|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
 |
|
Click on image above to go to this web page
Native American reflection
This product was created to for the Eds Oasis project and to be
used with intermediate and secondary level students in US History classes.
The objective of this assignment is:
Students are to investigate the history on one of the Native American
tribal regions in America. They are to pick at least four different
tribes and answer the questions on the Assignment page of this web page.
The students are to create a presentation that will show the evidence
of their research. See the Student Work page for the possible assignments.
This assignment is designed to be an integrated lesson between English
and US History at the secondary level.
The goal of this assignment is to allow students to use a scaffold,
internet based lesson that encourages them to use the technological
tools available to them. This also allows them to investigate the history
of Native American cultures in America. This lesson fulfills the California
state standards for the study of Native Americans in the early 20th
century for US History.
We have not yet had a chance to implement this activity this year. We
both plan to use this activity during the spring when this subject is
addressed. The original goals and objectives have not changed from our
original posting. No changes in the activity.
Staff members at Foothill Junior High who have reviewed this activity
have made inquiries into utilizing the activity this year. Some have
also asked Chris Watson to present a workshop on how to build a web
activity like this. No additional changes in format may be necessary
but, keeping track of inactive links may become a problem later on over
the years.
Peer Review:
David Griffin - is a teacher at Martin Luther King Jr. Junior High.
The Native American Project drew me in immediately. My daughter, who
studies Native American cultures as a hobby, agreed with me that the
design and color of the home page set the tone of the subject very well.
I found that this page and the Founding Fathers research project were
the more formal and complete academic websites.
The click here link on the assignment page takes you to the Native American/
Traits Different/ Traits Shared page. As you scroll from one to the
other, the first page disappears and the other is full frame.How did
you do that?
The back to the top, and Adobe Reader link were very helpful. The resource
page had valuable links to the major tribes. My daughter and I spent
some time on this page and found the information mostly high quality.
With time this page could really be polished.
There were links to other links, which I suspect would open many doors
to the Native American cultures. The Rubric, which was hiding at the
bottom of the Teachers page, was of good quality
.
Dave Amacker - Is a recently retired teacher that served over 30 years
in the Grant Joint Union School District.
Native Americans: Overall a GREAT program for students who are interested
in the native populations of America. There are a lot of materials that
span the scope of the American continent. Individuals who are interested
in a certain area of the United States should be able to expand their
knowledge of the area by following the guidelines that you have set
down in the "projects" to be completed by the students. I
do not see any problems that students will encounter provided that they
have access to a computer that is able to link them up to the web-sites
that you have listed in the program. My own computer was unable to enter
into the file called "nap" (a PDF file) after several tries.
Having read the other material in the program from student involvement
to evaluation, I would believe that students would find this project
to be both interesting and a great enhancement to their understanding
to the world of the "Native American".
Faculty review:
From Bruce McVicker:
Scaffolding the students (and teachers) at the outset is shown to be
important right at the outset. The use of Acrobat files is an excellent
idea.
Standards: These are addressed by the topical nature of the site. I
like the integration of standards from language arts with social studies
and technology. Well done.
Student centered design:
The background you provide sets the tone for both students and teachers.
As you say, you "drive the lesson" with this kind of organization.
Teachers appreciate this!
The navigation structure is clear and relevant. You spent a great deal
of time researching appropriate links. In addition, your strategy involves
the use of census data that enables students to develop and use critical
thinking skills in future projects.
In terms of collaboration, I think you've demonstrated how collaboration
can work well amongst teachers. This kind of professionalism can translate
into good staff development practices. Worth looking into for an action
research project, eh?
Now, concerning your students, you've provided a need to collaborate
in order to accomplish tasks, but you've given teachers a scaffold.
The units and assignments that emerge from this will be unique to each
classroom. I like this flexibility that teachers have, because it accounts
for student individual differences.
In sum, I enjoyed your enthusiasm for your topic, but I admired your
willingness to utilize a variety of Internet tools (distance-learning
tools) to extend this project.
Excellent presentation.
Bruce
We asked Bruce to review the page and make suggestions based on content,
design, and overall effectiveness.
Reflection on faculty review:
Originally we looked at this project to supply more web resources, but
we found that there were less reliable sources available.
I would like to try to create contacts with tribes for possible direct
contact with the students through email, video conferencing, or visitations.
The collaboration aspect of this project were evenly divided. Both of
us produced the lesson design and researched web resources. Chris Clark
did the web design. Chris Watson handled the lesson standards, evaluation
form, and the lesson plan for Taskstream.
Bibliography
Dede, Chris. Emerging technologies and distributed learning. Retrieved
July 1, 2001, from the World Wide Web: http://www.virtual.gmu.edu/SS_research/cdpapers/hannapdf.htm
Dede, C., & Sprague, D. (1999). If I teach this way, am I doing
my job? Constructivism in the classroom [Internet web site]. International
Society for Technology in Education. Retrieved July 15, 2001, 2001,
from the World Wide Web: http://www.iste.org/L&L/archive/vol27/no1/feature/
Thornburg, David D., Ph.D: Renaissance 2000. Retrieved June 29, 2001,
from the World Wide Web: http://www.tcpd.org
or
