presented if the public documents were formed together in a Power Point presentation, instead of handing out pages upon pages of public documents.

Part two of the exercises introduces students to voter registration and various types of ballots. The lesson plan is satisfactory in that it introduces these materials over a projecter and students have the opportunity to learn how to register to vote online. Both of these technologies are the most effecient way to teach the material to these students.

Part three of the exercises divides the students into various groups and has them creating their own multimedia presentations on what they have learned thus far. The incorporation of technology into the classroom in this situation is an excellent way for students to re-form what they have learned and process it into a presentation for the class. No technology or technological efficiencies are needed to make this lesson better digitally equipped.

Part four, the final part of these excercises, has students creating a hand-out or brochure for people who do not have a proper understanding of the American voting system. A more efficient and enhanced idea for the student is to have them create a blog or multimedia website with resources and links to important voting information. In this way the students will not only re-process what information they have obtained, but will also create a useful and digitally up-to-date resource for those who are not fully aware of important facts on the American voting system.

Overall this multi-day exercise on teaching students the in and outs of the American voting system is very efficients and effective. However, as a whole, the lesson plan should integrate more effecient and advanced ways of presenting materials (i.e. Power Point, blogs). This integration allowes the students to properly learn, understand and process the information taught to them in the classroom.