A personal note for teachers: Extensions for East Tennesseans:
Even though we live in a digitally enhanced world, it is important to inspire students to take trips to nearby landmarks, monuments, and memorials. When I personally took a visit up to Athens, Tn (myself being from Chattanooga, Tn) and stopped off at the McMinn County Heritage Museum it was a very informative experience. The executive director (Blackburn) made a comment that really hit home with me. Ms. Blackburn says that schools simply do not bring students to the museum like they used to do in the past (2012). She says that even local teachers state that this neglect is due to trouble with funding for field trips, difficulty maintaining control of their groups for tours, creating interest in historical displays, etc. While, local historians seem to be a bit apprehensive with the move toward virtual field trips, they conveyed a certain level of acceptance, albeit resignation, that this virtual tour idea is part of today's world (Blackburn, 2012). I actually selected to center my virtual tours on sites local to East Tennessee. This is not to replace field trips in the local communities, but to inspire them. While, the virtual field trips within this site might serve as an sufficient introduction to the sites chosen ((Tennessee Woman Suffrage Museum (Knoxville, Tn) and the display at McMinn County Living Heritage Museum (Athens, Tn), I would like to suggest an extension for local students. Extra credit could be given for students who physically visit these sites and write a reflection pertaining to their experience. Of course, other opportunities of extra credit should be offered for students who do not have the resources to take these trips, but the focus should still remain on the student's personal experience (e.g. interviews with women political leaders in their community). When I told the historians in McMinn County of my approach (inspiration for future visits, rather than overrunning them), they seemed to let down their defenses and geared up to more than accommodate my needs for including their display in my website. I aspire that both of the brief virtual field trips within this site will serve a nice supplement to the physical locations, sparking interest in the hearts of our students. Speaking from personal experience, individuals may well be able to attain facts and a plethera of information from websites, but now matter how interactive a site may be, nothing but showing up in person (after you understand a location's significance) can create that certain feeling of nostalgia that fuels a love for social studies. After all, our goal as middle school teachers is to create a love for learning (especially in regards to our particular core subject) and to push for higher-order thinking skills over rote memorization of facts. My hope is that you, as a teacher, will use this site as a springboard to recreate that "yearning for learning" that all teachers hold dear to their hearts. The standards CAN be met, we CAN practice inspiring teaching methods, and test grades CAN reflect our effort---all at the same time. Be encouraged and pass on the wonder and awe.
Kindest Regards,
Mrs. Rebekah Webb
Even though we live in a digitally enhanced world, it is important to inspire students to take trips to nearby landmarks, monuments, and memorials. When I personally took a visit up to Athens, Tn (myself being from Chattanooga, Tn) and stopped off at the McMinn County Heritage Museum it was a very informative experience. The executive director (Blackburn) made a comment that really hit home with me. Ms. Blackburn says that schools simply do not bring students to the museum like they used to do in the past (2012). She says that even local teachers state that this neglect is due to trouble with funding for field trips, difficulty maintaining control of their groups for tours, creating interest in historical displays, etc. While, local historians seem to be a bit apprehensive with the move toward virtual field trips, they conveyed a certain level of acceptance, albeit resignation, that this virtual tour idea is part of today's world (Blackburn, 2012). I actually selected to center my virtual tours on sites local to East Tennessee. This is not to replace field trips in the local communities, but to inspire them. While, the virtual field trips within this site might serve as an sufficient introduction to the sites chosen ((Tennessee Woman Suffrage Museum (Knoxville, Tn) and the display at McMinn County Living Heritage Museum (Athens, Tn), I would like to suggest an extension for local students. Extra credit could be given for students who physically visit these sites and write a reflection pertaining to their experience. Of course, other opportunities of extra credit should be offered for students who do not have the resources to take these trips, but the focus should still remain on the student's personal experience (e.g. interviews with women political leaders in their community). When I told the historians in McMinn County of my approach (inspiration for future visits, rather than overrunning them), they seemed to let down their defenses and geared up to more than accommodate my needs for including their display in my website. I aspire that both of the brief virtual field trips within this site will serve a nice supplement to the physical locations, sparking interest in the hearts of our students. Speaking from personal experience, individuals may well be able to attain facts and a plethera of information from websites, but now matter how interactive a site may be, nothing but showing up in person (after you understand a location's significance) can create that certain feeling of nostalgia that fuels a love for social studies. After all, our goal as middle school teachers is to create a love for learning (especially in regards to our particular core subject) and to push for higher-order thinking skills over rote memorization of facts. My hope is that you, as a teacher, will use this site as a springboard to recreate that "yearning for learning" that all teachers hold dear to their hearts. The standards CAN be met, we CAN practice inspiring teaching methods, and test grades CAN reflect our effort---all at the same time. Be encouraged and pass on the wonder and awe.
Kindest Regards,
Mrs. Rebekah Webb