For the U.S. Regions Project, I would like to have my students step into the role of travel agent to research one of the five U.S. regions using communication technology such as Google Hangout or Skype to interview people living in that region; and/or virtual tours such as Google Expedition or Google Street View to take a virtual field trip of the region, and analyze/compile their findings on climate, geography, culture, and history. They will find one unifying feature/aspect that ties their whole region together. In small groups of 4-5 students, I would then have them create and revise an interactive green screen presentation, using the DoInk app, as a travel video/newscast to convince families to visit their region. The guiding question for this project would be, “How can you, as a travel agent, advertise and persuade people to travel to your U.S. region?”
For the Michigan History Project, I would like to have my students become an expert historian on one of the five major Michigan economic activities (agriculture, lumbering, mining, manufacturing, and tourism) and research its impact on Michigan today, possibly by using communication technology to interview a person who lived during that time, or an expert in the field. In small groups of 4-5 students, I would then have them create and revise an interactive green screen presentation as a newscast/history episode/museum tour to depict that particular activity’s significance and contribution to the present day. The guiding question for this project would be, “How did the history of Michigan’s five major economic activities affect the Michigan of today?” These projects would support learning through empathy, by allowing students to understand a perspective different from their own. They would also support creativity, in allowing them to construct an original background(s) upon which to communicate their findings in an innovative manner. The opportunity to reflect and revise their presentation would allow students to hone their communication skills even more, and hold their work to a high standard through critique. |