Social Studies

Believe it or not, the mobile phone is 50 years old. Make a timeline and a chart of its development. Include how far the phone could reach, the cost of a call, and the size of the individual phones.

Technology

The use of digital and information technology in the home and in your life is often overlooked. Products, innovations, and devices that make our lives rather simple surround us. Digital and information technology has become a part of the lifestyle we've all come to know and love. It is important to analyze the technology for its value as well as its impact on our lives.
Create a list of 10 digital and information technologies that can be found in the home or home. Set up the sheet into four columns. Have students identify one column for the name of the device. The second column will identify how often the technology is used. The third column will be used to describe how life would be different without that technology. The fourth column will be used to identify where the technology was made.

When the students complete the sheet, discuss the digital technologies students selected. How many students use the same technology? Are the students using a variety of technologies to accomplish the same tasks? What technologies are used most frequently? During this discussion, ask the students which is the most important digital technology on their list. Compile this list and ask the class why one kind of digital technology is important in one household and not another. You can also demonstrate the importance of production the global community by reviewing the where the selected technologies are manufactured.

Wellness

Divide the class into several small groups of students to simulate the television show "Treasure Hunters." Each group must get from one place to another and solve clues to lead them to the "treasure." Have the groups use all available technologies to plan the most efficient route to go from one destination to the next when using cars. Also alternate the use of air, train and car as the mode of transportation. The groups must get to the destination within a designated time frame. Clues will lead groups to the next destination or the final "treasure" (e.g., Get to New York and go to Yankee Stadium to find a baseball fact or Go to Washington, D.C., and go to a certain monument to solve a clue. Students will have to use technology to find out about the destination to solve the clue).