Civil War Unit | Technology Utilized and Conclusion

As mentioned throughout these posts students will use various web based resources to help them in these projects.

Research Tool
The assignment on Civil War letters/diaries will require students to hit the web and read various letters in order to better understand why soldiers fought. Students can also use trusted sites to research invidividuals for their Fakebook assignment.

Fakebook
 Students can demonstrate their knowledge creatively and in a familiar way through making their own Fakebook and generating a character profile of an individual whom they pick and do a bio on them.

Google Docs
This is another method for students to demonstrate what they have learned. Once the students have completed their research they can then compile their notes, thoughts, and ideas into one shared document with their contingent members via Google Docs.

Conclusion
I love technology and I love history. My goal is to continue to seek out how to combine the study of the past with present and future technologies. My aim as a teacher and facilitator of learning is not to raise technology on a pedestal or use tech just for the sake of its existence. No, I believe classroom technology is a helpful resource for teachers to leverage a good deal of creativity in a world that is making current classroom practices more and more irrelevant. I want to instill in my students the importance of collaborative effort and online research skills.  Ultimately, I want my students to walk away with an understanding of the key events of the Civil War, but I also want them to have an understanding of the tools and techniques that helped them get that knowledge. I believe this unit will provide that opportunity to get the message across.

-Ken Tinsley

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