Synthesis #4: Rock the Vote

http://futureofhistory.wikispaces.com/Rocking+the+Vote 

The webquest “Rock the Vote” relates to the core values and vision of my hypothetical government class by preparing students for active citizenship and inspiring them to consider the nature of social justice.  My philosophy of education fuels my devotion to creating student-centered activities and providing skills-based instruction.  Generally, webquests can aid us in combating the deluge of content standards that push us toward an esoteric, academic realm.  Particularly, “Rock the Vote,” can drive students to question the disturbing lack of voter participation as well as the essential questions that stem from it.  For instance, should the disproportionate apathy on the part of the disenfranchised cause us to question the basis of our democracy?  What fuels the lack of interest in the politics?  Does democracy depend on high participation?  The most important question, however, is “what, if anything, can I do about it?”  The sense of powerlessness that fuels social issues such as this can be combated in my classroom by the creation of student centered activities. 

Importantly, this webquest is part of a larger vision to prepare students for the future.  Students benefit most when content instruction and skill instruction blend into one another.  Currently, state requirements stress content instruction as well as the general responsibility of teachers to convey cultural competence.  Most education within history, English, and other humanities accordingly falls in line with these expectations.  However, by focusing primarily on this goal, we are forgetting to include skill instruction.  In the past, the liberal art most valued for its relevance within the professional climate was writing. It made sense, and still makes sense, therefore to inject many writing activities into the curriculum to help students to learn content while simultaneously practicing a vital skill.  Since the 1980s, a similar possibility has existed of teaching content electronically.  While its significance grew as the Internet became more entrenched within our culture, many educators continued to view the combination as gratuitous.  Such a stance, however, becomes increasingly untenable.  As more students use technology to manipulate their world, depriving them of an opportunity to use it in the classroom will become tantamount to denying them paper and pencil. 

Several of the links within “Rock the Vote” describe the historical nature of our voting system.  November voting, as it turns out, was instituted so that farmers would not need to give up precious harvest days.  Similarly, Tuesday voting was instituted so that citizens would not need to begin traveling to the polls on Sunday.  Just as aged technology obliterated the true basis for these practices decades ago, modern technology begs the question: is visiting the polling place even necessary?  Or, can technology lead to the lead to a large increase in the number of polling places?  While delving into cultural explanations like any good social scientists, students will consider technological methods of increasing the vote as well as the possibly adverse civic consequences of doing so.  By presenting these issues, “Rock the Vote” satisfies Standard Eight of the National Council for the Social Studies.

Unfortunately, the voting system of the United States is remarkably stale.  In contrast, the voting systems of many other nations attract more participants and align better with modern realities.  “Rock the Vote” calls attention to these facts by imbedding an exploration of foreign voting systems within its webquest. The initial phase of the webquest, designed to give the students an understanding of voting practices across history, states and nations, requires them to visit the Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance and identify the voter turnout of at least five other democracies.  In addition, students must consider the causes of differences between these countries, looking to history and political systems for accurate explanations.  This aspect of the webquest satisfies Standard Nine of the National Council for the Social Studies.

In history class, students often wonder about the relevance of what they are learning.  Unfortunately, we often have only vague responses and respond by stating in effect that “smart people know when Roman Republic became the Roman Empire, and stupid people do not.  If you do not want to be stupid, you had better learn this.”  Sensing the shallowness of this cultural litmus test, students either rebel or shut down, becoming painfully aware that they do not care about the content and that they are only putting forth effort in order to earn an acceptable grade.  The unprecedented state of communications should inspire use to create more activities like “Rock the Vote.”  Computer and Internet together form the bedrock for most professions within postindustrial society.  Content, while necessary and edifying, should not be delivered in isolation through the use of traditional instruction.  Instead it should be intertwined with skills instruction designed to increase students’ technological competence.