The Process
Learning Differently
Learning is a partnership between the instructor and students. We each have a role to play and if we don't all do our part we end up not getting very far. As you make your way through this course I want to challenge you to think about learning differently.
My job is to help steer the educational boat, if you will, and your job is to paddle. By this I mean as you make your way through the various areas of focus in each decade, the provided tasks will give you structure and the posted images, videos, links and descriptions will give you a starting point to begin your exploration. The rest, is up to you.
Let's take a look at how this course will work!
The Process
As you make your way through each decade you will start by taking a look at the Unit overview page. On this page you will find the objectives of the unit, an overview of some of the major events that occurred in the United States during the decade, a video recap of some of these events and links to each of the areas of focus for this decade. You will also find a video introduction to the unit that explains what is going to be covered.
Once you have finished familiarizing yourself with the decade you are exploring you will go to each of the areas of focus and complete the tasks that are outlined towards the top of the page. Some tasks ask you to simply review or explore materials while others ask you to provide feedback or produce a product based on your research and exploration. The examples you will find on this website vary from contributing factors that impact Pop and American Culture, conduits for Pop Culture and examples of Pop Culture. You will use a number of digital platforms as you make your way through this class including Google Classroom, Google Forms, EdPuzzle video questions, YouTube, Podcasts, and a number of other platforms along with this website so a working computer, internet access and headphones will be needed.
After completing the five to seven areas of focus for a given decade you will make your way to the assessment page. There you will find instructions about expectations for an end of unit assessment. This project is designed to help you demonstrate your understanding and learning through this unit as traditional tests and quizzes are not used in this course. Some projects will be completed on your own however most will require you to work with a group of students to complete the task.
Each lesson should take you somewhere between 40 - 60 minutes to complete and assessments will vary in length and allotted time ranging between 2 - 5 classes days.
By the time you make it to the end of this course you should have a basic understanding of what Pop Culture is and its history and evolution in the United States. You should have a general idea of the things that influence and inspire change in a culture and how those changes express themselves. Do demonstrate your understanding of these overarching concepts you will complete a final assessment that challenges you to share your finding in a current way.
This course is designed to be a launching pad for how you think about and explore Pop Culture not a guide on what to think, the world of Pop Culture is so expansive and there is no one right way to analyze or explore it. So, lets get started!
Units
Unit 1: The Introduction - Course Overview
Unit 2: The 1940's - Music, Fashion, Vehicles, Sports, Nationalism
Unit 3: The 1950's - Music, Fashion, Vehicle, Sports, Civil Rights, Television
Unit 4: The 1960's - Music, Fashion, Vehicle, Civil Rights, Hippies, Television
Unit 5: The 1970's - Music, Fashion, Vehicles, Sports, Gaming, Television
Unit 6: The 1980's - Music, Fashion, Vehicles, Sports, Television, Telecommunication
Unit 7: The 1990's - Music, Fashion, Vehicles, Sports, Television, Telecommunication
Unit 8: The 2000's - Music, Fashion, Vehicles, Sports, Television, Telecommunication
Unit 9: The 2010's - Music, Fashion, Vehicles, Sports, Television, Telecommunication
Unit 10: The Final - Final Assessment
Unit 11: The Wrap-Up - Final Message