How did completing this integrated study project help your think in greater depth about planning for effective technology integration into a core subject area?
This study really made me think critically about how I could bring technology in with a project without having the technology be the focus of the assignment. So often it seems that once you introduce technology, the quality of the content lowers drastically. I wanted the content to be enhanced through the technology, which is why I had such a focus on comparitive elements, technology allowing us to bring Lenin, Chamberlain and Mussolini all into the same room to discuss current events with us.
I also really wanted to be able to talk about responsible digital citizenship during the project and address these ideas in a way that didn`t take over the project as well. This curriculum piece if often addressed separately or not at all, but I wanted it to evolve as a natural part of explaining and working through the project.
How did you ensure that technology was an integral part of the study, not just an add-on or an electronic way of doing exactly what could be done without technology at all?
The way that we accomplished this was to use it as a tool, where there is a message about using technology responsibly. Also, I wanted it to relate to the ways that real politicians use these technologies, and if you look in the resources section, you`ll see Mayor Nenshi`s feed, which would be useful to examine and use as an example for our own work. Then we are not simply using facebook as an electronic way of accomplishing our goal, but also looking critically at the tool and what it does.
These kinds of real world examples are exactly what I would use to start a class, to focus the class and get them thinking before allowing them to work on their project, so that my students would have a mix of both traditional teaching, a discussion and a facilitator in a 90 minute period.
How did completing this integrated study help you meet additional personal/professional goals of this seminar?
It really helped me refine my own understanding of how to teach higher level concepts and getting really high levels of engagement from my students. It also was one of the few collaborative projects that I felt really allowed me to see how collaboration could make for a much better final project. Group work has been the norm for this degree but I`ve rarely found it an enjoyable experience, but both Jackie and Derrick were fantastic and make great contributions to the project.
What are you learning about possibilities and pitfalls of planning with others as you learn new things?
Always include a non-history buff when trying to design new projects. Having a voice from someone outside of my discipline was extremely useful, as it provided us with a good idea of the actual research that would be needed. As someone who loves history sometimes I think I forget that not everyone would sit down with the history channel every Saturday. Getting another voice in there was fantastic, and I hope to seek out ties to other departments in my school for just that voice.
In what ways might you use this integrated study with your own students next year if the opportunity arose?
I would use exactly this project if I was teaching the grade 12 curriculum. Regardless of where I am placed, I hope to use fakebook, because it provides some real opportunities for critical thought and developing deep connections at a couple of levels, all the while proving an interesting tool for the students.
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