Summary
As part of a end of unit authentic assessment, students were given a performance task to research the social, economic, and technological changes of the first 30 years of the 20th Century and compare it to the first 15 years of the 21st Century. Specifically, they should compare and contrast people, events, and technology between the two time periods. This lesson was originally written to be low-tech, but the teachers rewrote this lesson to incorporate more 21st century skills and technologies that go beyond a basic poster board project. Students formed groups and selected the method and tools for presenting their artifacts in a virtual museum for other students to analyze and learn from. Students would then discuss a statement by Mark Twain about history repeating itself, using the knowledge they learned from exploring and comparing the exhibits.
TIPC Ratings
Approaching – Students researched artifacts from the early 20th century using school approved resources. Students generated their own questions to complete an authentic task of creating informational presentations as part of a performance assessment.
Target/Ideal – Students communicated in synchronous and asynchronous methods to complete their project in and out of class using Google Apps.. Students used video presentations to communicate their research about historical artifacts and used Google Drive as the distribution method for their virtual museum. Some students went beyond the basic presentation to create a ThinkLink for their presentation.
Approaching – Students selected the most appropriate digital tools, as well as questioning, critical thinking and problem solving strategies to solve authentic tasks. Students brainstormed together their topics to choose from, compared and contrasted the different artifacts from early 20th century to technologies of today and used that knowledge to answer and authentic assessment question in an essay.
Target/Ideal – Students synthesize existing and self-generated knowledge to create new ideas and products within and beyond assignment parameters when creating their presentation and their essays. Students choose strategic risks that support innovation in creating their presentations and in the method they delivered it.
Student Artifact
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