Future Cities

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Active Learning | Adaptation Level

Subject: Science

Video Transcription

[Teacher voiceover]

This is an eighth grade environmental inquiry class that is participating in the Future Cities Competition project. they’re working in groups of two or three, and what they are trying to accomplish is to use the SimCity software to design a futuristic city that has the lowest commute time possible, high tech industry, the lowest amount of water pollution, and the lowest amount of air pollution while still providing enough food and enough water and enough electricity for all of its residents.

What they’re doing now is they’re actually finishing their SimCity projects. What you’ve witnessed is that they’re trying to reduce the air pollution and water pollution, and still stay above their budget.

The next step is that they’ll be creating a physical model and then a presentation to provide to the panel of judges for the future city competition. For that competition we’re going to videotape their presentations so that they’ll be able to go through and critique themselves and improve upon their presentations, so that it’s perfectly how they expect it to be when they give it to the judges at the competition.

Utilizing this technology and the SimCity software has been unbelievably rewarding for the students. Getting to see all the intricacies of a city and everything that goes into making it wouldn’t have been possible if we hand’t had this software to work with. Creating these models that you would otherwise not be able to show to the students has just been astounding, and I think the rewards will be shown as the year progresses.

Video Transcription
[Teacher voiceover]

This is an eighth grade environmental inquiry class that is participating in the Future Cities Competition project. they’re working in groups of two or three, and what they are trying to accomplish is to use the SimCity software to design a futuristic city that has the lowest commute time possible, high tech industry, the lowest amount of water pollution, and the lowest amount of air pollution while still providing enough food and enough water and enough electricity for all of its residents.

What they’re doing now is they’re actually finishing their SimCity projects. What you’ve witnessed is that they’re trying to reduce the air pollution and water pollution, and still stay above their budget.

The next step is that they’ll be creating a physical model and then a presentation to provide to the panel of judges for the future city competition. For that competition we’re going to videotape their presentations so that they’ll be able to go through and critique themselves and improve upon their presentations, so that it’s perfectly how they expect it to be when they give it to the judges at the competition.

Utilizing this technology and the SimCity software has been unbelievably rewarding for the students. Getting to see all the intricacies of a city and everything that goes into making it wouldn’t have been possible if we hand’t had this software to work with. Creating these models that you would otherwise not be able to show to the students has just been astounding, and I think the rewards will be shown as the year progresses.

Objectives

  • Design a futuristic city with low commute time, high tech industry, low amounts of water and air pollution, and that meets the needs of its’ residents by providing enough food, electricity, and water while staying within budget.

Procedure

  • Design a futuristic city using Sim City software.
  • Create a physical model of the city.
  • Create a presentation explaining their city.

Technology Present

  • Sim City software
  • A computer for each group
  • Internet access for research

Grade Level: 6-8

Note: The TIM is about teaching, not technology. The placement of a lesson on the TIM is based entirely on the teaching practices demonstrated in the lesson and not on the specific technology employed. Effective pedagogy is our concern, not whether the tech involved is the latest, greatest, or most expensive. In fact, most of the sample videos were recorded some time ago as part of the original development of the Technology Integration Matrix. As you view these videos, focus on the teaching practices. When using the TIM-O to observe a lesson, remember that you can display the detailed indicators by clicking the tab on the right if you are completing a Matrix-based observation or are reviewing the TIM profile of a question-based lesson. The TIM Tools Admin Guide contains additional suggestions for observing a lesson and developing a TIM profile.

Video Reference Number: 1051

Active Learning
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Goal-Directed Learning
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