Section 1: Mobile Connections

Section 1: Connections

Overarching inquiry question
How does access to mobile technologies influence places?

This section explores our personal connections to places through the lens of our mobile phones. As information and communication technologies advance, and access to mobile technology rapidly increases in Australia, students are increasingly connecting to people, places, information and goods and services through their mobile devices. Australians now enjoy high levels of access to ICT and it is recognised that young people in particular are increasingly digitally connected.

However, access to ICT is not equitable on the national or global scale. This inequality is known as the digital divide. Identification of the digital divide across scales, and the impact this has on places, allows students to investigate the issue through the geographical inquiry process.

Lesson 1: What are my personal connections to places?
Learning intention

Students will be introduced to the topic Mobile Connections. To engage with this topic the main ideas around connections will be presented as a slideshow of image found on the camera roll of a mobile phone. Students identify connections to places, perceptions of places and our connection to people and reflect on the role mobile technology plays in these connections.

Teacher notes

This unit is driven by our connections to people and place as influenced by our mobile devices. To maximise the learning intention some of the activities in this resource will require the use of a mobile phone. Current education policy relating to mobile phone use in schools differs and as such activities in Mobile Connections can be modified. Activities requiring a mobile phone can be delivered as homework or using other devices such as a laptop or tablet.

The Office of the eSafety Commissioner is an independent statutory office and provides invaluable advice to students on keeping safe online. In this lesson students may wish to investigate the debate relating to access to mobile devices in schools.

Preparation:

  • Prepare a slideshow of personal connections as found in the camera roll of a mobile device. It is recommended that the teacher share images from their own camera roll.
  • Allows students to share their own personal connections in the lesson.
Questions for inquiry
  • What are our personal connections to places?
  • How are we connected to these places?
  • What are our perceptions of these places?
  • Where are these places?
  • What factors influence our connections to places?
Stimulus

View slideshow of connections.

Resources

Activities

Activity 1
Activity 1

Reflect on the slideshow of connections. Discuss the following points:

  • places
  • scale of places
  • transport and infrastructure
  • connections
  • family connections
  • consumption connections
  • entertainment connections
  • perceptions of places
  • ‘the world is getting smaller’
  • issues associated with the connections we make through mobile technology.
Activity 2
Activity 2

Examine your own personal connections through images on your camera roll.

  1. Create a new album in Photos on your device and name the album, My Connections.
  2. Select up to 10 images from your camera roll and social media sites that represent your connections to places. Consider images of places you have visited, your family connections, personal products you own, entertainment choices, foods and places you may like to visit in the future.
  3. Discuss your personal connections.
  4. What factors influenced your connection to these places and people
  5. Collate your images into a collage using PicCollage or other collage app.
  6. Share your collage with the class
Activity 3
Extension Activity 1

Create a Google MyMap to locate the places you have connections with. Connections can be categorised, pinned and annotated.

Possible categories may include travel, places you have been to or wish to go to, recreation and leisure such as sporting interests, hobbies, activities and cultural connections such as family connections and heritage, foods, family traditions.

  1. Locate and pin the connections.
  2. Add details of the connections by adding text and photos.
Activity 4
Extension Activity 2

Explore the maps app on your mobile phone and the functionality it provides to connect people and places. Discuss:

  1. What information, goods and services can be shared using this app?
  2. Who benefits from this sharing of information? Who may not?
Lesson 2: How does my phone connect me to places?
Learning intention

Students will be introduced to the idea of the global citizen and will be made aware of the digital tools that lead to our connections to people and places. Students will investigate the way their phones connect them to the world through apps and photos and the idea ‘the phone is the window to the world’ will be established. Students will investigate and reflect on their personal use of phones and explore the global phenomenon of smartphone technology.

Teacher notes

Two current trends need to be considered in this lesson. Firstly, users of information technology are increasingly influenced by online content and social media. Secondly, young people are accessing information online at an increasing rate and are significantly using mobile devices to do so. A young person’s connections can be both physical and virtual and can cross all scales. Furthermore, security of a person’s online information and data is a growing concern. Digital security is an important element of digital literacy especially for young people. The extension activity provides information to students about the privacy settings and how to keep their personal information private.

Questions for inquiry
  • What apps do I use on my phone?
  • How do these apps connect me to people and places?
  • What would life be like without my phone?
  • Is there a problem around information and communication technology access?
Stimulus

Play The Lost Summer game and discuss the decisions students make in the game. The Lost Summer is a role-playing video game, designed to be a highly engaging experience for high school students while building digital intelligence skills and encouraging online safety.

Resources

Activities

Activity 1
Activity 1

Reflect on the uptake of smartphone technology as examined in The App Effect video (6.15mins). Undertake the following activities:

  1. Identify the key message in the video.
  2. Evaluate the message for reliability and bias.
    Who created the message?
    Why was the message made?
    Who is paying for this?
    How is the message trying to get my attention?
    Who is represented in the message and who is not?
  3. Select one app from the video and use think, pair, share to:
    Describe how this app is used by people.
    Explain how the app benefits people.
Activity 2
Activity 2

Create a digital book identifying how phones connect people to the world.

  1. Create a digital book using an app such as Book Creator or Pages.
  2. Insert the title – A window to my world. Insert a suitable title page image.
  3. Insert a creative photo of yourself using your phone to view the world. Add an explanatory statement.
  4. Insert a screenshot of your home screen. Label your most used apps.
  5. Insert an image of your favourite app. Describe how you use it, why you like it and its potential benefits?
  6. Write a concluding statement about how your phone connects you to your world.
  7. In pairs, compare books and discuss how the apps on your phone connect you to people and places at different scales. Consider social connections, access to information, entertainment and services.
Activity 3
Activity 3

View the video Apple Appocalypse (3.05min).

Discuss the following ideas using visible thinking strategies:

  • What would life be like without your phone?
  • What would you miss if you had to go without your phone for a day, a week or more?
  • How would you feel without a phone?
  • Do you think we spend too much time on our phones? Explain your decision.
  • Do you think phones should be banned from school? Explain your decision.
  • What was life like before smartphones or other wireless mobile phones?
Activity 4
Extension activity 1

View the video Apple Appocalypse (3.05min).

Discuss the following ideas using visible thinking strategies:

  • What information do individuals unwittingly make available about themselves while using apps and online services? Read the guide presented by the Australian Government Office of the eSafety Commissioner about how to protect your information. What actions do you need to take to ensure your privacy is maintained?
  • How should this message be communicated to other young people?
Suggested apps
  • Book creator
  • Pages
  • Survey Monkey
  • Google Forms
  • Canva
  • T-chart
  • Pros and Cons
Lesson 3: How is technology connecting people and places?
Learning intention

Students will examine the Valley of Roses in Morocco and Rozelle in Sydney,
Australia as portrayed in the picture book Mirror by Jeannie Baker. Students identify and make comparisons between the two places and the way people live in each place. Attention will be given to access to technology, the use of technology and the way we connect. Students will consider perceptions of places and reflect on their perceptions of places before and after reading. The idea of the digital divide and associated global consequences will be recognised and responses addressing the overarching question for inquiry in this section will be formulated.

Teacher notes

Picture books are a valuable tool in the geography classroom for teaching geographical concepts, skills and knowledge. They provide a rich use of visual representations, a variety of different perspectives and are able to communicate on a range of global issues such as environmental and social justice, sustainability and cultural diversity. For more information about using picture books in Geography
see the Guide to using picture books in Geography K-10. Prior to a shared reading, ask students to comment and write down their personal experiences and perceptions of Morocco and Australia.

Questions for inquiry
  • What are our perceptions of different places?
  • How are rural Morocco and urban Sydney similar and different?
  • Do you think people in different places have similar experiences of information technology as people in Australia?
  • What are the consequences and challenges of our mobile connections?
Stimulus

Read the picture book Mirror by Jeannie Baker.

Resources

Activities

Activity 1
Activity 1

Create a Venn Diagram or concept map to consider the differences and similarities between the two families in the book. Consider the following ideas:

  • location and description of place
  • demographics and family
  • standards of living
  • work and trade
  • types of information technology
  • household and individual use of technology.

 

  • Reflect on your perceptions of Morocco and consider how we can change our perceptions of places? What other factors can affect our perception of places?
  • Is Mirror a true representation of information technology use in remote and rural Morocco and urban Sydney? Write a list of questions you would need to research to assess
    the reliability of the text.
Activity 2
Activity 2

Use the Google Consumer Barometer and other online research websites, to compare the use of information technology in one developing country and one developed country. Identify consequences with our mobile connections? Reconsider the overarching inquiry question for this section and outline an initial response.

Activity 3
Extension activity 1
  • Create a digital survey or questionnaire to gather data about life before mobile technology. You may wish to interview your parent, relative or caregiver.
  • Represent the data in a digital T-chart listing pros and cons.
  • Formulate an opinion on the benefits and detriments of mobile technology and communicate your results.
Suggested apps
  • Popplet
  • Padlet
  • Post-it
  • Plus
  • Paper by 53
  • Sketches
  • Notes
Lesson 4: Why are mobile connections important for the future?
Learning intention

Students will examine stories of mobile phone use in different places and explain how this increases people’s connections to services, information and people in other places. They will investigate how mobile phone use can influence the quality of life for people in different places.

Teacher notes

Access to the internet is now inextricably linked to human development. The United Nations has addressed access to the internet as a human right and it sits within Sustainable Development Goal 9. The internet provides unlimited access to information, education, services such as banking and health, business opportunities, employment and greater human connections through social media. Improvements in technology enable people from different places to connect in different ways and has the potential to improve the lives of people around the world. As technology advances and we move towards a 5G network, it is believed by many that we will encounter the world’s fourth industrial revolution.

Questions for inquiry
  • Is mobile technology improving the lives of people?
  • How is mobile technology improving the lives of people?
  • How is mobile technology changing people’s connections to services, information and people in other places?
Stimulus

View the video Mobile for Development (1:15min).

Resources

Activities

Activity 1
Activity 1

Investigate how apps are able to improve the lives of people in places.

Option 1
Access TED.com ‘Big solutions using cell phones’ playlist as an investigation starting point.

Investigate an app that has been developed to enhance the lives of people around the world.

  1. Describe the app and the product or service it is delivering.
  2. Identify the group of people the app targets.
  3. Identify the geographic location or region for which the app is developed.
  4. Outline how people will benefit from using the app.
  5. Are there potential problems for people using the app?
  6. Predict the outcomes for the future.
  7. Share your results with the class.

Option 2
Develop an App Prototype using Keynote or Google Slides that could improve the lives of one group in a society around the world.

  1. Describe the product or service the app will deliver.
  2. Identify the group of people the app targets.
  3. Identify the geographic location or region for which the app is developed.
  4. Infer the issue it will solve.
  5. Infer the benefits to people in this place from the use of the app.
  6. Predict the outcomes for the future.
  7. Describe the design, features and interactivity of the app.
  8. Share your app idea with the class.
Suggested apps
  • Google Slides
  • PowerPoint
  • Keynote
  • Haiku Deck
  • Padlet
Lesson 5: What are the consequences of our mobile connections?
Learning intention

Students will identify digital inequality and assess the impact of this on people and places. Specifically, students will investigate the digital divide as it relates to education in regional Australia and the changes this has made on people and places. Students were introduced to the concept of the digital divide in Lesson 3.

Teacher notes

The digital divide is the gap between individuals and communities that have access to information and communication technologies and those that don’t. This results from a lack of access, lack of affordability and an inability to be active digitally. It can be present across different demographic groups and across local, national and global scales. The digital divide at the international scale is called the global digital divide.

Three million Australians are currently digitally excluded. They are excluded from essential services such as health and finance, information and education, work and enterprise and social connectedness.

Questions for inquiry
  • What is the digital divide?
  • How does the digital divide impact on people and places?
Stimulus

View the trailer for Without a Net (0.54min).

Resources

Activities

Activity 1
Activity 1

Reflect on the core message of ‘Without a net’ and the experiences of people who find themselves on the wrong side of the digital divide.

View the ABC TV Lateline episode ‘Slow episode in regional Australia creating a ‘digital divide’ and harming education and business (8.45min).

  1. Using a Placemat visible thinking strategy, explain the meaning of the phrase ‘digital divide’.
  2. Identify the factors that lead to inequalities in accessing digital technology.
  3. Identify the groups of people who have limited access to digital technologies.
  4. Describe the impact this inequality has on people and the places they live.
Suggested apps
  • Google Slides
  • PowerPoint
  • Keynote
  • Haiku Deck
  • Padlet
  • PowerPoint
Lesson 6: What is the future for our mobile connections?
Learning intention

In this final lesson students identify the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 and the specific Target 9c that seeks to increase access to information and communications technology in least developed countries by 2020. Students investigate current attempts that address global, national and local digital inequalities to meet this target.

Teacher notes

Throughout this section students have investigated their personal connections to places through the lens of their mobile phones. In addition they have examined advancements in mobile technology and its role in connecting people to services, information and people in other places. The benefits of technology have been assessed and recognition of a digital divide across scales has been established. This final lesson allows students to investigate solutions to the identified challenges of our mobile connections.

Questions for inquiry
  • What solutions are there for bridging the digital divide?
  • What other consequences come from our mobile connections and how can we overcome them?
Stimulus

Read the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation and infrastructure focussing on Target 9c.

Resources

Activities

Activity 1
Activity 1

Investigate Project Loon.

  1. Describe how balloon powered internet increases connectivity to people in regional and rural areas.
  2. Explain one example how this technology assists people after natural disasters.
  3. Assess the benefits internet balloons have on meeting SDG 9c.
  4. In teams, propose alternative technologies that would help to bridge the digital divide.
Activity 2
Activity 2

View the MobileMuster: What’s Inside Your Phone? animation (1:29min).

Undertake the following activities:

  1. Identify a consequence of our mobile connections.
  2. Create a KWL chart on the ideas presented in the video.
  3. Ask school staff about the history of MobileMuster in your school in the past.
  4. Identify the benefits of running a MobileMuster at your school.
  5. Organise to run a MobileMuster at your school, as outlined in Section 5 of this unit, to offer students opportunities to take action.
Suggested apps
  • Book creator
  • Powerpoint
  • Keynote
  • Prezi
  • Notes
  • Clips