Greek Myth Makers

My lesson that integrates technology into the classroom would be classified at the modification level, in which the technology I will be utilizing allows for significant task redesign. Integrated as a part of a unit in a high school English class, students will be studying Greek mythology that places a heavy emphasis on stars as part of their spirituality and the work of the gods. Students will participate in a creative project where they keep a star journal, aided by and based off of the stargazing app “Skyview”. This app that can be downloaded on smartphones and tablets allows the user to point the camera at the night sky, where the program maps out all of the planets locations and the constellations and their names. After the students complete their star journal based off of their view of the night sky from their house, they will be required to write their own creative piece (no more than a few pages in length) that harkens back to the structure of a myth based off of their star journal.

While this lesson/project could be possible without the stargazing app, it is taken to a new level and made more accessible for students through the use of technology which is why it would classify at the modification level. Because the app provides the names of specific constellations given the students location, it gives them a starting point for a creative piece that integrates free writing within the context of the Greek mythology unit. Oftentimes, it is difficult to motivate high school students to write fictional pieces, but within the context of the app they might be more comfortable. When the class reconvenes, students will share what they came up with and their reflections on keeping the star journal. From a historical standpoint, this helps to connect students over space and time to the mindset of the original authors of Greek myths, who looked at the same night sky thousands of years ago. That, my friends, will get any English or History teacher stoked.