Learning Objective #3 -- Students will display their understanding of Early Middle Ages Carolingian Rule by identifying and defending four aspects that laid the groundwork for modern Europe by developing a Wiki for their essay and posting it to their Word Press blog site for review and comment by their fellow students. Based on a rubric with 80% accuracy.
- Activity 3 -- Students will choose 4 aspects of Carolingian Rule that laid the groundwork for modern Europe by writing a short essay using APA format on each aspect and defending their choices by using class materials and at least 2 outside sources. This activity asks the student to continue to practice their critical thought process and encourages them to seek materials outside the class to help enhance their thought process.
- Assessment Tool -- Student will present their analysis as a Wiki and posted to their Word Press site.
The benefit of using a Wiki as the platform for the student essay is to provide the student an alternative means to presenting their findings rather than the traditional paper. Students more comfortable with the traditional approach can write their paper using a word processing software, then copying and pasting it into the Wiki.
Learning Objective #4 -- Students will demonstrate their ability to integrate various inputs into a group presentation. The students will work in small groups and develop a group paper (via Google Docs) and develop a group presentation via Jing on the fours aspects of Carolingian Rule that laid the groundwork for modern Europe using APA format, based on a rubric with 80% accuracy.
- Activity 4 -- Students will work in small groups (4 students) to discuss each student's choices as represented in the Wikis posted on the blogs in Activity 3. The joint paper will be developed in Google Docs. This final activity allows students to discuss and defend their choices as well as listen and understand alternative choices and viewpoints of their fellow students.
- Assessment Tool -- Students will jointly work on a final presentation using Jing and based upon the group paper they created in Google Docs.
Additional time will need to be provided for this last, integrative exercise. First the students will need to have time to review each of their group members' submissions from Activity 3. Then they will need to have time to work together to develop a common format from which to edit their group paper. Once the paper is developed, the group must be given time to become familiar with Jing (if they are not already), agree upon the main points of their research they wish to emphasize and agree on an overall summary. The group will also need to determine who will be the "voice" of their presentation.
Activity 4 is a culmination of several activities that have built upon both historical and technical skills culminating in a product that integrates their learning and research. The goal of this fourth activity is to achieve a high level of critical thinking about the Early Middle Ages.
