Seventh graders working in the Global Perspectives class with Middle School History Teachers Berta Simic and Blake Whitney turned to the global platform of podcasting to share what they have recently learned about world religions. At the end of the Beliefs & Ideology unit in which students studied the five major world religions—Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity—they then had to select two religions to compare and contrast. Equipped with audio software and microphones supplied by Elegan Kramer, Director of Instructional Technology and Digital Literacy, the students scripted their podcasts and began recording.
This is the third year Simic and Whitney have used podcasting as part of the summative project. “Based on our experience in prior years, we suspected students would enjoy it,” says Simic. As part of the project, students also had to complete a research component that required them to find a newspaper article for each religion, published within the past four years, that discussed the impact of that religion on the world, ideally within the United States.
Some students found articles about the Hindu community protesting garments sold by Walmart that depicted deities in a disrespectful way. Other articles explored topics such as the role of religion in politics, a Jewish quarterback at BYU, former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard taking her oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita instead of the Christian Bible, and the impact of the war in the Middle East on American Jews. Simic and Whitney agree that once students see how much they’ve learned and can connect it to real-world events, the material becomes more relevant and engaging.
A large project that incorporates research and new technology can be overwhelming. That is why Simic and Whitney created a “project dashboard” using a Google Sheets template. The dashboard included links to all the documents students needed to complete the project, a section for listing the “best way to reach me” for communication outside of the classroom, and a checklist of all deliverables with due dates and space for linking their files. “Our goal was to create a ‘one-stop shop’ where students could easily access everything they needed and ensure all group members could access shared files” Whitney says.
The project is a great way for students to not only demonstrate what they have learned but also to develop soft skills like collaboration while learning new 21st-century technology skills.
Way to make your voices heard, Rams!
