After the students in your counseling group have the opportunity to play the Peter Packet game, with your help they focus upon the material provided in game about Haiti, India, and Zimbabwe. Using this information and additional site links, they learn about community service.

Playing the game should take approximately one 50-minute class period, and the lesson will take another class period to complete. Getting involved in online projects or tackling projects in your community will add additional time, which may be extended throughout the school year.

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• To increase understanding of how the Internet can be used to help people around the world.
• To increase student knowledge of selected world problems.
• To introduce students to ways they can work together with others in the world to solve problems.

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• Students demonstrate a sound understanding of the nature and operation of technology systems.
• Students are proficient in the use of technology.

• Students understand the ethical, cultural, and societal issues related to technology.
• Students practice responsible use of technology systems, information, and software.
• Students develop positive attitudes toward technology uses that support lifelong learning, collaboration, personal pursuits, and productivity.

• Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.

• Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.

• Students use technology resources for solving problems and making informed decisions.
• Students employ technology in the development of strategies for solving problems in the real world.

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Although parts of the lesson can be completed without high-speed Internet access, to use the Peter Packet information about Haiti, India, and Zimbabwe online, students will need to use computers that have high-speed connections. If you do not want students to go online, the game can be downloaded to individual computers. (To download the game, go to the Peter Packet site and select "Download Game." Once the game is on your computer, click "index.html" to play.)

You will need one computer for each student group of about 2-4.

You will need a large world map. You may have to borrow one from a social studies teacher. If you can't get a large map, have your students go to the University of Texas Map Collection to check out the locations needed for this lesson.

Investigate the links to the UN CyberSchool Bus, Red Cross Youth and NetAid in the "Learn More" section at the end of the game. Think about whether you and your class will be interested in getting involved in one of the projects offered on these sites or if your class might want to tackle helping others in their own community.

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You may need to adjust the activities to fit the age and ability levels of your counseling group.

1. If the students in your counseling group have not had the opportunity to play the Peter Packet game, introduce the game to them and give them time to complete it. Divide students into three groups asking each group to select a different country (India, Haiti, Zimbabwe) for the game. (For additional help on introducing the game, see the Instant Intro to Networking in the Instructors section of Packetville.)
2. Discuss the adventures in the game and ask the students about the problems in the targeted countries. See if they can point out similarities among the problems faced by students in these nations. (lack of education for children, poverty, girls not receiving education in India and Haiti, need for the children to help families survive, lack of help resources, etc.)
3. Divide your counseling group into boys' and girls' teams this time. Assign the girls' teams to skip to the end of Peter Packet to do "Learn More: Haiti," or "Learn More: India." Have the boys' teams do "Learn More: Zimbabwe." Remind your students that they'll need to select their target country at the beginning of the program before they skip through the game to the "Learn More" section. (NOTE: If you have a group that is mostly boys or mostly girls or all boys or all girls, have some of your students play the roles of girls or boys.)
4. Explain that when they are finished their examination of the content in the "Learn More" sections, you will expect the girls' teams to present information on why so many girls in poor nations are not getting an education, the boys' teams to present information on the problems of HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, and both girls' and boys' teams to discuss the many problems faced by young people in these countries.
5. Ask students to explore carefully the three help group resource links provided in the "Jump to the Internet" section of Peter Packet.
6. When students have completed their explorations, put the boys on one side of the classroom and the girls on the other. Appoint a discussion leader for each group and have the girls' group and the boys' group come up with suggestions as to how they can use computers to take part in one of the online projects or to start a project that will help people in their local community.
7. Bring the group together to discuss the ideas generated by both groups. Make sure to have the students consider what is possible for them to do considering the time and resources they have available. You might consider having them list ideas about how they can involve others in the project or projects they select to carry out.
8. Present students with the Service Award ( PDF - 40KB).

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• Take Part in International Online Projects
  Have your students take part in an international project featuring kids from around the world. For example, at Schoolnet Global (see link below), students from all over the world sent in their ideas "to students of the future." The ideas were gathered via email by a teacher and class in England. The messages sent to England from the children of many countries asked for world peace, education for all children, health for all, clean environment, etc. They were posted online and in the Canterbury Cathedral in London. If your class is interested in working on international projects and getting to know students in other parts of the world, check out the links below to SchoolNet Global, Global Schoolhouse, Global Classroom, and KidLink.



• Continue to Learn about Students in Haiti, India, and Zimbabwe
  Have your students learn more about the problems of students in Haiti, India and Zimbabwe. Let the Peter Packet unit continue throughout the school year as your students focus on the needs of students in these countries.



• Offer Help in the Local Community
  Investigate other help groups/charities in the community and online. Have students consider what they might do for the American Cancer Society, the Humane Society, the local zoo, local nursing and retirement home residents, community hospitals, environmental groups, etc. Retirement homes, the Humane Society, local charity organizations, etc. might love to have your students create newsletters for them, make posters advertising their activities, carry out publicity campaigns related to a specific cause (such as finding homes for stray and unwanted animals) with their computers, write letters for them, etc.



• Using the Packet Materials
  Think of ways your students might use the Peter Packet material for community service. Could your students help others learn about safe and responsible uses of technologies? Would retirement home residents enjoy having your students help them through the game? How about parents? Would nursing home residents like to hear your class perform the Peter Packet song followed by treating them to some fun on computers? Would younger students at your school or in community groups enjoy learning about the game and careers in technology?

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• Connect for Kids Community Service
  Examples of community service carried out by students.
• Global Classroom
  Students around the world take part in projects together.
• Global Schoolhouse
  Students around the world take part in projects together.
• Kidlink
  Students around the world take part in projects together.
• Kids Make a Difference (Arbor Day)
  Ways to help for Arbor Day.
• NetAid
  Worldwide aid program.
• Red Cross Youth Site
  Work to help others through the Red Cross.
• SchoolNet Global
  Students around the world contribute information.
• UN Cyber School Bus
  Students work to help others through the United Nations.
• Yahoo! Kids Volunteering
  A directory of sites that features ways kids can help out in their communities.
• Community Service
  Select Activities Community Service under Planning Activities for links to interesting projects.

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