A curriculum code that could link to exploring past and present technologies and the differences between them is the 3 HASS code (ACHASSK062). This code is about exploring an example of continuity and change in a local community and a lesson on aerial imaging/satellite mapping could integrate this HASS code with an exploration of changing techonlogy.

Hook:

Aerial imaging technology has been around for quite a while now and Landgate has a map viewer that allows you to search for aerial images from up to 1948 (https://map-viewer-plus.app.landgate.wa.gov.au/index.html). A teacher could get an image up of their school from as far back as there’s imagery available and show this to students – many more modern schools might have been empty plots of land.

Body:

Focus on the change and continuity of the local area by viewing footage of the area over time via Landgate. (This could be done as a whole class on the interactive whiteboard as an introduction to the terms ‘continuity and change’ or in small groups on iPads). The teacher could then introduce Google Maps and satellite imagery and discuss how far our mapping capabilities have come.

Students could explore the change in natural features or manmade structures and the increased image quality in the modern era could allow for a discussion of the change in technology again (in earlier images you can’t zoom in and distinguish certain features like trees and plants but you can in modern images).

Conclusion:

Summarise the change and continuity of the local area selected on the whiteboard and discuss how we know this information and the evolution of the technology that collects aerial images for maps.

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It should be noted this lesson, with some adjustments, would equally work for the year 2 code in HASS (ACHASSK046) which is about how technology has changed and affected out lives. Here again aerial imaging technology has evolved from plans to satellites and given us things like GPS.