Free Speech: A Range of Interpretations
This lesson comes from the blog, Cult of Pedagogy, edited by Jennifer Gonzalez.
The task: Students must choose ONE of the rights given to us by the first amendment. To illustrate the different ways people interpret that right, students must curate a collection of online articles, images, or videos that represent a range of beliefs about how far that right extends. For each example they include, they must summarize the point of view being presented and include a direct quote where the author or speaker’s biases or beliefs can be inferred.
Here are a few tools students can use to curate the assignment
The task: Students must choose ONE of the rights given to us by the first amendment. To illustrate the different ways people interpret that right, students must curate a collection of online articles, images, or videos that represent a range of beliefs about how far that right extends. For each example they include, they must summarize the point of view being presented and include a direct quote where the author or speaker’s biases or beliefs can be inferred.
Here are a few tools students can use to curate the assignment
- Elink is the tool featured in the sample project above. Of all the tools suggested here, this one is the simplest. You collect your links, write descriptions, and end up with a single unique web page that you can share with anyone.
- Pinterest is probably the most popular curation tool out there. If your students are already using Pinterest, or you’re willing to get them started, you could have them create a Pinterest board as a curation assignment.
- Symbaloo allows users to create “webmixes,” boards of icons that each lead to different URLs. Although it would be possible to create a curated collection with Symbaloo, it doesn’t allow for the same amount of writing that some other tools do, so you would need to have students do their writing on a separate document.
- Diigo is a good choice for a more text-driven project, like a literature review or a general collection of resources at the beginning stages of a research project, where images aren’t necessarily required. Diigo offers lots of space to take notes about every item in a collection, but it doesn’t have user-friendly supports for images or other media.
Understanding Media--Annenberg Lerner
Annenberg Leaner has an excellent activity and documentary about the media. It includes previewing questions like thisL
- What are some of the limitations on the freedom of press according to the Supreme court?
- According to Tocqueville, the press of the nineteenth century was violent. Why did he say this? Is it true today?
- What are the advantages of a privately owned press in America? What are the disadvantages?
- What power does the press have in America?
A Free Press
Tonight, @realDonaldTrump released his long-promised #FakeNewsAwards.
— Mic (@mic) January 18, 2018
History may have forgotten it, but another notable world leader had a famous conflict with the press: Hitler. pic.twitter.com/vm76z6lGfE