Evernote for inquiry based tasks

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Inquiry based learning tasks are essential for the creation of meaningful learning and understanding. The use of collaborative and innovative Web 2.0 applications allows students to work in ways that further immerse them in the 21st century, while providing them with the skills to become life-long learners. Evernote is a fantastic tool for inquiry based tasks. You or your students can:

• Access their research from any device including, desktop, smart phone, tablet device – at home, at school, in class, on the bus…anywhere!
• Students can work collaboratively by creating shared notebooks that can be accessed simultaneously, edited by all members of the group and worked on either at school or at home. No, my dog ate my homework or I couldn’t work on my assignment because my friend was away doesn’t apply here! Anything that is added to the notebook is immediately sync’d between devices and can be accessed anywhere.
• Students might like to gather and record their findings using, while using the notebook to tag concepts, file their work neatly and even better, search later for information. 
• Create logs that record resources they have referred to. They can even use their smart phones to take a picture of the cover of the book, insert PDF documents and then annotate (with Premium), insert links to websites. 
• Forward emails to Evernote that are automatically filed into appropriate notebooks and tagged (e.g. You can file an email that you want to name Evernote training into your professional development notebook by putting this into the subject line: Evernote training @Professional Development #professional development #technology) 
• Set a reminder for when items are due for submission or when the team will be meeting to work on the inquiry task.
• Students can share their work with their teacher by hitting the share button and either posting on social media or emailing you their final product which is uploaded onto a note of it’s own.

As a teacher, and also as a student, I have come to really rely on Evernote for my own learning as well as a tool for teaching. In my own research, I have been able to create Notebooks that safely organise and collate information, while allowing me to share that information, or simply access it from where ever I happen to be. 

References:

Evernote http://www.evernote.com

Caspari, A., Kuhlthau, C. and Maniotes, L. (2012) Guided Inquiry Design: A Framework for Inquiry in Your School, Libraries Unlimited, California

iBook Author for Teaching the Australian Curriculum

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Proving engaging materials that are suitable for the new curriculum requirements has become a massive job for many teachers, including history teachers in Australia. Many schools are utilising iPads in encouraging creativity, accessing resources and engaging students. Certainly, having an iPad means a lighter backpack for our students at the very least. I think we are being presented with an amazing opportunity here, with the introduction of a new curriculum, to create and introduce some new and exciting resources for students. Apple has various apps which are great for teaching, but I want to bring iBook Author to your attention today as a way to create resources (for both teachers and students).

And before you say it, I know, not all schools or students have access to these amazing technologies. I wish that they did and although this information will probably be outdated by the time they do gain access to them, I think it is important for teachers from all schools to be aware of the exciting opportunities that technology presents to teachers.

Creating our own resources using technology means that we can design them to suit the particular needs of our students and reflect their learning needs. Creating our own resources means relying less on textbooks, worksheets, overheads and other “old school” resources and engaging with exciting and relevant information to encourage a deeper understanding of history.

This all might seem like a lot of hard work but this article about the move beyond worksheets might convince you: Beyond Worksheets: A True Expression of Student Learning.

For those teachers that have access to Apple iPads or Macs, iBook Author is a great app that can be utilised in the history classroom. iBook Author allows you to author your own eBook where you can embed images, video, links to primary and secondary sources and create your own learning activities that can be accessed both at school and at home (therefore meeting an increasing demand for expanding our classroom  beyond the four walls where we physically teach to the virtual world).

I know I do get onto the digital bandwagon quite a lot. Many of you would be surprised that I take a balanced approach to teaching from my previous posts. I do, however, choose to engage in the kinds of learning activities of the generations of students that I teach, therefore I value technology for teaching. I also value my own individual approach to teaching history, and that requires me to adapt, create and expand on the resources I give to my students. In short, I love technology.

iBook Author allows you to:

• Create collaborative documents with other teachers to share with your students;
• Engage your students with interactive resources and sources, while also allowing them to work at their own pace through the content
• Create engaging student activities that encourage students to build deep knowledge of the content by creating their own book. Wow! Students can work collaboratively or individually.
• Create an interactive and reflective environment where students can evaluate their own work and others, therefore creating a deeper understanding while also developing skills such as content knowledge, information literacy, social skills, digital literacy and competencies using ICT, digital citizenship, collaboration, flexibility, communication and evaluation skills. Students also learn about copyright restrictions and ethical engagement with resources, a lesson which comes to life when they understand how their work might be used by others!
• Create content that specifically targets the learning goals of your school and class. It also allows you to adapt content and activities for students with disabilities.

How do you think your students would respond to writing their own content?

Do you think your students would benefit from resources created with their own particular needs in mind?

Do you want a one-stop-shop for all of your online and digital resources so that you or your students can access them where ever you are, whenever you want?

Does your school have access to Apple iPads or Macs?

If you have answered yes to any of the above, then I recommend you look at the app.

For more information on using iBook Author as a teaching tool, visit the Apple website.

Were we wrong about Wikipedia?

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When I did my teaching degree we talked a lot about the difference between accurate and reliable websites and those that aren’t so reliable…like Wikipedia.

I sprouted this line a lot in class…remember! Go beyond Wikipedia in your research! I don’t want to see Wikipedia in your bibliography!

I even did a task where I asked a class to update a Wikipedia site, showing them that indeed anyone, even them, can be the author of Wikipedia.

In fact, this is good practise, even without the effective website analysis, because this is asking students to create their own version of history. They are reflecting on their own construction of the knowledge, building their own ideas, and on top of that analysing the perspectives of others.

I think though we need to remember, although anyone can actually author a page in Wikipedia (or any website for that matter), Wikipedia is actually subject to rigorous review by a massive online community. Lets face it, even on a blog I cannot just write anything I like without someone picking me up on the accuracy of my statements (fully expecting discussion on this issue here!). Wikipedia is edited regularly, it is timely and it is constantly reviewed. So why is it still considered largely unreliable?

This article, found on my Twitter feed, raised this question for me. In fact, Mike Eisenberg, in his youtube clip on Information Literacy says that Wikipedia should not be banned from student’s resource lists as long as students are able to determine the appropriate time to use it and they don’t stop there.

The whole point of education is to develop critical thinkers, engaged learners, and creative souls. The new realm of digital literacies is ensuring our students are able to survive in a world where information is the currency…and there certainly is enough of it to snowball us. Like social media, which is often banned in schools to protect students, we need to teach our students to navigate these tools rather than avoid them. Use them, critically evaluate them and discuss them. Students will use these tools, so why not provide them with the skills needed to navigate them like pros?

How can you integrate Wikipedia (as part of a inquiry based approach to history)?

•   Spend a period talking about the limitations and also to pros of using a site like Wikipedia;
•   Wikipedia is often authored by people that are experts in their field who reference their articles. This is a fabulous way to discover websites that can add to the knowledge being built by your students.
•   Write your own Wiki! Wikis are a great Web 2.0 tool which allow students to reflectively communicate their own perspectives about history and collaborate with other students in sharing knowledge.
•   Use Wikipedia to connect with experts! The best thing about the internet is that we are able to connect our students with people all over the world. Use those connections. (see Flat Connections for more global collaboration projections).
• Use the bibliographies provided to further research and find other interesting resources.
• Use it as a starting point for asking questions – what is it your students really want to know? Once students have a basic understanding of a topic they can branch out. Wikipedia serves them well for this purpose.
• Refer to Wikipedia for information on topics that need up to the minute information (Twitter is also good with this – I find soooo many resources on Twitter).

Remember, Im not saying that students should refer to Wikipedia only. The best research refers to a wide variety of sources to provide a balanced perspective.

Tell me your thoughts on using Wikipedia in the classroom. Should it be banned? 

 

 

Using Fiction for Teaching History (Narrow Road to the Deep North)

Hi every one,

As a book lover and avid reader, I am always looking for ways to incorporate reading and fiction into my teaching. Although fiction is limited in its portrayal of the facts and has limitations as a secondary source, it can be used in similar ways to movies to encourage a sense of empathy amongst the students.

A current Australian novel which is perfect for giving students an idea of the conditions of POWs during World War II is Richard Flanagan’s The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

If you haven’t already read it, I recommend you do so, STAT! It is an amazingly brilliant story depicting the conditions of Australian POWs during World War II, incorporating the perspectives of both the Australians (commanding officers and soldiers) and the Japanese. It provides material for great discussions in class about many issues such as:

• Usefulness and reliability of sources – how reliable is fiction in the study of the POW camps in history?
• The perspective of Japanese – what drove the Japanese officers to commit the acts they did? Discussions of the Japanese culture, the demands of the Emperor to build the railway with limited resources, the Japanese military tactics, etc. Students could write from the Japanese perspective using the novel as a starting point.
• How closely do they believe the ANZAC legend relays the truth of the Australian men? Students could discuss some of the behaviours of the Australians and how this does or does not fit into the Australian ANZAC legend.
• Assessing the impact and effects of war on the returning POWs.
• Conditions of the POW camps.

There is absolutely no need to have your students read the entire novel (although you should), rather key areas of the novel could be used to study various subject matter. For example:

“This must stop, Dorrigo Evans was saying. It’s wrong. He’s sick. He’s a very sick man.

It wasn’t even an argument, though, and Namamura just raised a hand and talked over him in a new, kindly voice.Major Nakamura say he have some extra quinine, Fukuhara said. To help sick men work. The Emperor’s will decrees it, the railway needs it.

And the drumming went on, louder and louder. 

Dorrigo Evans understood that Nakamura was trying to help, but that he could do nothing about the beating he had ordered. Quinine would help others. Nakamura could help whom he could help, and quinine would help him help them. But he could not stop the drumming. He could not help Darky Gardiner. The railway demanded it…..” The Narrow Road to the Deep North, p 306

How might you use this quote from the book to teach student’s about the POW camps? In this quote alone we see a sick and dying man being beaten by the Japanese, we get an idea about the perspective of the Japanese soldiers, the fact that the Australian commander, although seemingly respected by the Japanese, has no power over the treatment of the men.

Do you use fiction in your classroom? 

Using current events as discussion points for teaching and learning history

Using current events as discussion points for learning history

Today the press informs us the the worlds oldest known Holocaust survivor has passed away (aged 110). Alice Herz-Sommer and her son were sent to the Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II, surviving both her mother and husband. (link to article – published and accessed Monday 24 February 2014)

In Year 10 Australian History, students are asked to study the following:

An examination of significant events of World War II, including the Holocaust and use of the atomic bomb. (Link to Australian Curriculum here)

History is often seen as solely studying the past but we can look to current media reports as mediums for source analysis and reflection. This link provides a number of activities for teachers of history to incorporate into their history classroom including but not limited to:

• You have been asked my a member of Alice Herz-Sommer’s family describe her experiences in Theresienstadt concentration camp. Conduct online research into the camp and write a description of the camp during World War II;
• Write a diary entry as Alice Herz-Sommer during her time at the Theresienstadt concentration camp;
• Discuss the impact of the death of Alice on our understanding of the experiences of Holocaust victims during World War II;
• Assess the article as a secondary resource. Is it factual? How useful and accurate is the article? Can we rely on it for our historical analysis of the Holocaust.
• While researching online, describe and analyse two websites for their usefulness and reliability as sources for our study of the Holocaust in World War II.

Note: Remember to scaffold the analysis of sources for students in this task. 

Historical Skills:

Identify and locate relevant sources, using ICT and other methods

Identify the origin, purpose and context of primary and secondary sources

Evaluate the reliability and usefulness of primary and secondary sources

Identify and analyse the perspectives of people from the past

Incorporating Twitter Into Your History Classroom – Women on the Home Front Lesson Plan

We are often challenged to incorporate ICT into our lesson plans in creative and inclusive ways. It is important to constantly challenge students and therefore improve their ICT skills while also ensuring that all students are effectively able to participate in the activity.

Twitter is a widely used and popular form of social media which is well known by many students. It can be accessed either on a mobile device, computer or iPad and a good proportion of students will have used it to follow celebrities, friends or other persons of interest. It is essential to ensure that our pedagogy remains innovative and relevant to student’s lives and I think  most students will be extra excited to utilise a (usually banned) device as a tool for historical analysis.

Twitter is a good classroom tool when used to encourage online discussion (either in the classroom or as homework) when used in the right way. By utilising a hashtag (#), students can follow a discussion and contribute by posting comments limited to 140 characters. Here is an example of incorporating Twitter into a history lesson:

LESSON PLAN: Changing role of women on the Australian home front during World War II

The impact of World War II, with a particular emphasis on the Australian home front, including the changing roles of women and use of wartime government controls (conscription, manpower controls, rationing and censorship)

Topic: World War II (1939-45)

Historical Skills: 

Use historical terms and concepts

Select and use a range of communication forms (oral, graphic, written) and digital technologies

Identify and analyse different historical interpretations (including their own)

Prior Knowledge and Understanding

Students will have already studied the causes, course and events of World War II.

You may ask students to create Twitter accounts prior to the lesson so that you can jump right in.

Resources:

Web links provided at the end of this post may be of use to both students and teacher.

Students have an understanding of the historical terms and concepts used to study this period (a Historical Terms and Concepts list or glossary to refer to during the activity).

Students have access to their phones, laptops, iPad or other electronic device used to access Twitter in the classroom. If students do not wish to use Twitter, they should have access to paper or cardboard for writing their own “tweets” which will be posted by the teacher on their behalf with their initials.

Smart board or similar for displaying Twitter feed.

A handout/slide with some guidelines and rules for the use of Twitter for the classroom. You may also like to give students a handout which explains how to use Twitter. A guide can be found here.

Lesson Instructions:

Explain classroom rules for the use of Twitter and social networking.

Post the first question (see below) with a hashtag (e.g. #MrsPHistory):

Ask your students to search for the hashtag in Twitter (you should demonstrate this on your Smart Board)

Advise your students that they should use this hashtag at the end of each “tweet” so that they may be included in the conversation. Ask the class to post their first response (each tweet should be 140 characters or less). Post any tweets manually written down by students with their initials at the end.

* Note that you will need to watch the feed to monitor participation from all students.

You may either choose to use a student’s tweet to form your next question or pose one of your own for the class to answer next.

Some questions and activities to post:

List some of the ways women contributed to the war effort on the home front.

Assess how important you think women’s roles were in the war effort.

How might women have responded to the return of men after the war ended?

Assess the effect of the war on women’s roles in society. Do you think women would have wanted to return to traditional roles?

Research “The Experiences of Women in Australia during World War 2”. Find an e.g. of a woman’s experience during the war and briefly describe.

Can you identify various viewpoints on the role of women on the home front?

* Don’t forget to explain your tweets and give your students enough time to conduct the research and post a tweet for each question. Although it should be a pretty fast flowing online discussion, some students will need more time than others and encourage collaboration amongst the students. This shouldn’t be a silent classroom!

Collaboration and assessment:

Ask your students to find three “tweets” posted by other students. They should reply to the tweet with their own observations.

 

Remind your students to always use the # hashtag when commenting so that the comments may be seen by the class. You can display the comments on the Smart Board for those not using Twitter and print a discussion log for the student’s notes.

Finally, ask your students to assess the use of Twitter and the lesson plan for further development. If your students find this task to be useful, interesting and engaging, it can be adapted for further use as required. They can post their comments on the feed!

Online resources: Many of the sites below will guide students to other resources. Women in Wartime is particularly good for giving an overview of the topic.

Year 10 History Australian Curriculum

Women in Wartime

Australian War Memorial – Stories about women’s involvement in the war effort

Experience of South Australian women on the home front

Have you ever used Twitter in the classroom? How did your students respond? Please let me know if you have any questions or comments about this lesson plan.