Archives - January/February 2008

Teacher Created Lesson Plan — The Importance of Electronics Recycling
Erik Amerikaner, Computer Application Teacher,
Oak Park High School, Oak Park, California

Objectives:

• To compare and contrast the differences between assembling and recycling a computer.
• To create an awareness of the issues in recycling electronic components.
• To have students create an awareness campaign to educate their peers on the issues of recycling electronic components.

Resources: Use these two five-minute online videos from The Futures Channel:

• 100,000 Computer A Day
• Recycling Computers

Activity 1: During the video presentations, have the student take notes about each program and then answer the following questions:

1. Where is the Dell factory located?
2. How many computers does the Dell factory build each day?
3. How many computers can one assembler build each day?
4. Where are the parts for the computer produced?
5. What is the purpose of the call center?
6. What is the optimal wait time for each customer?
7. What is another method for ordering a computer from Dell?
8. Where is the recycling facility located?
9. How many trucks deliver used computers per day?
10. How many computers are recycled each day?
11. How does the facility separate the plastic from the metal parts found in the monitors?
12. What happens to the recycled parts after they are separated?
13. What is the most valuable metal found in the computer chips?

After the video presentations, have students research some or all of the following Web sites and take notes about the recycling situation:

• EPA Stewardship
• Microsoft Recycling Information
• State of Maine Recycling Information
• California Recycling Information
• Great Lakes Recycling Information
• E-Waste Business
• Computer Recycling Information
• Youth For Technology

Activity 2: Have students work with a partner to do the following:

1. Compare video notes and research information to create a two-page report, making sure to include the who, what, where, when, and why of the problem. Each report should include the team's solution to the recycling problem.
2. In a separate Microsoft Word or Publisher document, create a flyer. In their flyers, students should include graphics or images from a Web site such as Google Images (students should be sure to cite all their sources). It should also include the students' solution to this problem. Have students make sure each team member's name is on the flyer. Print the flyer and post it in your school or to your class Web site.

To the Teacher: This lesson plan can be delivered in two class sessions. Be sure to check your school's access to the online video presentations and the research Web sites before class. It is also a good idea to check all Web sites to make sure they are still active and appropriate for your students. You can also add the Web sites for specific state and local agencies that handle electronic components recycling.

For the flyer, I have students create a "recycling roundup," and we print up the flyer using light-green paper.

For an additional activity, have the students make a list of old electronics components at home and make a plan to properly recycle the components.

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