History

==Subject: History  **(Margaret Juliano) ** ==

TECHNOLOGY:

 * Computer lab
 * In Focus computer projector
 * Internet access
 * []
 * Computer microphone
 * Computer internet camera
 * Audience Response System, Turning Point
 * PowerPoint software

CURRICULUM STANDARDS:
**BENCHMARK: HISTORY** Students use materials drawn from the diversity of human experience to analyze and interpret significant events, patterns and themes in the history of Ohio, the United States and the world. 9. Explain causes of the Civil War with emphasis on: a. Slavery; b. States' rights; c. The different economies of the North and South; d. The extension of slavery into the territories, including the Dred Scott Decision and the Kansas-Nebraska Act; e. The abolitionist movement and the roles of Frederick Douglass and John Brown; f. The addition of new states to the Union and their impact on the balance of power in the Senate, including the Missouri Compromise and the Compromise of 1850; g. The emergence of Abraham Lincoln as a national figure in the Lincoln-Douglas debates, the presidential election of 1860, and the South's secession. 10. Explain the course and consequences of the Civil War with emphasis on: a. Contributions of key individuals, including Abraham Lincoln, Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant; b. The Emancipation Proclamation; c. The Battle of Gettysburg.
 * STANDARD: HISTORY **
 * INDICATORS **

DESCRIPTION:
 1. Each student will create a Power Point presentation that contains a minimum of 10 slides explaining/identifying the cause, course or consequence of the Civil War. 2. Each student is to use a minimum of three supporting points obtained from the virtual field trip. 3. Each slide is to contain both images and words. 4. Any photos incorporated into the presentation must not be copyright protected. They must also be properly referenced. 5. A final slide must contain a list of sources in proper bibliographic form. 6. These will be presented t the class. The class will discuss strengths and weaknesses of the media content and quality. Students will be encouraged to offer suggestions for improvement. · The Foley article states that despite existing similarities between Virtual Field Trips and Webquests, distinct differences support the benefits of choosing to use Virtual Field Trips. Both are inquiry-oriented, however VFT have a broader range of usage. They make efficient use of class time by providing information. This eliminates lost time due to unsuccessful Webquest searches; Internet resources are organized and focused on desired learning outcomes. Most VFT’s are packaged software applications that do not have to follow a template. The presentation format is consistent and navigations and orientation assistance eliminates confusion and the need for guessing; this greater enhances learning and simultaneous examination of facts and information sources. Scripted tours can be easily exited and returned to with a single link. · The Gee and Levine article discusses the growing problem with student engagement, and it cites dropout rates reaching upwards of 50% is many urban districts (Swanson, 2008) and surveys indicating an overwhelming level of boredom among students. They further state the growing interest among young individuals in individually and collaboratively designing and producing media. Since this allows them to accumulate vast stores of knowledge, the key lies in harnessing this interest and integrating it into the formal school setting. Digital media can be used to enhance vocabulary development, increase decoding and comprehension skills, provide game-like learning of wide-ranging skills, and formative assessment. Foundational literacy skills must now be linked with critical thinking, collaborative problem solving, and media literacy in order for students to learn to solve authentic 21st century problems. These types of instructional methods result in learning that transfers to improved achievement on standardized tests, allow educators to improve their classroom performance, and engage digital students in the educational process. · Gronseth identifies that technology can be used as a tool to enhance learning through visual stimulation, increase productivity, and encourage creativity. Gronseth’s article states that LiPira is aware that, “Technological literacy has been linked to academic success and employment.” This article focused upon LiPira’s use of technology to elevate Native American themes, but students from various cultural backgrounds would also benefit from the same methods presented. Skills including interpretation, prediction, evidentiary support, and more can be taught and fostered with software and other forms of technology. · New literacy features reading and writing numerous forms of media and meaningfully assimilating them as a whole. Ohler explains in his article that active, participatory media creation is needed for the development of media literacy skills and subsequent literacy and highly prized job skills for our emerging digital society. Eight guidelines support and direct teachers in promoting critical skills related to digital literacy. Some of these include using digital technology to: value and enhance reading and writing skills, incorporating digital art as a new art form, blending traditional and emerging forms of literacy, and using digital tools to develop literacy and develop knowledge of digital tools. This generation of students must be taught to use digital media on both an independent and group basis in order to be acquire the literacy skills needed to face and solve the challenges of their future. Teachers need to properly manage digital media but do not necessarily need to possess personal mastery of it. · Von Bauwel states that various forms of media influence and control different aspects of daily life in the Western world but a divide exists between those with and without access. Theories and studies support the necessity of understanding how media works and foster critical thinking skills in terms of evaluating media and media content. There is a strong need for critical media literacy in the classroom. This project determined the need for children’s learning to lead toward acquisition of audiovisual skills with a focus on critical media literacy. The teacher’s role as a facilitator is necessary and constructive. This study also determined that children need time to play with technology in order to self-discover ways of using it creatively. Students who can see and hear their environment will be motivated to recreate their realities in an audiovisual manner. · The Honebein article shared results of five years of research into an instructional strategy he has termed //transmergent learning//. The notion of transmergent learning is a blend of the principles behind transformational experiences and the evolutionary and emergent properties of complex systems, or the complex theory. On a continuum of expository to discovery learning, transmergent learning falls beyond the region of discovery learning. It proposes a further reaching region that highlights on the higher level thinking skills of creativity, invention, and innovation. It further proposes that the learning experience be dynamic in order to result in a positive transformational experience. Instructional tasks need to be authentic, with a clearly defined outcome, and integrated with specific instructional tactics. The notion of transmergent learning is appropriate for use with higher-level cognitive skills, creative and inventive instructional objectives, and self-directed learning (personally owned). It further suggests that this is ideal as a framework for designing instruction that incorporates the use of various forms of media and technology. > >
 * Students will participate in an interactive virtual fieldtrip. [] The subject of the trip is a primary source perspective addressing recollections of the Civil War. It is told from the perspective of an army surgeon who provides information about army life, combat, surgical methods and practices, weaponry, and additional interesting, informative, and educational information.
 * Prior to the field trip, students will participate in a pre-conference activity in order to become acquainted with the usage of the communication systems and clarify objectives of the experience. Each student will select a topic from the selected indicators and prepare discussion questions for presentation during the virtual field trip.
 * The field trip will be projected onto a screen using an In Focus computer projector in order to ensure proper viewing for all.
 * Students will be encouraged to interact with Dr. Cromwell, the primary source, throughout the virtual field trip. They will do so with the use of the Turning Point, Audience Response System.
 * Upon conclusion of the virtual field trip, each student will prepare a PowerPoint presentation that addresses information on their selected topic.
 * SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: **
 * TRIED AND TRUE –OR- NEW AND INNOVATIVE: **
 * This lesson would be considered New and Innovative. The idea of Virtual Field Trips is rather new to schools. Most students have not experienced this form of instruction. It would be realistically impossible for students to have direct access with an actual primary source from this time period, yet this instructional format provides students with the opportunity to interact with a representative primary resource and exercise some measure of control over the information they are able to ascertain from this experience.