The Blame Game

The Blame Game or Who is responsible for starting World War I?

Starting next month in June 2014, many will be made aware of the centennial commemorating the First World War. New books have been published over the last year or so to shed new light on the war as well as the origins of the war which include Christopher Clark's The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 and Max Hasting's Catastrophe 1914: Europe Goes to War. The Imperial War Museum in London is honoring the Centenary anniversary with numerous exhibits and an exhibition on the start of the war at the National World War I Museum at Liberty Memorial in Kansas City is set to open. There will be much about World War I as we embark on five years of anniversaries including the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the declarations of war, the numerous battles, the armistice and the 1919 peace settlement. It will certainly be an exciting time for World War I history buffs and teachers of the First World War!

One of the questions historians have debated is the question of responsibility for the First World War. There is no simple straightforward answer to this question, in fact the reasons for the war are quite complicated. Watch the video clip from Horrible Histories on the Causes of World War I which provides a humorous take on the complexity of the causes.  

Considered one of the first revisionist historians, Sidney Bradshaw Fay’s thesis on the causes of the war distanced himself from the traditional view that dominated the Treaty of Versailles – that Germany was responsible for the war.  Students will be reading excerpts from the conclusion of Sidney Bradshaw Fay’s book, Origins of the World War, published in 1928.

World History students will be assigned a country to represent in the Blame Game Forum. In this forum, each student country group will be responsible for defending themselves against accusations that THEIR country was responsible for starting the First World War and placing the blame on another country.  Students will use information provided (Fay's thesis) and information they have found in their research (recommended websites have been included on the Blame Game Assignment). Each country group will create a multimedia presentation using WeVideo to introduce their country to the rest of the countries participating in the Forum.  Countries will be introduced on the first day of the forum in a 1-2 minute WeVideo introduction which will explain some basic background about their country and why their country is NOT responsible for starting the war. The WeVideo component of the Forum will be evaluated based on the Blame Game Rubric.

While students will represent the main countries in the Forum- Great Britain, France, Russia, Austria-Hungary, Germany and Serbia, the model WeVideo that I made is not about a particular country but a general introduction to the actual assignment and what the students in their country groups are being asked to do. I have attempted to model the use of the following elements that students are required to include in their video - images, a video clip, music (sound) and voice narration. I also utilized text as well.

I have used the Blame Game in the past with my students but not with the technology integration component. The goal of such a project is not only for the students to become knowledgable about the historical content and narrative of events leading up to the outbreak of World War I, but to communicate, collaborate and utilize critical and analytical skills. I believe that their learning and understanding will benefit greatly from the tasks that I am asking of them in this assignment.  

I look forward to adding this element in future classes.

History vs. Vladimir Lenin - Alex Gendler

The TedEd talk I viewed and would use with my World History and European History students fits in nicely with the unit I just completed with my students on the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Communist state.  It links in with the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework in World History II.

WHII.18 Summarize the major events and consequences of World War I.

C. the collapse of the Romanov dynasty and the subsequent Bolshevik Revolution and Civil 
War in Russia

AND:

WHII.22 Summarize the consequences of Soviet communism to 1945. 

A. the establishment of a one-party dictatorship under Lenin

C. the destruction of individual rights and the use of mass terror against the population, 
the use of terror against internal enemies, and the destruction of individual rights

D.            the Soviet Union’s emergence as an industrial power 

 The talk I would use is titled History vs. Vladimir Lenin by Alex Gendler.




I like the video lesson because it puts Lenin on trial as it examines the Tsarist Regime, the Bolshevik Revolution and the creation of the Soviet state under Lenin and his successor, Stalin.  The TedEd lesson page also has some multiple choice and open response questions for students to answer based on what they just viewed. Additionally it has some supplementary web links on topics mentioned in the video.  I did check the links and they are all high quality websites.

This animated lesson is just under seven minutes and would be accessible and useful for both my 9th and 12th graders.  I certainly could differentiate the assignments and activities with each level.  For the 9th graders, we could spend more time defining the vocabulary - names and terms such as Bloody Sunday, the Duma and Alexander Kerensky and linking it in with the events.  I would use this lesson to launch the unit telling students that as we study the historical narrative we would come back to this question and consider the pros and cons of the end of the Tsarist regime with the Russian Revolution and Lenin's establishment of the Soviet Union.  This topic would certainly be a great debate and would lend itself to an authentic written response: Was the average Russian  better off under the Tsarist regime or under the rule of the new Communist state?   I want students to consider that history is not neat, it is not simple but complex.  While it easy to condemn someone like Lenin for their actions, it is important to consider the positive aspects of what the Revolution/Lenin did and attempted to do.  This video lesson and these types of assignments enable students to consider a variety of view points as they determine the impact of Lenin as a historical figure and his legacy on the 20th century.

The Google Experience

I almost hate to admit it but this was really my first experience with Google Drive.  I have had a Google account for years but rarely use it.  To be honest with you, as I went to write this blog post, it took me a minute or so to remember that the blog I am is using for this class is Google Blogger.   I welcomed the opportunity to actually create a Google Document, learn that Google Forms aren't scary, work on Google Slides and utilize Google Draw.   I found the tutorials to be helpful - I viewed the Google Docs and Forms tutorial and was hoping for a Google Draw tutorial but was able to figure it out without too much difficulty.  Since I had seen Google Slides before, I was confident in my ability to create and edit slides.  I am thrilled at how easy these google applications are to use.  I particularly thought the form would be difficult to create but it was quite simple.  After posting the Google Form, I have eight responses to date to my World History Student Information Sheet.   I like the ability to look at the responses in chart form as well as the graphic summary -apparently Spanish is the language of choice (50%) and five of my "students" enjoyed the unit on the Renaissance and the Reformation in World History I.  Right now, I don't think I would change the form.  However, I did realize when I was writing the form that I had to streamline and reduce the number of responses/ questions.  Originally I had twice as many questions.  My guess is that the longer the forms are, the less likely one would respond to all the questions.  Google Draw was fun - I am curious to see how people have utilized it in the classroom.

The use of Google Drive at Westford Academy and in my classes is something that is being done and can be done.  Many Westford Academy students have Google accounts and are collaboratively working on projects and presentations using Google Docs and Google Slides.  For example, my freshman would share information with each other for their projects (iMovie, prezis) via Google Docs and my seniors in European History  have made several presentations using Google Slides.  Since I don't teach it (although I now suggest its use),  is the Google Experience is something students are being taught...somewhere?  or are they just picking this up over the years?   Being able to keep the information in the "cloud" and access it from any computer as well as the ease of communication with a partner/ group is a huge benefit.  I definitely see this as immensely helpful for collaborative work as students don't always need "face" time outside of class and excuses such as "I left my notes at home" can't be used.   I see it as a way for students to be more responsible and held accountable for their work.  As for pitfalls, I suppose sharing a non collaborative assignment is also a possibility.  I now require my students to handwrite their homework responses so they can't just copy someone else's assignment or share it via Google Docs. I suppose that the technology is only as good as the system in place, I would want to have a back up plan if the technology was down during class or a period of time.  I found the collaborative experience to work well.  My partner got the ball rolling by posting slides and his ideas of SAMR model. I was able to add to what he did and continue to personalize it with more examples and images. It worked out quite well.

As for the SAMR model, I like the concept and it is certainly a good way to think about how teachers can integrate technology.  I particularly liked the visual showing the hierarchical structure of SAMR with the different apps (facebook, blogger, Skype etc.) - that helped make it easier to understand.  I did watch a few other videos on the SAMR model in addition to the link provided.  It was certainly helpful to have other examples to draw upon.  I was thinking about the progression from Substitution up through Redefinition.  I do integrate technology at all the levels but certainly more Substitution and Augmentation more on a daily basis.  With projects I generally address the Redefinition component - particularly with the imovies, podcasts that my students have done in the past.  It would be interesting to plan a unit / project all the way through the model's progression- is this coming down the pike in T&L? Although I believe it would take quite a bit of time (especially as I think about the time my projects take eg. imovies) and it is difficult  to devote so much time for one concept/ unit at the expense of other concepts/ units with all the required content/skills we are required to teach and evaluate students on with CBAs and now DDMs. So while I am intrigued by the SAMR model, I am curious to see if it is a model that would fit in with Westford's curriculum with all the other demands placed on classroom teachers/ teams throughout the K-12 system.

"First Post"

Online learning has arrived and, whether we like it or not, is here to stay.  From the rise of MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses),  to the popularity of sites such as Khan Academy, the concept of the flipped classroom  to the move to online standardized testing and textbooks and equipping students with the latest and greatest gadgets,  educators must learn to adapt to these changes and learn how to utilize these online technology tools to educate our 21st century students.  Online is the world in which we live, work, socialize and learn in - it is the only world our students know.  I came across an article titled: The App Generation: How Technology is Changing Us by Howard Gardner and Katie Davis. http://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2014/02/12/apps-howard-gardner-katie-davis. I thought this quote from the article was applicable to our students. 

"This generation expects that every aspect of life will be quick, efficient, streamlined, available immediately on demand, tell you what to do, how to do it, how others feel about it, and, at least implicitly, how you should feel about it, how you should feel about yourselves".

Gardner and Davis utilize the term digital immigrant to describe those of us who remember a less technological era, which I find to be spot on. I do feel like an immigrant when it comes to online learning/technology. While it offers amazing opportunities, it is challenging and scary at times. I certainly can be stubborn and reluctant to jump on board.   For example, whenever I see a student with a smart phone out in class, I ask them to put it away as I immediately view this form of technology as a distraction -  texting a friend, playing a game-  but what if they are looking something up for class?   Coming from the "old world" of technology made me think about It's a Book by Lane Smith - see the trailer below.   

Over the last few years, I  have primarily used technology for student projects and have become somewhat comfortable with them - Prezis, powerpoints, podcasting and imovies. I have used Buzzword and Google Docs with my students on occasion.   I am currently using Noodletools for online note taking for student term papers which is something that is still rather new to me but I do recognize the advantages to online notes and feedback.  I have a wiki for my European History AP class and the FirstClass website for posting homework assignments; however both of these tools are to communicate assignments and are not being utilized to the fullest potential.  My goals for the class are to become more comfortable with my own digital literacy skills, or lack thereof,  and to integrate online tools into my teaching beyond just projects -  on a more regular/ consistent basis.  I want to be that teacher who utilizes the laptops, ipads and  and be the teacher who doesn't immediate think that a cellphone out is a distraction!   I am interested in learning more about how other educators are using technology in their classroom to enhance their student learning.  I am a Mac user but have never used an ipad and am not sure how I would utilize them in the classroom - what are the benefits of the ipad over a laptop?  I am hoping to get some ideas on how other teachers are using  digital resources in the classroom using these technologies.  I am curious about blogs and blogging...can a blog serve the purpose of what I am currently utilizing my wiki for (mainly communicating assignments/resources) and I would like to move towards creating a conversation among my students - allowing students to respond to, comment and to provide feedback on certain historical topics/questions.   I came across this slide which I want to keep in mind as I move forward with this class regarding learning outcomes.
http://www.slideshare.net/glennw98/social-studies-in-21st-century-2013-27752923?utm_source=slideshow02&utm_medium=ssemail&utm_campaign=share_slideshow

What would a classroom of digital learners look like?  As I think about the future, I wonder about the direction of education and how knowledge will be disseminated and how skills will be taught in schools (or maybe not in schools?) ...traditionally educators/textbooks conveyed the information but now information is accessible at the push of a key.  I listened to a Ted Talk by Sugata Mitra titled: Build a School in the Cloud about his "Hole in the Wall" experiments. 
http://www.ted.com/talks/sugata_mitra_build_a_school_in_the_cloud.html
By placing computers in the slums of New Dehli, he was amazed at the learning that took place by setting the process in motion by letting learning happen and he witnessed children teaching other children.  I was fascinated by what he had to say but also scared about what he was suggesting about how our system of education is obsolete.  We don't always allow learning and teaching to happen in such an unstructured way and with standardized testing it is not feasible, but I do believe that as educators we can take something away from this as we think about teaching our students.  While I may have doubts about my own digital literacy skills, students will, more often than not, rise to the challenge especially when it comes to digital learning.  My goal in  a classroom of 21st century digital learners would be for them to be engaged in the task at hand, work with each other in the classroom to problem solve, find answers but also to raise questions about their own discoveries (similar to what I would like to see in a traditional 2oth century style classroom).  

I know that educators must find ways to use technology and tools to help them be better teachers to the students of today's world. Some school systems and educators may be slow and/or reluctant adopters of the new technologies, but that does not change the fact it is our new reality in education and it will continue to improve and increase at an exponential rate. I appreciate the opportunity to take this course and am looking forward to it.