Introduction

'What does this subject have to do with me?' This is an important question students sometimes ask. But answering the question isn't always easy as each different 'me' might relate to or connect with the topic in different ways. The following activity is what's called a Subject Sampler. The idea of a sampler is that people who are given the choice will choose things they like or are curious about trying. Boxes of chocolates and compilation CD's work on this principle. In the following activity, you'll find links to Web sites related to the topic of Communication. After each link are three prompts designed to get you to answer one question: 'What does this subject have to do with me?' After all, you can answer that better than anyone else.

Web Activities

Time Slider

1. Move the slider along the timeline to view the different types of technology available in the home from 1900 to 1998. List the different types of telephones in the time slider home and the year they were introduced.
2. Choose one of the objects used for communicating with others. Explain what this technology is used for. Create five new uses for this object.
3. What is the difference between the first television and the ones we have today? Draw a picture of the 1946 television. How many hours of television do you watch on an average day? Write down your five favourite programs. Why are these your favourite?

Sign Language Alphabet

1. Look through the different hand signs for each letter. Learn how to sign your name using sign language. Show your family and friends!
2. What do you notice about the hand signs for the letters c, j, l, o, v, w and z?
3. Imagine that you have lost your hearing and you rely on sign language to talk. What difficulties would you encounter? How would you overcome them? Write a story about a day in your life as a hearing impaired individual.

The Telephone

1. Read through the three pages on the telephone (you will need to push the 'next' button at the bottom of the page). How much money did an operator earn a week in 1900? How many hours did the operator work a day?
2. Imagine you are one of the scientific management members. Write a list of criteria that you would use to judge an operator on. Look through the information on page 3 to give you some ideas. When would you send an operator to the punishment room?
3. Operators in 1900 were allowed only 4 seconds to talk to each caller. Imagine you are meeting someone for the first time. Write down an introduction about yourself that you could say to this person. Your introduction can be no longer than 4 seconds.

Radio Timeline

1. What did Samuel Morse invent?
2. Read through the radio timeline. How old was Guglielmo Marconi when he received his Nobel Prize for his work with wireless telegraphy?
3. List all the radio stations you can think of that are in your local area. What types of messages and programs does the radio communicate today? How do these differ from the messages and programs that were on the radio in the past?

History of Music Videos

1. Read through the 3 pages on the history of music videos (you will need to push the 'next' button at the bottom of the page). What was the name of the song that became the first music video? Explain how George Thomas made the music clip for this song.
2. Click on 'go see the shows' on the bottom of the third page and then click on 'manual slide show' to watch one of the shows. View the whole show by clicking 'next' to take you to the next slide. Draw and colour your favourite slide in the show.
3. What is your favourite music video? Is it also your favourite song? Design a CD cover to advertise your favourite song.

Communication Quiz

1. Test your knowledge of communication. Take the Communication Quiz! Write down your result.
2. Which questions did you find easiest to answer? Why do you think you found these questions easier to answer? Write down the forms of communication that the questions were about. Is there a pattern?
3. Invent your own communication quiz to test others. Does anyone get 100%?

Conclusion

By now you should have a better idea how this topic does relate to you. This Sampler was created because although it's important to learn information about things and to think critically about subjects, further learning doesn't always take place if a personal connection doesn't first exist. We hope that through this Sampler you've found such a connection. If you have, maybe you're motivated to learn more? The Internet and traditional resources offer plenty of other choices to explore the topic of communication so why not follow your interests?