Introducing students to stories of a different place or culture can be challenging. The experiences of those we read about can be foreign, or seem otherworldly, and we may find it difficult to understand why things are so different in other contexts. With that in mind, learning about that context, and hopefully understanding and appreciating that different context is a goal I hope to always accomplish with my students, regardless of the story we explore. In my teaching with technology, I hope we can gain a better understanding of Iran and its context within through the graphic novel "Persepolis."
Prior to reading the novel, I want to send my students on a Web Quest to find information about various aspects of Iranian life, both prior to and following the Iranian Revolution of 1979, to set the story in the novel. Students will be given personal laptops from a recently acquired laptop cart (so exciting, although not always functional!) and assigned topics, either personally or in a small group. They will hunt for information on topics such as how the government was pre and post revolution (Shah vs Islamic Rule), the two sects of Islam, education in pre and post revolution, rights of people pre and post revolution, etc. Prior to this lesson, I hope to instruct students on how to find credible sites online, and use search engines properly. Students will compile information they gathered on their computer, and then we will consolidate the information via Padlet.
I will create a Padlet page that will be collaborative for the class. They will upload their information onto the Padlet, by making it concise through bullet points, and then present their findings to the class as the Padlet is displayed on the board (I also got a projector this term after pestering the tech people of the Berkley School District for a month!). After we have this conversation, we will begin to explore the novel and refer back to the Padlet throughout. We will add observations we make in the novel about the information we had previously found, and create a more comprehensive page of information that can be used even later. I'm still trying to think of a good culminating use for the site other than for reference for future classes, and would love ideas on how I could wrap up the site/extend it even further.
