TPACK for Virtual Tour

The content that I am using for this virtual tour is found under the 5th grade social studies core. It is standard 4, objective 3 indicator a which states that students will identify the key ideas, events, and leaders of the Civil War using primary sources (e.g. Gettysburg Address, Emancipation Proclamation, news accounts, photographic records, diaries). This activity focuses on a key leader of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln. Students will use primary sources when they read or listen to the text of Lincoln's first inaugural address and the Gettysburg address. In addition, they will learn more about Lincoln's life and how much the American people mourned his death. This content will help the students understand the background of the Civil War.

The pedagogy for this activity is to teach the students about Lincoln and his life in a way that makes him real, not just some old President. By going to places that he lived, students will learn more about the things that he did and how he impacted history. A tour of a person's life gives insight into that person and establishes a connection between the learner and the person being studied. This is why teaching about Abraham Lincoln through a tour of main events of his life fits well with the content. The boring facts on a textbook page come to life when using this method to teach about Abraham Lincoln and his role in the Civil War.

For this activity I am using Google Earth to create a virtual tour. This technology fits well with the content and pedagogy. By creating a virtual tour, students can personalize the content more than if they were reading the text by themselves. Google Earth has Wikipedia articles that are helpful for students to do their own research. This helps them become owners of the information, because they discovered it for themselves. Also, by creating a path, students will see the connection of events through Abraham Lincoln's life. The content of the Civil War comes to life when it is learned through the technology medium of Google Earth.