The Chromebook is Mightier Than the Sword: History Students Become Heroes
History students in the Perris Union High School District can do more than adorn their classroom walls with cool projects and posters. PUHSD students join larger communities of activists, historians, and journalistsIn another project, students used their Chromebooks to learn important communication skills before participating in the nation’s largest collection of personal interviews,
Finally, the flexibility allowed by the Haiku Learning Management System allowed very quick instructional pivots when historical parallels suddenly present themselves. For example, in February, 2014, World History students were learning about policy of appeasement leading up to World War II. When Russia, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, invaded the Crimean Peninsula, Mr. Ashley was able to use this event comparatively in his class. Students took polls and then were required to create an “Internet Meme” over the event. Some students succeeded in making very creative GIFs illustrating the aggressive behavior.
There is a learning curve for both teachers and students, but it is becoming clear that when wielded correctly, the Chromebook is mightier than the sword - at least for Scholar+ students.