ࡱ;   R  F iDXp CompObj  \WordDocument    5ObjectPoolBXpBXp  FMicrosoft Word 6.0 DocumentNB6WWord.Document.6;  Oh+'0&B^ d p |  JChocolate:Applications:Microsoft Office:Microsoft Word 6:Templates:Normal4Explorations of the History of Wise County, VirgniaInformation SystemsInformܥhO e&5#*0000000H1H1H1H1H1d1t1H14=114111111Y4[4[4[4[4[4[4&4X5m401111141001111110101Y411,00001Y411Explorations of the History of Wise County, Virgnia An Interactive Journey on the World-Wide Web Rodney Williams, Virginia Tech Proposal for a Demonstration Session* at the H-Net Humanities Online Envisioning the Future: Creating the History Classroom of the 21st Century Conference, September, 1997. Abstract Learning is a complex process, and requires that learners be engaged in the process of creating personal representations and understanding of the world around them. A program in local American history, utilizing new learning technologies as tools, will present learners the opportunity to develop critical thinking skills through the process of historical investigation. Students will be able to own the experience of building a conceptual framework and imaginative picture for themselves (Cole, 1996). This session will demonstrate the work-in-progress of a Web-based course for local history designed for secondary and college students. Objectives The objective of the session is to demonstrate a constructivist model of an online course designed to guide the delivery of curriculum and instruction in a virtual learning environment. The World-Wide Web lends itself to student-centered learning. The hypertext environment allows materials at different levels of difficulty to be made available to students without imposing a pre-determined path for them to follow. Students can create individually tailored paths to match the desired goals, moving at their own speed and retrieving information as needed. I plan to demonstrate the partially constructed site for participants and hope to allow time for a discussion of the pedagogical strategies included in the program designed to engage learners in constructing and reflecting on issues in local history. Theoretical and Instructional Frameworks This virtual learning environment employs a model of instruction based on constructivist theories, especially those of Piaget. Several models of instruction developed using Piagets theories fall under a category called The Developing Intellect (Joyce & Weil, 1996). Although research into Piagets developmental learning theories have focused on younger children, some experts in the field of instructional design feel that older, generally more able learners will profit from developmentally appropriate teaching (Ibid.) Inherent in all of these models is the notion that teaching involves the creation of environments in which students cognitive structures can emerge and change. The rationale for choosing this model to represent the instructional features of this program is that it provides a framework for explaining the type of constructivist learning environment in a multimedia hypertext environment on the World-Wide Web. Students learning in a constructivist educational environment are seen as active and self-discovering. The experience of historical inquiry is inductive, and provides students the opportunities to explore and analyze the past. Although authenticity and accuracy are goals of students historical inquiries, it is important to examine and value all responses since they reveal what students know and how they think. The opportunity to exchange viewpoints and share experiences that will be encouraged in this program is fundamental to intellectual growth and development. One Piagetian model of instruction defines long-term general goals, such as intellectual inventiveness, critical thinking and autonomous judgment. All of these features are important to the design of the instructional components of this program. They are intended to pull students toward a more complex level of thinking as they engage in the ill-structured historical problems that the program asks them to examine. In addition, this program will be designed to challenge students and provide instruction slightly above their current operating level, the optimal mismatch, a concept inherent in Piagetian instructional models. Description of Web Course A constructivist model is used to guide the delivery of curriculum and instruction in this virtual learning environment. The World-Wide Web lends itself to student-centered learning. The hypertext environment allows materials at different levels of difficulty to be made available to students without imposing a pre-determined path for them to follow. Students can create individually tailored paths to match the desired goals, moving at their own speed and retrieving information as needed. Tracing mechanisms can assist teachers and program designers in learning what kinds of links use most often (Polyson, Saltzberg, & Godwin-Jones, 1996). Learners are offered a variety of choices, options, levels and paths to follow in their research efforts. An important component of the program is the model which will provide an interactive example of historical inquiry. This lesson will make explicit the critical attributes of historical inquiry that learners will need to know in order to actively participate in this particular domain of knowledge and learning. This will be accomplished through the use of hotwords and poptext that explain or define key terms, unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts that the student will need to know. Hypertext will be used to link various parts of the document to relevant bibliographic references, along with an explanation the types of data used in historical research, particularly primary and secondary sources. Students will be able to point to various sections of the document and receive information about statements made in the document, especially information which identifies facts and opinions contained in the document. The core content of this program is a series of databases and sources of information of interest to students of local history. The core content material consists of an historical survey for Wise County, Virginia (Tolson, 1995) and an archeological survey (Garrow & Associates, 1995) for the same county. Textual material, as well as photographs, maps, drawings, paintings and other graphical material will also be included. The program will include links to other Web sites that will provide students with additional databases of various kinds such as the Library of Congress and the Virginia State Library, as well as other history sites. There is no formal curriculum design as such in this program, rather students will use the various sources of data accessible in the program to engage in historical inquiries of their own design, based on their interests in local history. They will write history from their own unique perspectives. This program will allow for expert modeling within the program, and provide for the development of cognitive scaffolding, as the program leads the learner toward the ultimate goal of independent inquiry and discovery, and the ability to create personal representations of history. It is important that the teacher also model the same concepts contained in this design for students. The main part of the program will contain the links to other resources that students will use to engage in independent inquiry. These site and databases will all be demonstrated/modeled in the module designed for that purpose. Students can access this part of the program at any time. Expectations for the learner are that they will create their own meaning and construction of history through the development and use of critical thinking skills, and that they will be encouraged to explore beyond this program for the answers to self generated questions. This will be suggested to both the student and the instructor in the program. Educational Implications The rationale for engaging learners in this particular type of learning environment rests with the beliefs inherent in constructivist learning theories, that students need authentic activity- based learning experiences in which they can grow cognitively, intellectually and emotionally. Although research about learning using this particular medium of instruction is somewhat limited, other research into constructivist designed learning activities indicates positive outcomes for the learner. Some have theorized that opportunities for accessing vast amounts of information through digital technologies will be a democratizing force in our country and the world because of the decentralization of control of that information. Using technology to bring constructivist learning environments to more learners may result in some fundamental changes in education and society. * Note: I would be glad to present with others who are sharing similar types of programs. References Cole, R. (9-17-96). The pedagogy of history [On-line]. Available: http://www.ilt.columbia.edu/k12/history/pedagogy.html Garrow & Associates (1995). Wise County archaeology. Joyce, B., & Weil, M., & Showers, B. (1992). Models of teaching (4th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Polyson, S., Saltzberg, P., & Godwin-Jones, R. (1996). A practical guide to teaching with the World-Wide Web. Syllabus,10 (2), 12-16. Tolson, E. (1995). Wise County, Virginia, City of Norton historic architectural survey PAGE 1 PAGE 1 PAGE  |HH(FG(HH(d'hࡱ; SummaryInformation( ation Systems'@ȗ(Xp@v@ȗ(Xp,}@Microsoft Word 6.0.12; b09;-.40gh " #  ! & ' & . EFT]|!358:o !!R$$$$$R%j%l%%%M&X&z&&&&&&&&P uDP V]I]I]^]U][&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&o'u] uDPP4ab/09: ! " ~mn S$T$$$!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!, !,!,!,!,!,!,!,!, !,!,!,!, 48h. ($$$4%5%k%l%%%e&f&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,!,h`%h`% 48h. 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