Suppose members of the Martian community were planning a visit to Earth and possibly making their stay permanent. They have their concerns, though. They are concerned about housing, jobs, shopping, schools, places of worship, entertainment, recreation, crime, urban sprawl, as well as, community stability. These Martians are very prominent, influential and rich. Wherever they settle, they promise to bring their wealth and use it to enhance the community.
The Chamber of Commerce of Baltimore County has been informed that the Martians have done some homework and are interested in possibily settling in Baltimore County. Randallstown has been selected as one of the finalists for the settlement. The others being considered are Towson, Catonsville, Dundalk and Reisterstown.
The Chamber of Commerce heard that Randallstown High School had a Mass Communications Magnet Program and that the students of that program had the capabilities and skill to produce a convincing presentation. Therefore, we the members of the RHS Advanced Commnunications Technology class have been commissioned for the project.
 

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The Project

In order to develop a solution to the problem presented in the introduction, students must first gather some background information by answering the following questions:

• Describe Randallstown, MD, its history, demographics, physical location and unique features.
• What is urban sprawl?
• Could the growth of Randallstown be considered urban sprawl? Why or why not?
• What are the crime statistics of Randallstown?
• How many schools are located in Randallstown?
• How many hospitals are located in Randallstown?
• How many and what types of places of worship are located in Randallstown?
• What types of businesses are located in Randallstown?
• How much land is available in Randallstown for development?

After answering the questions above, students will compile a folder of information on their computers to be used to develop the following products:

• Powerpoint presentation presenting the history of Randallstown.
• Create a map of Randallstown, developed with computer software.
• Create a poster, flyer, and brochure about Randallstown that highlights some aspect of life in Randallstown, i.e., business, education, religion, recreation, medical facilities, or entertainment.
• Create a video about Randallstown.
• Create a virtual community to discuss, inform and educate others about the Randallstown community.
• Create a web site that promotes Randallstown.
• Compile a book or similar publication that represents Randallstown in detail for distribution to anyone seeking to learn about Randallstown.

This project will be ongoing for the entire course with the products produced accounting for a major portion (80%) of the class grade.
 

READ THE MATERIALS FOUND ON THE LINKS LISTED IN THE RESOURCES SECTION BEFORE YOU GO TO ANY OTHER SOURCES!
 

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Resources

Communications as Engagement (article on Virtual Communities)

History of Randallstown

Baltimore County History links

Baltimore County History

Citation of Sources

Virtual Communities:Abort, Retry, Failure?

Brave.Net.World:The Internet as a Disinformation Superhighway?

Why Electronic Portfolio?

How to create an Electronic Portfolio

What to include in Electronic Portfolios

The Web as Forum: It's not just for surfing anymore

Introduction to World Wide Web Home Page Design

Netscape Composer Tutorial

Free Online Community Hosting

Web Site Building

Free web graphics

Free gif animations

Web Building Tips

Free Stuff  for the Web

Battleship game

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The Process
 
 

To accomplish the task, students must first read information provided in the Resources section. This will provide students with background for class discussions. Students will be divided into teams for certain aspects of this task. Vocabulary tests will be given periodically. Evaluations for grading will be done with

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Evaluation
 
 

Assessment and project evaluation forms will be provided on a separate page for downloading and printing.

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Conclusion
 
 

Upon the completion of this course students will have developed or enhanced their communication skills, developed real-world communication applications and solved real-world commmunication problems. Additionally, students will have met or exceeded the course learning goals and learning indicators.

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