Power Up Your History Lessons
with Technology
Fakebook
http://www.classtools.net/FB/home-page Create a Fakebook page on any historical figure or event. Quick and easy to use. You are able to save, print and share your page. Sample Facebook page - Harry F. Byrd, Sr. Fakebook Startup Guide Other Ways to Create Fakebook Pages VoiceThread
www.voicethread.com VoiceThread is a collaborative, multimedia slideshow. It is a web-based application. You can get a free educators account that allows you to make unlimited VoiceThreads. There is also a paid subscription that schools can purchase. To get the free educators account, first create a VoiceThread account and then contact the company and request to free educator upgrade. An Overview of VoiceThread VoiceThread Tutorial Sample VoiceThread created by 5th grade students telling the story of Jamestown. Comic Strips &
Trading Cards Pixie can be used to create comic strips and trading cards. Pixie is a software program from Tech4Learning. Students can create pictures and images using Pixie. What's really great about Pixie is the ready-to-use templates, printing options and video creating abilities. Pixie can be used by all elementary grade levels. History Comics
Comic Strip Storyboard template Sample Comic Strip #1 Sample Storyboard for Comic Strip #1 Sample Comic Strip #2 Trading Cards
Sample Pixie Trading Card (PDF format) Pixie Trading Card Template (Pixie 4 Format) Sample Trading Card (Pixie 4 format) Trading Card - Person Template (Pixie 4 format) Trading Card - Place Template (Pixie 4 format) Trading Card - Event Template (Pixie 4 format) Hieroglyphics & Chinese Characters
Make learning about ancient Egypt and China more fun by learning to write with hieroglyphics and characters. Write Your Name in Hieroglyphics Hieroglyphic Typewriter Get Your Chinese Name |
Trading Cards
ReadWriteThink Trading Card My Trading Cards (alternate site) There are several ways to make trading cards. I've shared couple of sites that makes creating trading cards easy. My favorite trading card creator is by ReadWriteThink. It allows students to make a variety of trading cards. There is also an iPad app version of this creator. Trading Card Sample Bio Cube Creator
ReadWrite Think Bio Cube website Bio Cube is another great tool available on ReadWriteThink.org. It allows students to fill in biographical information into a template. You are then about o print out the cube and put it together. A good review activity would be to leave off the person's name. Print out the cube and put them together. Students would then have to roll the cubes, read the clues on each side to determine the person's identity. The site also provides you with a planning sheet for the project. Students can research their person and record the information on the planning sheet. Bio Cube planning sheet Sample Bio Cube DocsTeach
docsteach.org DocsTeach is a website created for educators by the National Archives . The site provides you access to thousands of the documents, photos and records housed in the National Archives. DocsTeach allows you to use these primary sources to create seven different types of activities for use in the classroom. You can also use the hundreds of activities that made by other teachers. There is also an iPad app for DocsTeach. YouTube Tutorials on DocsTeach Search Revolutionary War lessons Search Civil War lessons DocsTeach Lessons Revolutionary War to Civil War The Life of a Civil War Solider Civil Rights Movement - The Big Picture For the iPad Faust Class classroom code - wec565 Google Maps
https://maps.google.com/ Use Google Maps to create a historical tour. In my example, I created a tour of the major Civil War battles (VS.7). Start by adding a place at each location. Then ask your students to add information to placemark. You can add text, photos, web links and video links to each placemark. How to Create Placemarks in Google Maps How to add photos to Google Maps View Important Battles of the Civil War in VA in a larger map Google Cardboard
Google Cardboard is a new device created by Google that allows you to view things in 3D or Virtual Reality (VR). You will need a Google Cardboard viewer (can be purchased at Amazon.com) and a smartphone or iPod Touch. There are many VR/ Cardboard apps available for you to use that allows your students to walk around the pyramids in Egypt or explore George Washington's home, Mount Vernon. Google Cardboard - Virtual Reality in the Classroom We Went on a Virtual Reality Field Trip The Best Apps for Google Cardboard Google Cardboard Goggles from Amazon.com |
iPad Apps
DocsTeach
DocsTeach in iTunes (FREE) This app is the iPad version of the DocsTeach website created by the National Archives. Lessons created on the website can be viewed on the iPad. American Revolution
Am Rev History in iTunes (FREE) This app is an interactive timeline. It was created by The American Revolution Center. The interactive timeline is also available on The American Revolution Center website. Daily Dispatch
by Colonial Williamsburg Daily Dispatch in iTunes (FREE) Colonial WIlliamsburg app information Daily Dispatch web app This app provides you with vocabulary and news for today's date in colonial Williamsburg history. Trading Cards
by ReadWriteThink Trading Cards in iTunes (FREE) This is the iPad version of the Trading Card website. I've discovered the best way to get the finished trading cards off the iPad is to save the images to Dropbox. Think Fast!
by MissionUS Think Fast in iTunes (Free) Think Fast is the companion iPad app for the MIssionUS web adventures. This is a trivia game that tests your knowledge of US history. Characters from the MissionUS games are included in the game. |
iMovie
iMovie in iTunes ($4.99) iMovie is an easy to use movie making app for the iPad. Students can use iMovie to create short videos and movie trailers about historical people and events. Here's an example of what a group of students can do with an iPad and iMovie. This video was created using iMovie during our school's annual Civil War Day. Civil War 150
by History Channel Civil War Today in iTunes ($0.99) This app is an allows you to learn day by day the historical events of the Civil War. Information is presented in a newspaper format. Information from this app plus a lot more can also be accessed from the the History Channel website. |
Additional Resources
The following websites provide lots of ideas and resources for teaching Virginia history. Many of them also include lesson plans or ideas.
TeachingHistory.org
National Teaching History Clearinghouse
Virginia Trekkers
This site was created by a group of Henrico county Instructional Technology Resource Teachers. It is a great resource for information about the regions of Virginia and historical sites throughout the state. Be sure to check out the video podcasts and interactive activities.
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial WIlliamsburg has a couple of sites that will provide you with a wealth of resources for teaching about 18th century life and the American Revolution. During the summer of 2013, I attended the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. It was a wonderful experience and one of the best professional development programs that I've been participated in.
Colonial Williamsburg - general site
Colonial Williamsburg multimedia resources
Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Community (FREE registration required)
Jamestown Settlement
The Jamestown Settlement is another awesome resource for Virginia teachers. This site also offers lots of videos and podcasts that you can use in your classroom.
Jamestown Settlement - main site
Quadricentennial Minutes - a collection of one minute videos on Jamestown history
Jamestown Settlement - videos, audio and podcasts resource page
Teaching with Primary Resources
All these sites provide you with access to historical documents, photos and other primary sources from our nation's past.
National Archives educational resources
National Archives - Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
Artifact Photograph
Cartoon Poster
Map
National Archives Digital Vaults
National Archives DocsTeach
National Archives - Charters of Freedom
Library of Congress
Library of Congress - Primary Source Analysis Tool
Civil War Interactive by the History Channel
This site is awesome resource for Civil War with information presented in infographic format.
Gettysburg Address
This website has some great resources that focus on the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.
Voices of the Civil War
This site focus on letters written during the Civil War era by people in all walks of life. This is a great site to use with your students because it reads the letters aloud.
Mission US
Mission US is an interactive role-playing game for students. There are now three games in the series. The first two games - For Crown or Colony? and Flight to Freedom - go along with our Virginia Studies units. The settings for the games are not in Virginia, but they do give students a different prospective on the American Revolution and Slavery. I introduce these games to my students at school and encourage them to play them at home.
MIssion US directions for students to use at home
TeachingHistory.org
National Teaching History Clearinghouse
Virginia Trekkers
This site was created by a group of Henrico county Instructional Technology Resource Teachers. It is a great resource for information about the regions of Virginia and historical sites throughout the state. Be sure to check out the video podcasts and interactive activities.
Colonial Williamsburg
Colonial WIlliamsburg has a couple of sites that will provide you with a wealth of resources for teaching about 18th century life and the American Revolution. During the summer of 2013, I attended the Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Institute. It was a wonderful experience and one of the best professional development programs that I've been participated in.
Colonial Williamsburg - general site
Colonial Williamsburg multimedia resources
Colonial Williamsburg Teacher Community (FREE registration required)
Jamestown Settlement
The Jamestown Settlement is another awesome resource for Virginia teachers. This site also offers lots of videos and podcasts that you can use in your classroom.
Jamestown Settlement - main site
Quadricentennial Minutes - a collection of one minute videos on Jamestown history
Jamestown Settlement - videos, audio and podcasts resource page
Teaching with Primary Resources
All these sites provide you with access to historical documents, photos and other primary sources from our nation's past.
National Archives educational resources
National Archives - Primary Source Analysis Worksheets
Artifact Photograph
Cartoon Poster
Map
National Archives Digital Vaults
National Archives DocsTeach
National Archives - Charters of Freedom
Library of Congress
Library of Congress - Primary Source Analysis Tool
Civil War Interactive by the History Channel
This site is awesome resource for Civil War with information presented in infographic format.
Gettysburg Address
This website has some great resources that focus on the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address.
Voices of the Civil War
This site focus on letters written during the Civil War era by people in all walks of life. This is a great site to use with your students because it reads the letters aloud.
Mission US
Mission US is an interactive role-playing game for students. There are now three games in the series. The first two games - For Crown or Colony? and Flight to Freedom - go along with our Virginia Studies units. The settings for the games are not in Virginia, but they do give students a different prospective on the American Revolution and Slavery. I introduce these games to my students at school and encourage them to play them at home.
MIssion US directions for students to use at home