The Richland College Honors/Global Studies Learning Community CCHA-NEH Project Abstract
From VMail To EMail
World War II ended in 1945, but it is still in the news. This course offers the opportunity to examine both the war era, a time that defined many of our present cultural, political, and economic realities, and the present era, a period still struggling to put to rest many of the legacies from events ended fifty years ago.
By focusing on both eras, this course offers an opportunity to examine global conditions during and after the war, and to make connections to and comparisons with current conditions. The classroom environment will allow students to recreate the war years and empower them to become active participants in the learning process by expanding interactive activities to include technology in both presentation and research.
The seven major components of the class design will be expanded through technology in the following manner:
• Biography - At the start of the semester, each student randomly draws a biographical sketch of a person who could have been living in 1941. During the semester, the student completes the biography to the current year, using class assignments and outside sources--both printed media and personal interviews--as the basis for their story.
• Weekly Letters (Example 1) (Example 2)- The students build a persona during the semester based on his or her "biography." Each week the "alter ego" sends a letter to the class using the current weeks' assignments as subject matter. The letters will be delivered by e-mail (in VMail format).
• Scrap Book - Students create a scrapbook of wartime mementos based on their personas. The scrapbook can be created using some images found on the internet. Scanning and other computer-based imaging technology may be used.
• Interview with a Survivor - Each student interviews a person who was alive during WWII and old enough at the time to remember the events and experiences. The interview is presented as a biographical essay, and part of this activity can be conducted over the internet. This activity is also part of the service learning project for the class.
• Small Group Projects - During the course, students will work in small groups to complete various class projects designed to help convey the experiences of living during the World War II era.
• Victory Celebrations - The last week of class celebrates "V-E" and "V-J" days, with groups in the class planning celebrations to mark the end of the war and reflecting on the possibilities of what could have happened from 1945 to the present. Students will be encouraged to use the technology available in the classroom to enhance their group presentations and celebrations.
• The Monograph - The final class writing project will be the production of a class Monograph. This publication will contain some of the "survivor" interviews and related student biographical writings. The English instructor will assist the students in layout and publication design using PageMaker and related software. The monograph will be published both electronically on our webpage and in hardcopy.
In addition to strengthening this particular course by using technology to increase learning opportunities, students will have a chance to initiate greater interaction with many faculty and staff at Richland while accessing scholarship from other colleges and learning from veterans who lived through this era.
Click here for more information about this class:
Author: Becky Driscoll
E-Mail: bdriscoll@dcccd.edu
