Download Student Activity Sheet(s) for printout in PDF Format
Overview
Students contrast cyberspace with actual and fantasy places, learning that
cyberspace is where real people connect using computers
and real experiences take place. Then they visually
express their understanding of the geography of cyberspace in the U.S.
Objectives
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Differentiate cyberspace from actual places and fantasy places |
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Draw a map, visually representing their conception of cyberspace
within the U.S. |
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Infer that communication through computers connected to the Internet
is common to all cyberspace experiences |
ISTE® National Technology Standards
Site Preview
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No Internet site is used in this lesson. |
Online Resources
Materials
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Activity sheets (2) |
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U.S. map, showing names of major cities and states; colored pencils |
Introduce
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Have students brainstorm a list of actual places in the U.S. that
they would like to visit (for example, Washington D.C. and the Grand
Canyon). Then have them list fantasy places from literature (for example,
Alice's Wonderland and C.S. Lewis' Narnia®) and from movies and video
games (for example, the planets of Star Wars® and the island of Myst®). |
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Ask: What is the difference
between the first list of places and the second? (The first
list names real places that can be physically visited.) |
Teach 1
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Distribute Activity Sheet 1 to read with students. |
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Ask: Is cyberspace real
like (an actual place they named) or imaginary like (a fantasy place
they named)? Guide students to understand that although cyberspace
is not an actual, physical place, it does have real people communicating
with each other. |
Teach 2
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Distribute Activity Sheet 2. |
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Together, have students draw dots on their maps for places where
friends and relatives live, where they have visited, and where they
would like to visit. |
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Brainstorm how to symbolize the communications that take place
between people all over the country, including E-mail, chat, messaging,
and visiting their favorite Web sites. Encourage students to be creative,
using varying lines (zigzags, dots, waves), colors, and shading (to
create a cloud-like effect) to represent communications in cyberspace. |
Teach 3
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Have students write a paragraph explaining what their map shows
about cyberspace and display the maps and descriptions together. |
Close
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Ask: What is real about
cyberspace? (It involves real people and you can get into real
trouble.) |
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Ask: What do your maps tell about cyberspace? |
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Ask: What is meant by "Cyberspace
is all about connected communication?" (Any activity in cyberspace
requires communication between computers and/or people.) |
Extend
The following activity can be added for students who completed this lesson
in a previous grade.
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Have students go online and use children's search engines to investigate
opportunities for communicating with other kids around the world. |
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Cyberspace Country