Week 7- TPACK questions for Virtual Tour

TPACK for Google Earth Virtual Tour
Content: What is the content you'll be using in your lesson?
The content that I will be using in my Virtual Tour lesson is 5th grade Social studies Standard 4, Objective 1, Indicator C, which states, "Compare the trails that were important during westward expansion (e.g. Oregon, Mormon, Spanish, California)." This content is very important in learning how the 19th century was really a time of change and much expansion. This Oregon trail played a very large part in the expansion of America along with the Mormon, Spanish, and California Trails.
Pedagogy: What is the pedagogy you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content?
The pedagogy for this lesson would be discovery learning along with observations and inquiry thinking. This pedagogy fits with my content because the students will discover new skills (such as carving in stone like the people who trekked the trail) and through seeing the trails and where they lead to. This helps their inquiry learning because they can see beyond the maps and begin to question what these people had to endure and for what reasons they may have traveled on this long trail. The observations will be done in journal entries related to the sites along the trail where they can record their thoughts and think deeper about the events and sites along the Oregon Trail.
Technology: What is the technology you’ll be using and why is it a good fit with the content and pedagogy?
The technology I will be using for this lesson is Google Earth. I will create a virtual tour of the Oregon Trail. There will be a path drawn starting from Independence, Missouri ending in Oregon City, Oregon. It will pass through the various sites they traveled on the Oregon Trail and will include pictures of 5 of the most significant sites along the way. This fits very well with the content and pedagogy because the students can see the trail and see the distance and also see the terrain and real-life pictures along the trail. This use of technology can help them with their inquiry thinking because they can see the monuments and the pathways and understand more of what the people who traveled on the Oregon Trail thought and experienced.

Week 7- Virtual Tour Plan

Location	Activity	Picture
1. Independence, Missouri	Make a list of rules of what can not be done and what should be done while on the trail. Also make consequences for your rules. This will be in the students Oregon Trail journals.	http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-missouri/IndependenceVintage.jpg Independence Missouri in the 1800's
2.Ash Hollow, Nebraska	In their Oregon Trail journals, make an entry about what supplies your company is lacking. (In terms of wood, water, food, cattle, oxen, medicine, etc). Why are they lacking these things?	http://www.nctc.net/counties/garden/oregontrail.JPG Ash Hollow hills- forestry, trees, and grass
3.Register Cliff, Wyoming	Each of the students will carve their names and/or a picture into one large piece of sandstone. Also write in their journals about why they would write their names on the rock while passing through.	http://testingrange.com/oldsites/rmii_era/pix/ae/ae13.jpg Far away view of register cliff in summer http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/unthank05.jpg Close up of engravings
4. Flag Staff Hill, Oregon	The students will write in their Oregon Trail journals about what their favorite memories were and what their least favorite memories were on the trail. What were some of the hardships? What did they enjoy?	http://virtualguidebooks.com/Oregon/EasternOregon/OregonTrailCenter/FlagstaffHillRuts_F.jpg Picture of Flag Staff with wagon
5. Oregon City, Oregon	The students will write in their Oregon Trail journals about their feelings of finally getting there after having traveled 2,170 miles. How does it feel to be done? Was it worth it?	Picture of the end of the Oregon Trail (url too long- click on picture to view url)

At each of these locations, they will view a picture as seen above. Along with these pictures will be a description of what the travelers might have done at these locations and what significance they might have. I will be using a path on Google Earth that goes through each of these locations and others (Independence, Missouri, Fort Kearny, Ash Hollow, Register Cliff, Scotts Bluff, Fort Laramie, Independence Rock, The Continental Divide, Fort Bridger, Three Island Crossing, Flag Staff Hill, Whitman Mission, Blue Mountain Segment, The Dalles, Barlow Pass, and Oregon City.) I will also use the polygon tool to highlight the specific locations the students stop at.