Response #4

Hillis, P. (2008). Authentic Learning and Multimedia in History Education. Learning, Media and Technology, 33(2), 87-99. Retrieved from ERIC database.

            This article was about the use of technology (a particular CD-ROM program) in British history classrooms and how well it promoted authentic learning.  Among its attributes, the authors characterize authentic learning as having “real-world relevance” and focusing on complex problems with multiple solutions (88).  Students also utilize a variety of resources and account for varying perspectives during the learning.  It often involves the creation of a final, tangible product; provides opportunities for student collaboration; and integrates reflection and assessment into the activity.  In this qualitative case study, students created PowerPoint presentations on how the poor were treated in Victorian Glasgow.  The activity was structured around a scenario where they were archaeologists in Glasgow in the year 2081; houses built in the 1970s had been removed to reveal a collection of 19^th century artifacts.  Working in teams, the students were to select two artifacts and design a presentation to persuade an expert panel on why their team’s artifacts best represented 19^th century poverty and should belong in the Glasgow Museum.  The CD-ROM software contained an interactive database pertaining to the Barnhill Poor House, an actual 19^th century site.  The program allowed students to learn about the artifacts, read the personal stories of some of its inhabitants, and examine other historical information; it also included questions to guide student inquiry.  Overall, students reacted favorably to the activity: they expressed feelings of interest and greater understanding about what a life of poverty was like in Victorian Glasgow.  They also practiced research and information gathering, communicating with others, and presentation skills.  In short, the computer activity allowed for students to “mirror the methodology” of historians (87).

            This combination of authentic learning and technology reminded me of the Oregon Trail and Alaskan Gold Rush computer games that I played when I was in elementary school; such games were not exactly designed for meaningful historical learning, however.  Authentic learning projects require extra amounts of time, effort and planning on the part of the teacher in order for them to be successful; but their potential to provide rich learning experiences for students is huge.  I am curious to see how relevant CD-ROMs are with respect to educational activities.  Given the influx of new kinds of media, CD-ROMs seem a little dated, and I wonder if they are still being produced and used by consumers in any significant way.  I also wonder if kids would regard CD-ROMs in this way, or if they would even notice or care.  Above all else, my foremost concern with educational media is whether or not it facilitates good learning and the objectives of a lesson/unit.  It is not enough to provide students with an engaging and interesting activity, although this something we always need to consider and strive for; the use of classroom technology needs to always be oriented towards helping students achieve realistic, assessable learning goals.