Richard Jones-Nerzic

For those interested, I have begun a seminar which expands on some of my views above about using digital video in the history classroom over on the History Teachers' Discussion Forum

Fahrenheit 9/11 is released in the UK today. I see the film has taken $60.10m in two weeks in the States. This seems to be an amazing achievement. Can anyone think of any other documentary maker who has had so much popular success.

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I watched the BBC4 Storyville episode on the weekend about Marcel Ophuls' 1969 documentary about the occupation of France 1940-44 The Sorrow and the Pity. http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries...-and-pity.shtml This is the closest comparison I can think of.

I thought the interview with Ophuls fascinating and was interested to read how Michael Moore considers himself a disciple of Ophuls. In this recent Guardian interview Ophuls was asked whether he likes Moore's films:

  "Very much. He's wonderful when he buttonholes the bad guys like Charlton Heston. So pushy! It's hard to believe he's not a Jew!"

Did you come? How did it go?

Regards

Mike

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Not yet, but our planning is well advanced. We will be bringing a class of about 30 IB students in October for six nights. In addition to three days in Madrid we will be stopping off in Burgos on our way down and spending full days at Toledo (thanks for the recommendation, I've never been) and Salamanca. Salamanca because both myself and Nuria (our Spanish teacher) spent our student days at the University town.

* A creative end-product - film-making can inspire pupils - it can get them thinking creatively and it can help them to get ‘inside’ some of the factors that shape historical interpretations.

* The depth study had come full circle, starting with pupils analysing a film interpretation of JFK and ending with them producing their own.  Having shown them the tricks of the film-makers trade, to deny these pupils the opportunity to put their new found knowledge into action would have been much like showing a child a sweet shop and then closing the door.

What a fascinating seminar, I only wish I could have seen it ‘live’ as it were. There is much to admire in the very systematic approach to film illustrated here, but it is these last comments about student filmmaking that interested me most.

I have long been convinced of the need to spend time critically analysing film with history students as we would any other sources. Film, documentary or otherwise, is too often treated uncritically as a stimulus source of content knowledge; often to lighten the load before teachers return to serious ‘academic’ study.

By far the best way to get students to engage critically with film is put them behind a camera, which is why I loved that sweetshop analogy. With the advent of fairly ubiquitous video cameras and DV editing software bundled with the latest versions of Windows, it is now possible replicate the whole filmmaking process from tentative pencil drawn storyboards to complete DV films with complex production qualities. In addition, broadband Internet connection now allows these films to be shared with the widest possible audience.

I have been teaching Nazi propaganda for a number of years now and from the beginning, it was always filmmaking techniques that interested students most. I have always had students plan and storyboard films, but what the new technology has allowed me to do in the last 3-4 years is actually make the films with students.

http://www.intst.net/humanities/igcsehist/...uasion/film.htm

As a consequence of making films, students become sensitised to the various techniques employed by the filmmaker: camera angle, lighting, focus, music, narrative, editing etc. Consequently, they begin to understand how they are manipulated; they begin to see through the magic.

This year I’ve moved on to look at documentary work. Looking at the various techniques available to begin with students then move on to write and produce their own. I recently experimented with an end-of-year activity with 13-14 year olds making films on the French Revolution.

http://www.intst.net/humanities/y9/term3/d.../2004/index.htm

I am also making more complex documentaries about the Cold War with my IB students. As in your case study I have set very tight restrictions on the timing of the films. I have also required them to include a number of documentary ‘techniques’: graphics, primary sources, archive video, narration, talking head, academics interviewed etc. I divided my (small) class into two groups, one group set out to produce a film that blames the US for the origins of the Cold War, the other blames Russia. As in your case-study, this a lesson in careful editing, selective application of the evidence and cinematic trickery. These films will not be ready until September, but I know from email that students are currently working on these during their summer holiday; further confirmation of your point about filmmaking being a motivational educational technique.

In general, school history, with its emphasis on imparting the skills of the professional historian, (why do we do this?) neglects to equip students with the skills they require as consumers of history. I remember reading some serious educational research not that long ago, that suggested that most people’s historical consciousness is generated by television and cinema and has little to do with the ‘taught’ history of the school curriculum. In brief, the ‘document’ work and close examination of the (dominantly) written sources which characterises history lessons throughout the world, does little to prepare students to be critical users of the medium that is most likely to shape their understanding of the past.

Anyone who knows me will have heard me argue that the next phase of the ICT-History revolution will involve the adaption of the sophisticated gaming techiques of software like Sim City (which we use in Geography) to simulations in history. This software from a US company called Muzzy Lane claims to do just that. I have been in email contact with producers Nick deKanter and Dan Roy and they tell me that they will be unable to make the software available in Europe: 'Due to a middleware licensing agreement, we are currently limited to distribution only in the United States; however, that can change. If I get an estimate of international sales which justifies the investment in a worldwide license, we would certainly do so.' How can we help them justify the investment?

For more information about the product see this article from the NY Times

Making History is a multiplayer simulation that puts players in control of European governments before, during and after World War II. With a price tag somewhere between $25 and $40, the game is expected to be available in the fall from www .muzzylane.com.

Computer games have been used in education for years, especially at the elementary level, where there are thousands of software titles. At the high school and college level, though, strategy games are generally limited to stock market and election simulations, experts and teachers say. Muzzy Lane aims to change that.

The challenge is to "integrate the learning without preaching to the player," said Dave McCool, the president of Muzzy Lane. "You want to create an environment where they're learning."

The game's designers took elements of entertainment simulations - the graphics, the realistic cause-and-effect, the variety of challenges - and adapted them for classroom use by making the game customizable for different learning levels, breaking it into timed sessions and adding a variety of supporting material for instructors.

Making History starts in the 1930's. Students take on the roles of various European leaders, making decisions on taxes and spending, trade policy, international treaties and military action. The simulation engine calculates the effects of each player's actions and moves the game forward, sometimes with results that differ strikingly from actual events.

Muzzy Lane's designers expect players to rely on their knowledge of history; the game is meant to help them add to it by delving deeper into their history textbooks or Web sites to improve their performance.

Making History is also intended to encourage problem-solving and the understanding of cause and effect. Such skills "are difficult to teach in a textbook-and-lecture format," said Nick deKanter, vice president of Muzzy Lane. He said that a 2002 study from the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars found that video game playing "builds on basic instincts for competition, interaction and imagination that are instinctive in so many people." The study recommended "combining these elements with instructive materials, or wrapping important content in a gaming package."

Some teachers have used popular games like SimCity and Civilization in classes, but education specialists say that such programs, while useful, ultimately fall short. "They're good games, but they're inherently weak on education," said Eric Klopfer, an assistant professor of science, education and educational technology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "They can be harnessed for education, but they weren't designed from the ground up for education."

One of the biggest drawbacks is the games' lack of support materials to back up the content of the games. Making History will include comparisons to actual events, contextual commentaries and links to other history sources. The educational value of the game action increases when there is time to review and discuss what took place, Mr. McCool said. "We strongly believe that simulations require a good debriefing period."

Making History is broken into sessions that last 45 to 90 minutes; turns can be played in class or assigned as homework. The game can be customized, with the instructor matching the difficulty level to the skills of the class.

"I'm not familiar with anything else on the market that is as comprehensive" as Making History, said Michael Berson, an associate professor of social science education at the University of South Florida.

Muzzy Lane may be breaking new commercial ground, but academia is also working - with some assistance from commercial software developers - to adapt video games for the classroom. This month researchers and some software designers gathered at a two-day conference in Los Angeles to discuss the many issues and challenges that educational video games face. The conference, held in conjunction with the annual Electronic Entertainment Exposition, drew an audience of about 350.

It was organized by the Education Arcade, a consortium of researchers, professors and software designers who have worked since 2002 to find ways to expand the use of video games in education. Based at M.I.T., the Education Arcade has developed a handful of games, including a multiplayer role-playing game set in 1770's Virginia. That game, Revolution, aims to teach about day-to-day life in 18th-century America and the events that led to the American Revolution. The group hopes to make Revolution available to schools later this year.

If Making History and other education titles are to succeed in the classroom, they will have to overcome hurdles like schools' limited budgets and a perception that video games and learning are mutually exclusive. Nonetheless, Mr. McCool said he hoped that teachers and parents who examine Making History would recognize its potential.

Candace Jackson Gray, who teaches history at John F. Kennedy Memorial High School in Mound Bayou, Miss., was introduced to Making History at a trade show and said she planned to use it in her classes in the fall. "I think Muzzy Lane is in the forefront," Ms. Gray said. "I think you'll see a lot of people copy what they're doing."

But while the big entertainment publishers may watch to see how Muzzy Lane does with the new game, they are unlikely to race to develop games expressly for education.

"I would stop well short of calling it a trend," said Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association, a video game industry trade group.

That might change, Mr. Lowenstein said. "The game industry is very conscious about the inevitable broadening of games in our culture, and the broadening of our market," he said. "Everyone recognizes that games are more than entertainment."

No one argues that video games will or should become dominant in the classroom. "Our view isn't that you take the right video game, stick it in a classroom and everything gets better," Mr. McCool said. "But with the right tools, this can significantly enhance learning."

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/27/technolo...f&ex=1086843268

The student version of this forum recently passed its 100th member/1000th post http://studenteducationforum.ipbhost.com/ and as we reach the end of the academic year (in the northern hemisphere at least), I thought I'd take this opportunity to remind everyone here of our existence and extend an invitation to any who would like to join us ready for September.

Unlike this forum, the Student Education Forum is an invitation only forum and is moderated by the students themselves. There are both institutional members (International School of Toulouse, Dartford Technology College and Dubai College) where teachers help with administration and private members who were recommended by members of this forum.

The three global student moderators are Lia (IST), Robbert (Sintermeertencollege

the Netherlands) and Stephen (Dover Bay School, Nanaimo, Canada).

As well as general discussion areas, there is also a formal debating section and we have begun to create a number of curriculum specific areas.

In the near future, I'd like to see perhaps half a dozen or so 'institutional' members with teachers using the forum in their daily teaching, but I would particularly welcome yet more well-motivated students who would enjoy the opportunity to meet like-minded students from around the world.

Please email me if you would like to get involved.

I have a video on my site that includes an interview with Helen Stephens about this infamous proposal from Hitler. It also includes some useful archive footage.

Video 10mb

I have no problem with this being used with GCSE students 14-16 years old.

After winning the 100m final Helen Stephens was introduced to Adolf Hitler in his private box. Later she recalled what happened:

“Hitler comes in and gives me the Nazi salute. I gave him a good old Missouri handshake. Immediately Hitler goes for the jugular vein. He gets ahold of my fanny, and he begins to squeeze and pinch and hug me up, and he said, ‘You’re a true Aryan type. You should be running for Germany’. So after he gave me the once-over and a full massage, he asked me if I’d like to spend the weekend in Berchtesgaden.”

Helen retired undefeated on the running track. During the Second World War she served as a United States Marine.

I have been working on the the Berlin Olympics in the last few days. I am particularly interested in the documentary/propaganda contribution of Leni Riefenstahl.

In response to John's post, I have a video on my site that includes an interview with Helen Stephens about this infamous proposal from Hitler. It also includes some useful archive footage.

Video 10mb

I have just uploaded Kjell's page on St Olav

http://www.intst.net/humanities/vs/pilgrim...ends/stolav.htm

Perhaps we can create different threads for the different projects? This will allow us to keep track of changes.

Thanks again to Anders for organising an excellent meeting and this wonderful time-travel opportunity.

As you can see I have scanned the photo. Below is a 200dpi resolution for you to download and print. I can do one at an even higher quality resolution in .tiff if anyone wants it.

Out of interest, how easy, flexible and successful are the new templates for uploading materials? What sort of platform is it?

Cold Fusion from a German company http://www.contens.de/ww/de/pub/enterprise...-management.htm

It is down at the moment

How easy? Might be very easy eventually but obviously restricted in terms of design and style. At the moment it seems that the VS admin staff have deactivated aspects of it. We are unable to immediately change all the pages.

I have recently updated my (still incomplete) Reichstag Fire website for my current Y10 coursework. I've changed the video extract this year so that students can comment on the usefulness of Robert Carlyle as Hitler http://www.intst.net/humanities/igcsehist/...rk/source_i.htm. People might find the clip useful for the scene of the Kroll Opera House vote on the Enabling Act.

The site also includes the excellent Reichstag Fire roleplay written by JDC. http://www.intst.net/humanities/igcsehist/...eplay/index.htm

I am using the new International Student Education Forum in attempt to establish some degree of online discussion. If anyone would like to get involved in any degree (from one interested student to a whole class) I'd be delighted to hear from you.

Don't go there unless you have a lot of time on your hands.

Fantastic site. I have already spent too long on it this afternoon. Which is your favourite cover? A thread in its own right I think. Mine is the one that covered Diana's death in 97.

http://www.strobes.uklinux.net/932/ That whole edition was such a perfect counterweight to the general media nonsense in Britain that week.

The various parts of the A380 fuselage have arrived

The new final assembly line for the A380 is due to be inaugurated in the next few days. The process of attaching wings to fuselage has begun.

Found one great image of the fuselage being transported through the village of Levignac, next to the Ratelier hotel:

This Airbus site http://www.airbus.com/airbus4u/articles_de....asp?ae_id=1467 contains some interesting material for the technology people about the logistics of shipping the various components across Europe.

After trials conducted with students on this forum, we have decided to create a dedicated forum for student discussion. http://studenteducationforum.ipbhost.com/

This forum allows for much greater independence for student members to post and initiate discussion. Students will also take on some of the moderating responsibilities.

I have automatically registered all students who posted on this forum. The user name and password is the same. If anyone has any difficulty accessing the new site please PM me.

The new site does not take new registrations, all students must be registered by me or Andy Walker.

If you wish your students to be involved email me a list of names and email addresses. As a teacher you will be expected to take on the role of moderator.

This is rapidly becoming an archive of the history of the A380 but will be useful later.

Late yesterday evening, just before midnight, the first wings of the A380 made their way through our villages to the west of Toulouse. Made in north Wales, they came by sea to Bordeaux. They made it to final assembly in Toulouse in the early hours this morning. There were fantastic images on regional TV.

This is an extract from President Truman's speech in March 1947

It is taken from the brilliant website mentioned above http://learningcurve.pro.gov.uk/coldwar/G3/cs3/default.htm It should be able to answer all your questions.

The IST is considering a cross-curricular trip to Madrid and (day trip travel distance) local environment. The subjects involved are History, Art and Spanish. I have suggested a visit to Guernica in the Reina Sophia and personally I'd like to see the Valley of the Fallen. What else should be at the top of our list?

IB History groups ie 20th Century history as a priority.

Over the last few months I have been experimenting with forums as a learning tool with chemistry and ICT students.

It is too early to draw any firm conclusions from this other than ICT students are more inclined to contribute …… the nature of the subject perhaps!

Nick (and others)

I'm currently leading a seminar on the SchoolHistory forum about using forums in the classroom.

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index...?showtopic=3208

If you have a moment, I'd be interested in experiences from a non-history perspective.

I have finally got round to completing the website of the Toulouse meeting. It includes photos and some of the video (more to be added later). The address is http://www.intst.net/humanities/vs/toulouse2004/index.htm

To update on John's post. The first of the Rolls Royce engines for the 380 arrived yesterday(?) and last week the fuselage made its way through our local villages and past the Ratelier. David Ardley went along with a camera and estimated a couple of thousand people were out on the streets late at night. Hopefully we can put some of those photos up in the next few days.

Also a reminder that the Airbus site has a section dedicated to the progress of the 380. http://www.airbus.com/a380/default.aspx

If you would like to spark your pupils' imaginations and improve their creativity and communication skills, Becta's free information sheet on how to get started using digital video should give you some ideas.

It's very good, I highly recommend it and the general advice and case studies given on the BECTa site.

The job is now formally advertised with further details in this week's TES. http://www.tesjobs.co.uk/rs6/cl.asp?action...ad&ad_id=172601

Our school internet connection is almost too slow to be useful. We are looking into broadband for the entire school network, 300+ machines. The figure quoted yesterday in a meeting was €2000 a month. How does this compare to other schools?

We're looking to appoint a geography teacher for September 2004.

We need someone to take responsibility for Geography in Secondary, upto IB diploma level. As important is commitment to the use of ICT in all aspects of the teaching of the subject. All students have laptops and all rooms are fully internet networked.

Please email me if you'd like to receive further details about the post.

Let me know chaps when you want to launch the student forum as it will take a few hours to set up

I am going to let Spring Europe role for another week and I'll launch one final topis to keep the senior students busy over Easter.

It would be good to start a new student forum after Easter. This should give Andy the few hours over the holiday peiod necessary to get it set up.

If we are agreed on this, I will post details about the new proposal in the student section and in the relevant section of the main forum.