Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Final Project
Final Project
Bianca Seger
July 1, 2021
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When it comes to teaching and learning, they are both two sides of the same coin. As you
teach, you can learn, and as you learn, you can teach to others. Learning has been typically
stapled with desks in a row, a whiteboard or blackboard at front, and a shiny red apple sitting on
the teacher’s desk as they impart knowledge. The tools for technology have been the same for
years and years and years, they have all just adapted and evolved into different formats. Clay
tablets into slabs, slabs into slates, slates into paper, and with the most recent evolution, paper to
virtual paper.
We are living in an age where a phone is expected to be a tiny computer, where groceries
can be bought on the swipe of a finger, and where instant messaging and communication has
become the norm, outpacing letters by leagues. “Computers have been making it to classrooms
for over four decades, deeply affecting education. The rapid diffusion of the Internet, computers,
and telecommunications; new approaches to learning were created including online course
delivery. ICT provides a realistic, visually compelling, and motivating interactive environment for
developing the skills and knowledge needed in today’s multicultural environment, another
characteristic of the society we live in.” (Eteokleous and Leal, 2008) Society has shifted,
integrating technology alongside everyday pursuits, hobbies, and jobs, technology in the
classrooms has been a slow, crawling turtle that has yet to fully win the race.
I fully believe that technology should be integrated more with learning. As the world
changes, as society changes, we will move forward into the quickly-incoming future. Students
should have literacy with what they are doing--technology wise--and work or solve problems by
using every available resource around them. “A digitally literate citizen will be able to learn and
take responsibility for their learning so this results in a higher demand for education and a sense
of the needs for more equipment and tools.” (Mashadi and Kargozari, 2011)
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References
Eteokleous-Grigoriou, N., & Leal, Y. (2009). Instilling a new learning, work and
Other Content Standard Addressed: Common Core Standard 1: Research and evidence based
Objective: For students to research with accuracy, curating information on certain topics, while
Materials Needed to Facilitate the Lesson: Access to the internet, a word processing software,
Procedures:
Phase One: First 2 Weeks of Semester (Will be repeated when a new semester starts)
1. Create a character from any background, location, and age--make sure that this is
appropriate and school friendly--this character will serve as the main subject of this
assignment and cannot be changed. This character must be an original creation (meaning
that they were made entirely by the student) and can be from any time period between the
b. Make sure to note that time periods should be picked wisely. Do not pick a time
c. A 50 year maximum of flexibility in time periods is allowed. (Ex. Any event from
1600 to 1650 can be mentioned. Any event from 1900 to 1950 can be mentioned.)
2. Students will be randomly partnered with another student from a different class period.
b. (Ex. Students from Period 1 are randomly partnered with Students from Period 5,
etc.)
3. At the beginning of the week, letters are distributed from their pen-pals.
4. Students will, throughout the week, spend time researching the time period for their
a. Letters can be about anything, from ‘current’ events, to explaining how something
Thing to Add:
➢ Students can pick from an approved list of fonts that can be their character’s handwriting
and must stick with using that font through the duration of their character’s letters.
Assessment:
As I want this project to be more of students learning and teaching each other, each week, an
informal essay talking about what they (the student) found most interesting, enlightening, or if
they learned something new, when reading their pen-pal’s letter along with things they learned
Each letter is worth 10 points and will be graded based with 5 points for turning in a letter and 5
Student Sample:
23 May, 1622
Dearest Lucius,
The voyage to the colonies has been a long and arduous one. My stomach has been flashing the hash more than my
own fingers can sample. A month and a half on the ship has left my legs weak on land, an oddity that I will not
miss once gone.
Presenting myself to the Virginia Company to be one of their ‘tobacco’ brides has been one of the most excitingly
nerve-wracking actions I have ever taken in my life. The opportunity! The adventure! Not to mention the
prospective men--I winked just now; if you get what I mean. I do hope that whatever man I wed, he is not
attached to some Indian. Have you heard of them? Oh, how silly of me, of course you haven’t. They are
practically savages from what I have heard from those around me. They attack and ravage the hard-working
men here, as well as their homes. The only good thing that has seemed to come out of their barbaric behavior is
that Virgina has been officially made into a colony, along with the Virginia Company sending along more persons.
It infuriates me to think of those Indians. Many men have left the comfort of home and familiarness in order to
pursue prospects of land. They work like slaves in an effort to earn their future and keep in a diligence that I
cannot help but admire. Some work themselves into their own eternal beds, and the pay is much too little to make
up for the work they have done. I must simply wait for commonality and civility to properly reach this colony, I
suppose.
Have you heard of the House of Burgesses? Despite being under our King’s generous hand, the colonists here
have essentially declared themselves their own House of Lords in a way. It is a smart system I think. Only those
with sizable land and labor may be a part of its elections--I think it is a good way to keep out those with little
education or notable background. Imagine if the miller down from the manor was able to make large decisions?
Truly amusing.
I can only hope that my future groom will be a part of the House of Burgesses. It seems like a high status for a
lady of my standing. I surely would’ve never risen as the eighth daughter of a Baron, most likely married off to
some nameless knight. Look! The thought has me shuddering in my dicky.
Oh Luciis, I do hope I haven't come off as some gilflurt. Being around all these other potential tobacco brides
has made me want to be the best I could in order to catch a good man. I do hope you understand.
On a new adventure,
Olivia
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Assessment Portion:
From this week’s letter, I sent one detailing the every-day life of the average Roman soldier,
going on to talk about my military packs, campaigns, and how brutal training is. I explained to
my pen-pal the different Roman gods and the temples that I had researched about, along with the
Vestal Virgins, women who were priestesses of the goddess Vesta, who was the goddess of
hearths.
Being a Vestal Virgin was a very important role and was linked to being fundamental in the
continuation and security of Rome. These individuals cultivated the sacred fire that was not
allowed to go out. Vestals were freed of the usual social obligations to marry and bear children
and took a 30-year vow of chastity in order to devote themselves to the study and correct
observance of state rituals that were forbidden to the colleges of male priests. There were only 7
Vestal Virgins at a time and they all had privileges afforded to few women in Rome. An
interesting fact I found about the Vestal Virgins was that they could free any slave or condemned
prisoner, just by touching them. The slave or prisoner was immediately considered free and
Some interesting facts I learned from my pen-pal were tobacco brides. Tobacco brides are, in a
sense, America’s first mail-order brides. These women were sent to America to become wives of
men in America in exchange for tobacco and many of them were often voluntarily chosen to go
to America. The Virginia Company advertised that if English women agreed to come to
Jamestown in search of a husband, the company would loan them clothing, transportation and a
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plot of land. In Jamestown, they could have their pick of wealthy bachelors. Once they chose a
husband, he would reimburse the Virginia Company for her expenses with 120 to 150 pounds of