This article discusses the assignment that Jennifer Dorman gave to her 9th grade class in terms of World War II. She had them create podcasts that assimilated as if they were reporting live from a particular event or piece of history surrounding the war. Each student would either be a reporter, live witness, historical figure, etc. This assignment allowed them to research a particular event in depth to gain a better understanding of such a large and complicated period of time. It also allowed them to be creative with their studies, and provided a more entertaining way of learning when watching the other students’ podcasts. Vicki Fuesz also used a similar approach in her business class. She convinced her district to buy a subscription so that groups of students had access to a software that allowed them to create mock corporations. They would analyze data, profit margins, etc. and at the end of the semester, they created a “boardroom meeting” to discuss their results. It allowed the students to understand business, and what it takes to run one, from a hands-on experience. All teachers commented on how the use of technology allows students to work together to create a project that they didn’t think possible. It also allows students to access the work they missed if they are at home due to illness or injury.
1. Do you think these types of assignments are valuable, even with the amount of class time they take up? Why or why not?
I definitely find these types of assignments to be valuable. A semester or year-long assignment, like the corporation assignment, would allow you to devote one period each week or every two weeks, and it keeps a constant idea flowing throughout the semester. The end of the year will bring about a conclusion from a year long’s worth of work—almost like a final. This would be a good alternative to a final test, which may not be condusive to all learning styles.
2. How much classroom time should be devoted to assignments like these? How much should be devoted to other types of technology? Finally, how much should be devoted to standard lecture/note-taking scenarios?
I think one class per week would be ideal for assignments like the ones mentioned above. I think each class period should incorporate some type of technology, whether it be an outline of notes projected on the screen, a PowerPoint, scholarly journals projected, etc. I also think that students should still take traditional notes, even if that means bringing their laptops to school.
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