Teaching the History of Americas Modern Civil Rights Movement Across Regions

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Teaching the History of Americas Modern Civil
Rights Movement Across Regions Time in a
Distance Learning Course

• Lyda S. Peters, M.Ed.
• Learning Technologies Combined Presence

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Although technology should not drive our
teaching, technology does drive change. It
provides an opportunity to rethink our teaching,
achieve learning goals that previously may be
beyond our reach Bates Poole (2003)
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The Content The Modern Civil Rights Movement

• Should drive the learning - not the technology
• Should be measurable
• Should address learners interest
• Should be in multiple forms - text, audio, visual

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Learning GoalsThe Civil Rights Movement -
(Richardson, 1992)

• Expanded democracy for all citizens
• Was the work of thousands of ordinary people who
  organized and sustained it
• Emphasized our responsibility to each other
• Was based on humane values that brought out the
  best in all involved,

• Was not a series of spontaneous demonstrations
  but a carefully planned and executed movement
• Was part of the continuity of protest that
  exists in African American history
• Included Black women as an integral part of the
  organization and execution of this movement of
  change.

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The Platform for Combining PresenceLearning
Management SystemCambridge College Portal

• Cambridge College MyCC features
• Virtual Classroom
• Chats for synchronous discussions as a class in
  small groups
• Posting pictures for humanizing presence
• Forums for asynchronous discussions
• Question forum
• Online Library

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Learning Technologies used by the Lone Rangers

• Websites - audio / visual
  Civil Rights Memorial
• Small group video conferencing through Skype
  using a microphone and camera.
• Uploaded music played through iTunes
• Digital camera or camcorder for digitizing
  projects.

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Digital photos of students work submitted by
teachers
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Digitized files of the FBI under the Freedom of
Information Act
Viola Liuzzo Murder
Thurgood Marshall
SNCC
Ku Klux Klan
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The Lone Ranger Approach to Humanizing a Distance
Class

• Make Learning High Touch - High Tech
• Treat Learners as Adults
• Have Learning Active and Interactive
• Develop Environs for Exploration and Discovery
• Ask Questions - Facilitate not Tell
• Use the Guardian Angel Approach
• Understand Group Process - Build Community
• The need to belong is not place-based (Palloff,
  1996)

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How Does the Lone Ranger begin to teach using
learning technologies?

• It takes a commitment to rethink ones teaching.
• It takes training where you can find it.
• It takes collegiality.
• It takes time lots of time
• But wouldnt it be great if the Lone Ranger did
  not have to do this alone?