I chose to review a project from the Apple Learning Interchange called, "An Immigrants Journey". This project is highly interactive and creative for students and gives students a very deep understanding of what it might have been like to emigrate to America in 1907. Students begin the project by researching using books, research CDs and the internet to find out more about this time. Then, students are assigned one aspect of immigration to write about (the decision to immigrate, the voyage, Ellis Island and the search for housing and a job in the U.S) as a fictitious immigrant during this time. Then, the students share and edit their journals to make them sound as authentic as they can. Finally, the students create an iMovie using their journals and photos from their research. These movies then can be shown to other classes to share what the students know about immigration in 1907.
This project not only allows students to be highly creative, but it also uses technology to promote this creativity and to enhance learning. Technology plays a large role in this project as it allows the students opportunities to research and create using computers. The role of the computer in this project is substantial as it allows the children first to compile information and then to organize it in a visually appealing way. This not only allows other students to be visually engaged, but also gives students a deeper understanding of what it might have been like to live in that time period. This project shows how easily and effectively teachers can use digital technology to teach about many topics, especially History.
Elsa,
ReplyDeleteThe project you picked to read and write about sounds awesome. When I was in elementary school we did a similar project (without the iMovie) and it is such a great project to have students do-it helps to give them a better and more real understanding of what times were like back then, and that is important for students to understand. It's our history.
The fact that the teacher incorporated technology into the assignment makes the project that much more real for students. When we give students the opportunity and the tools to be creative through other things such as technology, you never know what they will come up with. Technology has become such a large part of the teaching and learning in this generation, it's a great thing for people to know how to use.
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This sounds like a very exciting project! I really like how this project promotes a deeper understanding of emigration than traditional projects that allow shallow entry levels. With this project, it seems like students really have to go in depth while researching. Since the students are expected to draw an accurate picture of emigration in the early 1900’s a lot of valuable research must be found, and thus students will have to filter out valid information from unnecessary or inaccurate information. I also like all of the pieces that come with this project. Instead of having the student focus on 1 project, the students will piece together multiple projects that will be organized to create a bigger project. I mean, they start with finding information (a project in itself), then they use that information to create journals, and after that, the students compile all of their information (including pictures and the journals) to create an iMovie. I think this creates a wonderful opportunity for students to experiment with internet searching, collaborate with others and share ideas, create in a visually appealing way, and express one’s ideas by creating a movie. This is a very well-rounded project that incorporates many different skills and develops those skills further.
ReplyDeleteHey Elsa!
ReplyDeleteI thought that this project you wrote about seemed like a really interesting and creative assignment. I'm curious as to what grade this project was meant for seeing as it it uses a great eal of technology to include research, creation of an iMovie, and possibly a publishing program to put it all together or for the purpose of presenting such as PowerPoint. I like the idea of letting students learn specific information by way of research and presentation rather than just lecture. I think this makes the lesson much more meaningful for students. Cool project!
Els,
ReplyDeleteThis lesson sounds very interesting for students. It is interesting to me that the teacher chose the topic of immigration; something I'm sure we all learned about at some point in our education. However, I love that this educator goes further than any of my teachers ever went with the technological aspect of the project. I remember doing research and compiling findings on topics such as immigration. Usually these findings were then simply typed up into an essay and turned in. I love the use of programs such as iMovie to help students present their information. This sounds as if it could get very personal and meaningful! Great job!