TECHNOLOGY UNIT

Please submit your Technology Unit using the following template. Hyperlink all
resources to this page. Please do not replace or move any of the content except my
detailed instructions. Leave all main headings & tables. You will need to submit
your Technology Unit via Canvas as a Google Doc. You will have one opportunity for
a redo. After I have submitted your grade, please post your technology unit on your
Weebly page.

TECHNOLOGY UNIT TEMPLATE

NAME

SCHOOL

Derek Trent Ashcraft

Christian Academy of
Louisville

GRADE LEVEL /
SUBJECT
High School/Social
Studies

UNIT TITLE: World War II

State Standards: (Click here for Indianas State Standards
There are no state standards for AP United States History. I could use the state
standards for regular US history if prefered.
Below are the standards for the AP course outline:
III. The involvement of the United States in World War II, while opposed by most
Americans prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor, vaulted the United States into global
political and military prominence and transformed both American society and the
relationship between the United States and the rest of the World.
ISTE NETS-S Standards: Click for the Iste NETS-S standards

Objectives
A. Students will describe how the mass mobilization of American society
to supply troops for the war effort and workforce on the home front ended the
Great Depression and provided opportunities for women and minorities to
improve their socioeconomic positions.
B. Students will analyze how wartime experiences, such as the
internment of Japanese Americans, challenges to civil liberties, debates over
race and segregation, and the decision to drop the atomic bomb raised
questions about American values.
C. Students will illustrate how the United States and its allies achieved
victory over the Axis powers through a combination of factors, including allied
political and military cooperation, industrial production, technological and
scientific advances, and popular commitment to advancing democratic ideals.
D. Students will discuss how the dominant American role in the Allied
victory and postwar peace settlements, combined with the war-ravaged
condition of Asia and Europe, allowed the United States to emerge from the
war as the most powerful nation on earth.

Unit Overview (description)

AP United States History: Students will be studying World War II: causes, American
involvement at home and abroad, and results. I am required to be out of town on a
student trip for an entire week, so my students will be using Blendspace to receive
instructions and complete activities such as document analysis, formative
assessment, watching Youtube videos, and collaboration through Padlet and
Voicethread. All instructions will be given via screencast videos. The unit will
culminate with each student creating a Thinglink describing Americas role in World
War II. The Thinglink must include 5 links to resources, including at least 2 different
kinds of media.

Technology Incorporation
Which of the 21st Century Skills are incorporated in your unit?

Creativity/Innovation
Critical Thinking
Problem-Solving
Decision-Making
Communication
Collaboration/Social Networking
Information Literacy/Research
Reflection

How will the 21st century skills be taught and assessed?

Skill
Explanation
Creativity/Innovat Students will be creating a Thinglink outlining the role the
ion
United States played in World War II. They will be responsible
for designing the Thinglink, choosing images, and media to
demonstrate their understanding of the content.
Critical Thinking
Students will be asked to analyze a series of primary sources
such as speeches, documents, and political cartoon. They will
analyze these sources using the AP US History course
framework guidelines.
Collaboration/Soci Students will use collaboration tools such as Voicethread,
al Networking
Padlet, and Edmodo to discuss and debate content presented
in the unit.
Information
Students will demonstrate information literacy by selecting
Literacy/Research appropriate resources to include in their Thinglink. All
resources must be academic/educational in manner.
What technology did you incorporate in your lesson and why?
Technology
How
Why
Edmodo
Instructions will be posted Students are very familiar

on Edmodo. Students
submit their final project
by turning it in on
Edmodo.

Thinglink

Students will create an

interactive image
detailing the role the
United States played in
World War II.

iPad

Students will use this tool

when completing
research or participating
in collaboration during
class time.

Blendspace

The unit will be organized

using Blendspace.
Documents, videos, and
other media will be
included in the
Blendspace lesson.

Padlet

Students will use this tool

for online collaboration.
This tool will also serve as
the method of pre
assessment.
Students will watch video
lessons about World War
II as part of the
Blendspace unit.

Youtube

Voicethread

Students will use this tool

for discussion of various
resources.

Edmodo and use it on a

daily basis. Edmodo helps
students manage
assignments,
communicate with their
teachers, and keep track
of due dates.
This tool allows for more
creativity than a
traditional oral
presentation. This tool
also allows students to
demonstrate more 21st
century skills than other
forms of presentation.
My school has 1-to-1
iPads, so I can be sure
that all of my students
have this tool and
knowledge of how to use
it.
This tool will provide one
location for students to
refer back to throughout
the unit. Part of the unit
will be completed away
from the classroom, so
this tool will allow
students to work at their
own pace but in an order
that I have
recommended.
This tool is an easy way
for students to share
information with one
another and works well
with iPads.
Youtube has great
educational resources
such as Crash Course that
present material in a way
that many students
enjoy.
This tool allows for 24
hour collaboration away
from the classroom and
works well with iPads. It
works particularly well for
students who are not
comfortable speaking out

PC/Laptops

Students will use this tool

in order to create their
Thinglink.

in a group setting or are

unable to be at school on
days in which there is
classroom discussion.
Although iPads can be
used to create a Thinklink
interactive image, many
will choose to use either a
PC or Laptop.

What distance learning tool did you use? Weebly, My Big Campus, Edmodo,
Wordpress, etc
Distance Learning Tool

How did you use it?

Edmodo

All instructions will be posted on

Edmodo, including any tutorials of tools
that will be provided. Students will turn
in their final project using Edmodo as
well.

What level of SAMR is your Unit at?

For more information about SAMR, click here
S - Rather than printing off handouts and explaining the unit instructions in class,
all instructions will be on posted on Edmodo as a PDF.
A - Students will share resources using Padlet rather than working in groups in
class.
M - Students will work through the unit material in Blendspace by watching videos,
responding to questions, and analyzing documents. Students will participate in
discussion of material via Voicethread.
R - Students will demonstrate their understanding of the topic by creating a
Thinglink interactive image as opposed to taking a test or doing an in class
presentation. Once student Thinglink presentations are created they will be shared
with the teacher via a link on Edmodo and with other students and classes via a
QR code which can be posted online or in the classroom.
How will your students gain access to an authentic audience?
QR codes will be shared with other AP United States history students giving them
access to Thinglink presentations. Additionally, student Thinglink presentations can
be found Thinglink website by searching for the subject matter.

Classroom Management
Include management strategies and describe how you will provide equitable access
to technology resources in your technology plan. (Suggestions: if using clickers,
when would you pass them out and when would you collect them. If going to a lab,
is there a procedure for logging in? Do the students have assigned seats? How will
they submit work to you? Do you have a system for inspecting the lab for damages?

Do you have a system for managing the students while in the lab to prevent
damages? If students are in the classroom, how are they clustered together? How
will you ensure that students stay on task?)
Management
Strategy

How, when, & why this will be implemented.

Proximity control

During classroom instruction and during time in the media

center, I am alway sure to move around the room always
positioning myself so that I can see student iPads or
computers to ensure that they are on task. While this
technique is great for managing classroom behavior when
technology is present, it is also a great technique for any
instruction, including a technology free classroom.

Technology tool
timeout

There are certain times when there is no reason for a

student to be looking at their iPad. If Im showing a video
or presenting something that is not available on the
students iPads then the instruction is given to close the
iPad case and place it under their desk until further notice.

Student Inquiry and Research:

Students used the following technology
to do research.

Explain how this helped them find

answers and encouraged them to be
problem solvers and make decisions.

iPads

By utilizing iPads, students have access

to the internet and endless supply of
educational content it provides.
Students will be provided with a
Symbaloo webmix of recommended
resources to help them conduct
research and access information as
they prepare to assemble their World
War II Thinglink presentation.

Symbaloo

Copyright & Digital Citizenship

Include information about summarizing copyright laws related to use of images,
music, video, and other digital resources in varying formats. Explain how you
created the lesson without violating copyright laws. Explain how you encouraged
your students to use the technology while remaining a good digital citizen.

Part of the Blendspace lesson that I have created includes a tutorial video showing
students how to find images Google that are labeled for reuse. Additionally, Ive
made resources available on a Symbaloo to help students find images that are
labeled for reuse. Students are to use such images when selecting pictures for
their Thinglink presentation.

Reaching Diverse Learners

I used the following technology resources to enable and empower learners with
diverse backgrounds, characteristics, and abilities. Explain how you used videos,
screenshots, additional websites, etc. to assist with this. Even if you do not have a
variety of diversity in your school, explain how you could incorporate this in your
lesson to reach diverse learners. (Be sure there are lesson plan assignments and
videos of classroom implementations, collaborative efforts, and diversity
modification issues are addressed in a substantial way. )
Tool or Strategy

Explain how this tool or strategy

was used to empower learners with
diverse backgrounds.

Youtube - Crash Course videos and

tutorials.

All content will be presented in multiple

ways. in addition to the use of the
textbook, content will be presented
using educational videos. Such videos
are beneficial to students who are visual
learners.

Voicethread

While examining documents and

images, students will have the option of
methods to use to analyze such
sources. Students may respond to
questions using text, audio, or video.

Thinglink

Student understanding will be assessed

by Thinglink. Students will be required
to create an interactive image detailing
Americas role in World War II. This
method of assessment is beneficial to
students who do not excel in more
traditional methods of assessment such
as essay writing and multiple choice
tests.

Adaptive/Assistive Technology
The following adaptive/assistive hardware and software helped to assist students
with special needs.
Example: Explain how you used magnifying screens, etc. to help assist students.
Adaptive/Assistive Technology

How did you or how could you have

used this technology to assist students

Close Captioning

Close captioning will be available when

students watch the video portion of the
unit for students have difficulty hearing.

E-book

The class textbook is available as an

ebook. Using this format, struggling
readers can take advantage to wordtalk
technology that will read passages from
the text. Additionally, students can
highlight passages and define words.

Unit Procedure
Pre Assessment: Link or insert a screenshot of your pre-assessment.
Suggestions: Google forms, Survey Monkey, Clickers, My Big Campus,
Edmodo, Moodle, Polleverywhere, GradeCam, Plickers, etc.
Link or include a screenshot of the data collected from the pre-assessment.
The pre assessment was administered using Padlet. Students posted what they
knew about World War II in very broad terms. This is in line with redesigned AP
exam which focuses more on a broad overview of history with many examples of
themes and concepts rather than specific facts.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Unit Plan:

Explain your technology unit in detail. Plan at least 3-4 days on instruction. Be sure
to include lots of technology. Use 21st century skills and try to teach above the line,
striving to reach the Modification or substitution level. Link ALL of your resources. If
you said that the students watched a video, link it. If the students explored a certain
site, link it. If the students were given an assignment, link it.
Student completed the unit over the course of 4 school days. All portions of the unit
were embedded in a Blendspace lesson and on Edmodo. A instructional screencast
was also shared on Edmodo (the video includes instructions for the class following
the end of the WWII teach unit as well). Students used iPads, laptops, or PCs to
complete all assignments.
Pre- Assessment: Padlet. Student shared their knowledge of World War II prior to
beginning of the unit.
Crash Course Video: World War II - Part 1
Crash Course Video 1 Assessment
Crash Course Video: World War II - Part 2 The Homefront
Crash Course Video 2 Assessment
Voicethread: Students analyzed a series of primary sources according to AP
guidelines. Students responded to questions using at least 2 different methods
(video, audio, or text). Student analysis.
After watching videos, examining the documents, and completing the assigned
reading in the textbook, students created their final project/unit post assessment.
Student created a Thinglink interactive image outlining Americas role in the Second
World War and shared their project with a larger audience by creating a QR code
link to their image. Examples can be found below under Work Samples.

Post Assessment:
Suggestions: Google forms, Survey Monkey, Clickers, GradeCam, etc.
What did you give as a post assessment? Link it here.
There were three assessments within the unit, two quizzes following videos as well
as an interactive image that students had to create using Thinglink (see examples
under Work Examples).
World War II - Part 1
World War II - Part 2
Include data you gained from your pre assessment. Link the results or insert a
screenshot.
World War II - Part 1 results
World War II - Part 2 results
Compare the results of the pre & post assessments.
The results of the Pre Assessment showed that the majority of students already
had a fairly decent understanding of World War II. This was encouraging because
all of the students had already taken either Honors or AP level world history as
sophomores. The only military aspect of the war that students mentioned was the
attack on Pearl Harbor. When asked about American life during the war, students
mentioned either women in the workforce, Japanese internment, or rationing.
When asked about World War IIs impact on the modern world, most mentioned
nuclear weapons. All in all, I was very pleased with the results of the Pre
Assessment.
As evidence by the Thinglink presentations as well as the quizzes following the
videos, students were able to demonstrate a greater understanding of many
aspects of Americas involvement in WWII. From a military standpoint, students
discussed D-Day, Iwo Jima, the Battle of the Bulge, and other battles. Many
students examined the role that women played in the war beyond simply working
in factories. These roles included involvement in organizations such as WAVE and
the USO. During the pre assessment student explained their understanding of
Japanese internment during the war, however the post assessment allowed
students to share the knowledge that they gained regarding other minority groups
such as African Americans, Native Americans, and Mexican Americans. In terms of
impact of the war in the modern era, many students examined how WWII caused a
reexamination of race relations in America leading to the civil rights movement.
Additionally, students explained how the GI Bill allowed veterans of the war to
lead the way toward a growing economy and Baby Boom.
The results of this unit are clear. Students built upon a basic understanding of
World War II developed in previous courses. Students were able to demonstrate a
more well-developed, detailed, and nuanced understanding of Americas role in
the Second World War. The knowledge gained during this unit will be very
beneficial in preparation for the Advance Placement exam.

Work Samples
Attach work samples or pictures to demonstrate student work. (Be careful not to
violate privacy laws or policies.)
Student Thinglink #1: http://www.thinglink.com/scene/645067096014716929
Student Thinglink #2 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/644674326938779649
Student Thinglink #3 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/644369196028788736
QR Codes to be shared with other classes

Video of Lesson:
You will need to video THREE portions of your lesson. Hyperlink them on this sheet.
You do not need to video the entire lesson. A five to ten minute video of the key
events is recommended. Sound must work on your video and be clear to
understand. I will be looking to see that you are being innovative when
incorporating different types of technology (interactive websites, document
cameras, interactive SmartBoard Lessons, Ipads, assessment tools,
etc.) Screencasts can be used if you are trying to show a student navigating certain
sites or videos. You want to video your best use of technology. You can upload your
videos to YouTube and change the settings to unlisted, which means no one will see
the video unless they have the link. Or you can upload your videos to IUs the box.
They give you 50GB of storage. (Or if you are KY Teacher, you can use your

Microsoft OneDrive account that is linked directly to your school webmail http://login.microsoftonline.com . They give you 1 TB of storage space and similar to
the Box or Dropbox.)
Be careful not to violate privacy laws or policies.
View screencast for help: http://youtu.be/dHeV8IiqVg8
Link to Video 1
Explanation: In this screencast, a
student is describing her final Thinglink
project. She describes how Thinglink
works as well as explaining to the
audience the significance of each link
on her image. This student also chose
to use the app Pic Collage to create the
background for her Thinglink.
Link to Video 2
Explanation: In this screencast, a
second student explains how they used
Thinglink to tell the story of Americas
role in World War II. The student also
chose to explain how he used Thinglink
to add Biblical Integration to their
project, something we encourage at our
private Christian school. Additionally,
this student chose to use Pic Collage for
his image as well.
Link to Video 3
Explanation: In this video, one can see
a series of short clips showing students
following along with their iPads as I
explain the project, taking notes on
their iPads as they watch a video, work
on the pre assessment using school
computers, and working individually on
different elements of the unit while I
was away on a class trip.