Robin M. Donovan

Embedded Student Exemplar:

 

American Revolution Artifact Gallery: Copley, Revere, and More

 

Historical Map of Events leading up to the declaration of war is below.

 

Reflection:

 

This exercise really got me thinking about what we can do to bring technology in and what technology is capable of doing to make history more real. The thing I really miss about growing up in Boston was just how much we got to do relating to the start of the Revolutionary War. There is so much history in and around the city that we were able to go to places like Lexington Green and Old North Bridge and Bunker Hill. We got to walk the Freedom Trail. These are all things that would make this history more interesting if they were available to everyone around the country. So something I tried to build on in this integrated curriculum were ways we can try and make this history more tangible to students who aren't from Boston.

 

The main idea was to start by just having the kids get their hands dirty - albeit virtually. Go out, pull up research, give them a few of the more obscure sources of information such as Google's Cultural Institute and local historical society papers and let them go to town. Have them bring back what they've learned in whatever way they choose - a video collage, a paper. But really just let them build up their knowledge on their own.

 

The hard part is that none of this is very physical. Getting up, walking around, exploring - those were the things that brought history to life for me growing up. The Revolutionary War had its impacts on Vermont as well, so if there is a possibility of finding a local reinactment group, I think that would be an additional help.

 

It did, however, occur to me that a hangouts from the Freedom Trail with a local Boston tour guide might be an option. Using either a smart phone or - should the technology prevail and become more available - Google Glass.