Some of the teachers in the group have been tossing around the idea of creating an online place where students from classes around the world can collaborate in relation to their history studies. I've created a Google Doc for people to share ideas on what they would like to include, how it might best suit them, etc so we can make it as effective as possible. The platform we're looking at to create it on at the moment is Ning. If you would like to contribute to the development stage of this project please go to http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AddMOjM0aY7cZGoybWg0cl8waHNyenFxZzI&hl=en and share your thinking with us. If we do this right it could be a great benefit to all of us (oh, and our students. Of course). It's been great to see so many people adding those excellent bookmarks to the group. If you could use the group tag dictionary when adding them it will make the resources you add much more findable later.
I love the idea and I think creating a Ning is a good place to start because it allows for separate threads for each discussion or collaboration proposal. A ning can also be kept private and membership restricted to those invited.
I would have responded to the Google Doc, but you did not set it to allow editing by others.
I am in...sounds like a good idea. Where do I find this group tag dictionary in future?
David Hilton wrote: > Some of the teachers in the group have been tossing around the idea of creating an online place where students from classes around the world can collaborate in relation to their history studies. I've created a Google Doc for people to share ideas on what they would like to include, how it might best suit them, etc so we can make it as effective as possible. The platform we're looking at to create it on at the moment is Ning. > If you would like to contribute to the development stage of this project please go to http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AddMOjM0aY7cZGoybWg0cl8waHNyenFxZzI&hl=en and share your thinking with us. If we do this right it could be a great benefit to all of us (oh, and our students. Of course). > It's been great to see so many people adding those excellent bookmarks to the group. If you could use the group tag dictionary when adding them it will make the resources you add much more findable later.
I've changed the document on Google Docs to make it so that anyone can edit. Thanks for pointing that out Deven. When you save something to group, try clicking on 'Save to Group' and then selecting 'History Teachers' first. This will bring up the tags that I've put in and you can just click on them, instead of having to type them in. I find it makes it easier. If there are any other tags you'd like me to put in the dictionary please just let me know and I'll put them in. What are we all thinking about this new-look Diigo? It seems our group forum has disappeared... Found it! You've just got to click on Topics on the group page.
I'd be interested in collaborating, but my district is pretty restrictive with sites I can have my students using. But I'm sure I can figure something out....
Thanks for the ideas that people put forward on the Google Doc. I've added a bit more information and also a link to the Ning I'd like to put forward for consideration. If you go to http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AddMOjM0aY7cZGoybWg0cl8waHNyenFxZzI&hl=en you'll find the link or be able to add your ideas.
Brilliant. If given access, provocation and liberty of ideas some great conversations are sure to arise among students. Are there any middle school teachers out there willing to follow in shadow?
Please let me know too if there are any particular groups or forum categories you would like me to create. I guess I've tailored the group to students from Anglophone countries, yet if any of you would like groups created based on other national histories or think another forum category would benefit your students just let me know. As I said, I've tried to provide as much power as possible to the 'Teacher' role while still maintaining the basic structure of the network. Welcome to those of you who've already signed up - I'll get my students on board next week. This'll be fun!
no, I don't think this is necessary. You've done a great job so far. Thank you! It will be very interesting when the first students will join the network. I'll ask my students also next week to join the network. I think this will be a less a network for whole clases but for the interested students among them, to give them an opportunity to share their views and discover wordwide perspectives on history topics (only possible in English Im afraid.. being a teacher of history & French language ;)) ... It could be a little bit difficult to declench a real discussion. To me, it seems a good idea to let an open space to the students to start discussing or ask questions about what they are interested in. Additionnally, it could be a good idea to propose a topic for discussion in a second forum, every week or fortnight, which would give also a good reason to come regularly to the network to check out the new topic, This could be something of actual interest being present also in the media like remembrance days and other events, like e.g. the 20th anniversary of november, 9th 1989, undoubtly very important in German history, also in European, but what does this event mean on a worldwide scale, to Australians or South Africans?
Thanks for sharing some of your work with us Katherine. I've saved those excellent sites to the History Teachers and educators groups so hopefully other people will benefit from your ideas. Great to see too you've got the Bradshaws there. They're amazing. You're obviously very passionate. It's great to have you along. That's an excellent idea Daniel about posting topics for discussion every couple of weeks. I hope that teachers engage with their students and other students around the world as well - the possibilities are enormous. Just as digital journalism is overturning many established social and political orders, digital education and online networking (I think) can powerfully re-work how our schools operate and have a multiplier effect for students and teachers alike. It might be very beneficial for my modern history students to be able to ask your or your students about C20th German history and benefit from your knowledge. And if anyone is ever studying indigenous peoples or the history of imprisonment we've got some knowledge there to share.
Aloha to Queensland, David. I could work with you in a couple of ways. First I have to explain that I am no longer teaching in the classroom. I now spend the time working on the website and have been creating keynote slide shows from the work on the site to use for lectures here in Honolulu. The web site is a stand alone course which can be used entirely out of class. So far I have covered prehistoric art around the world and Early Villages 5,000 BCE and am working on Early Civilizations and have online India, Egypt, Mesopotamia and Crete. I am still working on those sites as I fiddle with the idea of a time frame.
It depends what time frame you cover as to how useful the site will be for each teacher. If I were a history teacher I would pose the question What does the art of this time tell you about the people and what do the people tell you about the time? In the early parts I would ask about what the architecture tells you about everyday living and when we get to the building of cities the students might be asked to talk about the meanings of monumental architecture.
The other thing I could do is to know from you what era you are teaching and create a page for your class on my site where I just gather the art and architecture of the time and give no detail. I wrote to someone who is teaching 20C Germany. The paintings of that time are amazing in what they have to say about the people. When asked I will collect the pictures and create a place and pages for that era. These students could then write a major piece using the images as part of a paper where they discuss the painter and what effect the times had on what was painted.
Does any of this work for you? I am definitely open to discussion!!
I'm very interested to join your ning, but my kids can't have their own accounts (they're less than 13 years old). What we've done in the past is have them log in under a generic "TPLCstudents" account. Do you think that would be a possibility here as well?
They're probably a bit young Ginger to interact with the high school history students on the network. It might be a worry if there were misunderstanding or other problems given the age gap. Eventually it would be great to get a Middle School version up and running. Until then I'm sorry I can't think of a solution... Thanks for your enthusiasm though!
If you would like to contribute to the development stage of this project please go to http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AddMOjM0aY7cZGoybWg0cl8waHNyenFxZzI&hl=en and share your thinking with us. If we do this right it could be a great benefit to all of us (oh, and our students. Of course).
It's been great to see so many people adding those excellent bookmarks to the group. If you could use the group tag dictionary when adding them it will make the resources you add much more findable later.
I would have responded to the Google Doc, but you did not set it to allow editing by others.
Where do I find this group tag dictionary in future?
David Hilton wrote:
> Some of the teachers in the group have been tossing around the idea of creating an online place where students from classes around the world can collaborate in relation to their history studies. I've created a Google Doc for people to share ideas on what they would like to include, how it might best suit them, etc so we can make it as effective as possible. The platform we're looking at to create it on at the moment is Ning.
> If you would like to contribute to the development stage of this project please go to http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AddMOjM0aY7cZGoybWg0cl8waHNyenFxZzI&hl=en and share your thinking with us. If we do this right it could be a great benefit to all of us (oh, and our students. Of course).
> It's been great to see so many people adding those excellent bookmarks to the group. If you could use the group tag dictionary when adding them it will make the resources you add much more findable later.
When you save something to group, try clicking on 'Save to Group' and then selecting 'History Teachers' first. This will bring up the tags that I've put in and you can just click on them, instead of having to type them in. I find it makes it easier.
If there are any other tags you'd like me to put in the dictionary please just let me know and I'll put them in.
What are we all thinking about this new-look Diigo? It seems our group forum has disappeared... Found it! You've just got to click on Topics on the group page.
no, I don't think this is necessary. You've done a great job so far. Thank you! It will be very interesting when the first students will join the network. I'll ask my students also next week to join the network. I think this will be a less a network for whole clases but for the interested students among them, to give them an opportunity to share their views and discover wordwide perspectives on history topics (only possible in English Im afraid.. being a teacher of history & French language ;)) ... It could be a little bit difficult to declench a real discussion. To me, it seems a good idea to let an open space to the students to start discussing or ask questions about what they are interested in. Additionnally, it could be a good idea to propose a topic for discussion in a second forum, every week or fortnight, which would give also a good reason to come regularly to the network to check out the new topic, This could be something of actual interest being present also in the media like remembrance days and other events, like e.g. the 20th anniversary of november, 9th 1989, undoubtly very important in German history, also in European, but what does this event mean on a worldwide scale, to Australians or South Africans?
That's an excellent idea Daniel about posting topics for discussion every couple of weeks. I hope that teachers engage with their students and other students around the world as well - the possibilities are enormous. Just as digital journalism is overturning many established social and political orders, digital education and online networking (I think) can powerfully re-work how our schools operate and have a multiplier effect for students and teachers alike.
It might be very beneficial for my modern history students to be able to ask your or your students about C20th German history and benefit from your knowledge. And if anyone is ever studying indigenous peoples or the history of imprisonment we've got some knowledge there to share.
It depends what time frame you cover as to how useful the site will be for each teacher. If I were a history teacher I would pose the question What does the art of this time tell you about the people and what do the people tell you about the time? In the early parts I would ask about what the architecture tells you about everyday living and when we get to the building of cities the students might be asked to talk about the meanings of monumental architecture.
The other thing I could do is to know from you what era you are teaching and create a page for your class on my site where I just gather the art and architecture of the time and give no detail. I wrote to someone who is teaching 20C Germany. The paintings of that time are amazing in what they have to say about the people. When asked I will collect the pictures and create a place and pages for that era. These students could then write a major piece using the images as part of a paper where they discuss the painter and what effect the times had on what was painted.
Does any of this work for you?
I am definitely open to discussion!!
Eventually it would be great to get a Middle School version up and running. Until then I'm sorry I can't think of a solution...
Thanks for your enthusiasm though!