Wheelock decided that he wanted a tool to turn their lesson on Anne Frank into an interactive one; the first step was to find a way to adequately do so. What he found was OpenSimulator.
Open Simulator is a free server that allows its users to develop and explore another world. For Andrew, this meant he could duplicate the world of Anne Frank and allow students to explore her life in a new way.
After getting his project approved, receiving help from people on the internet, and creating a a whole new world, Andrew was given nothing but positive feedback. Students enjoyed it so much that they would look forward to getting to play during study hall or work after school on their projects for final assignment, creating an in game Holocaust museum.
The Understanding the Holocaust Project is an amazing example of how to integrate technology and video games into the classroom. By custom making this game for a lesson that he had in mind, Wheelock was able to create the perfect virtual world that connected to what these students were learning. Overall, this is a very creative approach to NETS standard number 3. This standard covers research and information fluency and requires students to "apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information." The students would be exploring this second world while also working on the research surrounding the project in their day-to-day life; they would be effectively living every step of their research.
Below is a 9 minute video with testimonies from some of the instructors:
Teacher's Perspectives from the Understanding the Holocaust Project from andrew wheelock on Vimeo.
The video below is game trailer for the Understanding the Holocaust Project:
What do you think about the Understanding the Holocaust Project? Do you think there would be a media or method that would allow students to become immersed in what they are learning? Would other teachers be able to duplicate what Andrew Wheelock managed to do?
For more information on OpenSimulator, please click here!
For More information on the Understanding the Holocaust Project, please click here!
Wheelock. (2012, May). Immerse your students in history. Learning and Leading, 39(7), 26-27. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/DigitalEdition/digital-edition-May-2012.aspx
For More information on the Understanding the Holocaust Project, please click here!
Wheelock. (2012, May). Immerse your students in history. Learning and Leading, 39(7), 26-27. Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/DigitalEdition/digital-edition-May-2012.aspx
Nice work, Susannah! Thank you for embedding the videos--very informative.
ReplyDeleteWithout really using the Holocaust Project, I have no real comments on its effectiveness or limitations. It sounds like a good idea to provide a vicarious experience for students. I do hope that teachers and students have the opportunity to explore the underlying assumptions of the Holocaust Project. We don’t want students to trust whatever display on the computer screen without any doubts. They should question the perspectives, biases, and logic in the simulations.
ReplyDeleteR-J
Like Rong-Ji said, it's hard to have a firm opinion about OpenSimulator without trying it and, unfortunately, I don't have time to try it right now. Here's what I like about it though. It seems like an effective tool for integrating legitimate content in the language arts and social studies fields into new and engaging format. It's good for the students to collaborate on a project with a specific intent. I think in this way they can learn some computer navigation skills while contemplating the subject matter. I always feel that I understand a concept when I can explain it to someone else. This seems like a type of artistic project that coincides with a lesson. It's a way for students to show what they've learned and present it in a condensed, visually appealing form that others would likely learn from.
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