Travelling around European history

The main pedagogical objective of this project is to help our students to get to know, understand and disseminate their own (national) historical background. Pupils will search for historical and artistic sites in their own country, investigate them, develop itineraries and teach their partners about them. They will also practise their ICT skills, use foreign language(s) and research on their own historical and artistic heritage.

Age group: 14-18 years old
Duration: about three months
ICT tools: e-mails, instant messaging, word files, image editing, web editing, audio & video
Subject: History, history of art, economics

Process

1. Getting started

Students from both partner schools must agree on:

• Communication language.
• Common historical period and artistic style.
• Historical and artistic itinerary in each country.
• Duration of the tour (one week is the most suitable period).
• ICT tools

Students decide which ICT tools to use: e-mails, instant messaging, forum, chat, etc. As collaboration tool they can use the TwinSpace to store their documents and files, start forums and publish web pages.

2. Looking for information

Once students have agreed on the historical and artistic focus of their itineraries (the Middle Ages and Gothic style in their region, for example), students should start looking for information on the internet to prepare a suitable itinerary for each country.

3. Collecting and classifying information

Students collect information about the different towns or villages and the different works of art (religious and civil buildings, paintings, sculptures). They also gather information about the historical period related to the project and collect more detailed data on that period regarding the places included in the itineraries.

The information collected should be used to organise a tour for the number of days agreed between the partners. In this way, students get to know how to select, process and edit information relevant for the theme.

Students should look for information on the internet in the communication language of the project. This way, they will get used to working in a foreign language.

4. Organising the itineraries: Practical details

Pupils organise the practical details of the tour by using the internet: They search for suitable hotels, means of transport, organising different activities to be carried out. Students get acquainted with the main features of the tourist industry.

5. Exchanging information

Once information is collected and organised, if necessary, students translate it into the common communication language with the help of language teachers and/or other assistants.

Students share the itineraries and the information in a shared workspace (TwinSpace) in the form of word files, PowerPoint presentations, pictures (.jpg or .gif), etc.

Each class reads and watches their partner’s itinerary (texts, images, audios or videos). They discuss this information, trying to find similarities and differences between the itineraries. This comparison should focus on historical, artistic and tourist industry features.

Students can also ask questions to the partner school about different details of the itinerary using the forum, e-mail or bulletin board.

6. Outcomes

A web site in the project language and native languages which gives information and images on the itinerary. Clear historical and artistic information should be provided, as well as a detailed schedule with all the relevant information about means of transport, trips, hotels, visits, activities, etc.

Depending on the level of ICT skills, the web site can be either a published TwinSpace (using the template available) or a more complex web site elaborated with another web editor (FrontPage, Dreamweaver…).

If a student exchange is planned, the web site can include documents related to the visit such as diaries, images, video or audio files recorded in the itinerary. In this case, there is a broad range of possible activities: From a simple collection of pictures to a documentary which deals with historical or artistic matters and daily life aspects of the trip.

An exhibition of the different materials will be showcased at the schools. Information about both itineraries will be included.

7. Options

• Students can work individually or in groups. Very clear tasks will be assigned.
• Students can search for additional information at school or local library.
• Students can draw different sorts of illustrations on the project.
• The project can be focused on different historical periods or artistic styles. The choice will be based on the history of the participating countries, trying to find common ground to elaborate a shared project.
• A student exchange can take place between the schools where each school will make a tour in their country for the other school.

8. Ideas

• Historic itineraries:
  XXth century conflicts: Madrid and the Civil War / Prague and the Velvet Revolution / Berlin and the fall of the Wall
• Historic /artistic itineraries:
  The Art and History of Girona (Spain), from the Ibers to Dalí (Ullastret, Ampurias, Pals, Figueres)
  See the kit on Art Nouveau in Prague and Brussels
  A tour around UNESCO sites in your country

9. Related links

A virtual space for collaborative projects in which you can work online in conjunction with other groups, exchanging information, debating and taking part in forums as you carry out interesting projects.
http://www.educalia.org/edujsp/projectes/projectes.jsp

Original idea
Dr. Juan Carlos Ocaña
http://www.historiasiglo20.org

	Web Editor:	Nuria de Salvador

	Published :	12/12/2005

	Last changed :	15/02/2007

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