Typically in history classes students
- take exams
- write papers
Student struggles with writing (all different lengths and types)
My goal to broaden the assignment options.
One solution is to locate and use apps, digital tools, online software to help create new assignments for students.
- still preserve content mastery
- still focus on research skills
- still have students write
- still focus on critical thinking
The online timeline (dates are an important course goal)
- assignment details and information about online timelines with online tools and student examples
- Here is one example of a timeline on the Zhou dynasty, www.dipity.com/taelim0302/Zhou-Dynasty/.
The online exhibit
- assignment details (with suggestions to use Weebly) and student examples
- Here is an example on Cold War cartoons.
A Prezi, narrated, online presentation (This could also be done in class.)
- assignment details with detailed directions and examples
- here's an example, Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Data Visualization
- assignment details with notes, suggested tools and some examples (most are Java based)
- Here is one example that is not Java-based; another, byteofhistory.wordpress.com/2014/12/25/visualizing-us-population-data-with-r/", is from a student using R.
Website creation
- Assignment (There are a lot of different ways to do this; it is different than an exhibit.)
- Banksy example
Map analysis/interpretation (three different ones)-still working to figure out GIS applications
Translation project (uses web translation tools)
Blogs/wikis (lot of possibilities here)
- assignment details for HIS 218
- student example
Like any experiments
- you get some better efforts, some not so good
- not as mind-numbing to grade as reading a lot of papers
- focus is on students to master whatever app/tool that they choose to use
- the really good ones, like the Zhou timeline, I get to use in my courses (works better than textbook info)
- I think that you encourage students to try things, especially those who are weak writers