Free Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird by Michael J. Meyer

(9). All of this can encourage students to build knowledge through open-ended, student-directed research projects where students are encouraged to “harvest” the Internet’s vast information bank and learn as much as they can about a topic, determine what is important, and develop their own questions. It is essential that the students be in charge of the project, making key decisions about what topic to research and where to search for information as well as looking for primary as well as secondary information sources.
    What should an open-ended, student-directed research project look like in the twenty-first century? One good example is the WebQuest. Like many new techniques and learning technologies, WebQuests have been misrepresented and misunderstood. The creator of the WebQuest, Bernie Dodge, did not intend for them to be simple electronic worksheets where students use the Internet to “fill in the blanks” in a set of questions. Instead, Dodge’s intent is for students to incorporate cooperative learning, consider multiple perspectives (which the Internet makes remarkably easy), analyze and synthesize information, and create original products that demonstrate the acquired knowledge. An ideal WebQuest requires students to select and research the topics of their choice, provided that each meets the teacher’s learning objectives. This is best done after a class room brainstorming session. Effective WebQuests implement the GAP model (Caverly, qtd. in Jonassen et al. 25), which is comprised of the following steps:
    â€¢ G athering information
    â€¢ A rranging information into meaningful formats
    â€¢ Using technology tools to P resent that new knowledge to others
    All of this promotes higher-learning abilities and critical-thinking skills as students are forced to present and defend the information they found. Learners can use online tools, such as Inspiration software, to create concept maps of their projects and create Web files to compile and share information. As stated by Jonassen et al. in Meaningful Learning with Technology , “The cognitive and social skills required to construct WebQuests offer a motivating, deep learning experience. Students made interdisciplinary connections and were challenged intellectually. At the same time, they gained experience with technology presentation skills—and had fun!” (26).
    Teaching Mockingbird with Technology
    What makes To Kill a Mockingbird particularly appropriate for using multimedia learning tools is its potential for exploring the timeless issues and topics addressed in its plotline. The novel allows for the study of early twentieth-century American Southern history and culture as well as traditional, New Critical literary analysis. Although time constraints may limit the amount of time spent on the sociohistorical aspects, even limited attention can constitute an important step in the student’s deeper understanding of its connection to the novel. Through extensive online research, partnered with proactive multimedia presentation methods, students can explore such historical topics as the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Great Depression, racial inequality, the Scottsboro boys incident, and the Emmet Till trial—all of which have been identified as relevant to study in conjunction with the reading of To Kill a Mockingbird . Other aspects of the novel as analyzed in the critical literature, including characterization (particularly pertaining to Scout and Atticus), coming of age, and parent/child relationships, may also be explored through technology-driven teaching and learning. Some specific classroom activity ideas for teaching To Kill a Mockingbird using timely, interactive technology without sacrificing traditional literary and interdisciplinary content follow.
    1. PowerPoints and Photo Essays to Teach Mockingbird -Related History
    Students can demonstrate as well as actively convey their understanding of