Group items tagged

The Redistricting Game is designed to educate, engage, and empower citizens around the issue of political redistricting. Currently, the political system in most states allows the state legislators themselves to draw the lines. This system is subject to a wide range of abuses and manipulations that encourage incumbents to draw districts which protect their seats rather than risk an open contest. By exploring how the system works, as well as how open it is to abuse, The Redistricting Game allows players to experience the realities of one of the most important (yet least understood) aspects of our political system. The game provides a basic introduction to the redistricting system, allows players to explore the ways in which abuses can undermine the system, and provides info about reform initiatives - including a playable version of the Tanner Reform bill to demonstrate the ways that the system might be made more consistent with tenets of good governance. Beyond playing the game, the web site for The Redistricting Game provides a wealth of information about redistricting in every state as well as providing hands-on opportunities for civic engagement and political action.

How Christians came to celebrate Christmas on December 25, and how secular traditions such as Santa Claus become part of the celebration.

"Bulgaria/Bulgarians: Development of a Nation How Bulgaria became Bulgaria, and how the Bulgarians became Bulgarian."

The final videos can all be found here.  I hesitate to embed any in the post because I know I would be prone to pick the "best" one.  Please click on the link and randomly select one to watch! There are two pages of videos-and hey-leave a comment or a thumbs up!  I have to say, that after watching the kids make these, the final products just don't reflect the amount of work that is needed.  What I mean is that you shouldn't watch them and say "My kids could do that in a couple of days."  It took 360 minutes of class time to produce those 1-2 minute videos!! One thing I wished we had done is to write transitions so that the different videos linked together better.  I inadvertently led them to make videos on topics that come across as standing alone in time instead of being influenced and apart of other events and movements. Other good resources: Art Titzel Eric Langhorst John Fladd Karen McMillan Greg Kulowiec Mr. Canton Mr. Fogel Mr. Canton Authors write for different purposes.* The writing process is consistent across disciplines.* Technology is a tool for collecting, organizing, creating, and presenting informatio Tags: 6 COMMENTS SO FAR ↓ aimee // Dec 27, 2010 at 8:56 pm These videos really are terrific! I was able to pop in briefly and watch them being created (on Ustream)- such an amazing process! They are so deceptively simple and enchanting, yet require a myriad of skills. Well done! And, I've learned so much Reply Tweets that mention New Post: Key words=Common Craft, Videos, Social Studies, Middle School, 19th Century History, Fu... by -- Topsy.com // Dec 27, 2010 at 10:59 pm [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mrsdi, Edtech Feeds. Edtech Feeds said: New Post: Key words=Common Craft, Videos, Social Studies, Middle School, 19th Century History, Fu… http://bit.ly/g9YyDH by @paulbogush [...] Reply Sally // Dec 28, 2010 at 10:39 am This is great! When we get back to school the students are finishing up t

Excerpts of newspaper articles describing the April 1918 lynching of a 45 year old Illinois coal miner. These articles can be used in a DBQ or as a launching point for student research into the incident itself. What can we find out about Robert Prager? How can we be certain? What does his death tell us about American public opinion in World War I - and how do we know that?

Social media-based class environment. How is this different from Edmodo? What features does it have? It looks like a more open and flexible environment than Edmodo, but that is one of Edmodo's perks--being a closed and secure environment, which is particularly appealing for a secondary school environment.

Social media-based class environment. How is this different from Edmodo? What features does it have? It looks like a more open and flexible environment than Edmodo, but that is one of Edmodo's perks--being a closed and secure environment, which is particularly appealing for a secondary school environment.

A collection of photographs from "How the Other Half Lives" by Jacob Riis.

Gale Free: How to write a research paper

"Rwanda's genocide - what happened, why it happened, and how it still matters"

A review of the movie 42 from the Atlantic Magazine that explores how Jackie Robinson was part of a larger social movement to achieve integration and social justice for African Americans

A review of the movie 42 from the Atlantic Magazine that explores how Jackie Robinson was part of a larger social movement to achieve integration and social justice for African Americans

Many of the points made here have been made in other places, but they cannot be restated enough. Every history teacher needs to read this, and then read it again after a month of teaching

"Furthermore, a social bookmarking system allows users to share their bookmarks with others and even join groups of people with similar interests. (Bookmarks can also be kept private.) In a school setting it means colleagues can share academic websites easiiy and students can share subject websites. A defining aspect of social bookmarking is that it simplifies how we share information with each other, and makes it easier to retrieve resources."

This is the kind of learning students really dive in to, learn so much from, and never forget. How many NY State middle school and high school teachers will pass on it because they have too much to teach? The irony...

This article provides a case study of  how the CRCD framework shaped the  development of the "Day in the Life of  a Teenage Hobo Project," a multi-day  investigation into the social history of  teenage homelessness during the Great  Depression. Using the framework, Tom  Daccord, a former U.S. history teacher  and current academic technology specialist in Massachusetts, designed a  project that used multiple technologies- search engines, blogs, and podcasting  tools-to help students investigate the  political, economic, and social history  of the Great Depression. 

Great lesson for WWII in US History class - set the context of Munich appeasement and fear of world war, then tell the story of the broadcast and the panic. Students job? - find out if reports of the panic were valid - how would you check? End with the media fight between radio and newspapers. What are implications for the internet? Related material can also be found at the National Archives collection of letters written to the FCC after the broadcast (https://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/2003/fall/war-of-worlds.html). In this National Archive articles it states that "Of the 1,770 people who wrote to the main CBS station about the broadcast, 1,086 were complimentary. In addition, 91 percent of the letters received by the Mercury Theatre staff were positive. And roughly 40 percent of the letters sent to the FCC were supportive of the broadcast."

Perfect for Halloween - nothing is scarier than teaching something and then founding out later that you really weren't as accurate as you thought you were.