As a review of the Industrial Revolution, I wanted my students to interact with the text, rather than simply regurgitating it. I decided to have my students take on the persona of someone who’s life was turned upside down due to the Industrial Revolution. I felt that this would be a great way to review the material AND it would provide a fun study guide for them to use (all of the projects were posted on our Edmodo page for sharing).

In groups, students had the option of using any “podcasting-type” platform of their choosing – Audioboo, iPad Caster, Showme Interactive Whiteboard, Puppet Pals HD (the majority of these choices I learned about from my PLN on Twitter). As my students experience with the different platforms varies, I am fine with them using anything they would like (as long as it is easily shared).

The results were a lot of fun – and felt more like Forrest Gump than a traditional History book. After reflecting upon this activity, I remembered that my 10th grade World History teacher gave us a similar project to be done on an audiotape. If only Mr. Gurry could see me now (he’s spending his retirement golfing in Florida).

Here is an example of a group who used Showme.

http://smr.showme.com/sma/embed/?s=pvp9SaG