Reflection
Shannon
I was
born and raised in Southern California.
In fourth and fifth grade, I studied the history of California and the
Western states including some Mexican history.
I was so pleased when Lorna suggested this topic as it gave me the
opportunity to learn more about North Carolina's history. In doing the research, I learned a great deal
about the story of North Carolina's original European
settlements. In school, I remember
learning about Columbus discovering America.
That is such a minor detail in the overall European settlement of the
Americas. This project taught me about the
many cultures that settled in the Americas including the Spanish, the Vikings, and
the English. It is really interesting to learn how people
and events in history are integrated. I enjoyed learning more about the
Anglo-Spanish War and how that affected the settlement of America. Researching for this project gave me new
insight into the Native American culture and their history. Lastly, I enjoyed the fascinating process of
researching, studying sources and evidence, and creating my own hypotheses.
I really enjoyed working with Lorna in creating this lost colony digital museum. We divided the work evenly and we accomplished our responsibilities within our agreed upon timeframes. We also benefited from our individual skill sets to produce an outstanding digital museum. I created the framework and organizational structure of the website and Lorna utilized her artful eye and turned it into an attractive exhibit. I created the intro page, first settlers page, the theory that the colonists tried to sail back to England, and finally the theory that the Spaniards from Florida killed the colonists. Lorna and I wrote the new developments page focusing on the Lost Colony Foundation. We each inputted our individual references and we wrote our reflections. I am so pleased with our final project and it was truly my pleasure working with my partner.
I learned a lot from creating this project that will be of value to me as an elementary social studies teacher. I learned the importance of spending the time to prepare, research, and to be able to provide my students with multiple evidences from a variety of perspectives. I learned the importance of primary evidences. There is a lot of power in reading the words or reading a photo from the original source. I discovered there may not be a straightforward "right" answer in history. I hope the investigation process will encourage my students to think for themselves and to challenge things they learn and read about. My goal is for my students to use this investigative process throughout their lives to make decisions, to vote, and to discover new ideas.
I really enjoyed working with Lorna in creating this lost colony digital museum. We divided the work evenly and we accomplished our responsibilities within our agreed upon timeframes. We also benefited from our individual skill sets to produce an outstanding digital museum. I created the framework and organizational structure of the website and Lorna utilized her artful eye and turned it into an attractive exhibit. I created the intro page, first settlers page, the theory that the colonists tried to sail back to England, and finally the theory that the Spaniards from Florida killed the colonists. Lorna and I wrote the new developments page focusing on the Lost Colony Foundation. We each inputted our individual references and we wrote our reflections. I am so pleased with our final project and it was truly my pleasure working with my partner.
I learned a lot from creating this project that will be of value to me as an elementary social studies teacher. I learned the importance of spending the time to prepare, research, and to be able to provide my students with multiple evidences from a variety of perspectives. I learned the importance of primary evidences. There is a lot of power in reading the words or reading a photo from the original source. I discovered there may not be a straightforward "right" answer in history. I hope the investigation process will encourage my students to think for themselves and to challenge things they learn and read about. My goal is for my students to use this investigative process throughout their lives to make decisions, to vote, and to discover new ideas.
Lorna
I was born in Virginia, so I learned about the Lost Colony of Roanoke in school along with the Jamestown Colony. I don’t know the exact time, whether it was primary or middle school, when I learned about the Lost Colony, but I do remember that I was taught that the colonists had died from disease. It was what I believed all this time before investigating the Lost Colony on my own this semester. Earlier this year, I watched a couple of television series that have mentioned the Lost Colony, so I thought investigating the Lost Colony for our digital museum would be interesting. The television series, too, portrayed the colonists died from disease. However, during my investigation, I found that no one really knows what truly happened to the colonists. Yes, there are many speculations, theories, but there is no concrete answer in the matter.
My research into the Lost Colony has given me the interest to investigate history, which I hope to bring into my classroom as a teacher. I learned the importance of researching many historical accounts and evidences to answer a question about history. My students will learn how to research and analyze history using historical accounts and evidences which will provide a building foundation in their analytical skills. With this, students will be able to continue analyzing other historical accounts or use it in their life and career skills. I chose this historical event because it gives the students the time to investigate the multiple perspectives of historical accounts in which there is no concrete answer. In addition, students will learn how this one event has impacted history along with the effect it has on people, events, and places in today’s society.
In addition to Shannon’s reflection above, I created the home page, the second settlers page along with the names of the colonists, the main theories page, the theories that the colonists found a safe haven with the Croatoan Tribe, attacked by hostile tribes, and integrated with other friendly tribes. Shannon and I also contributed in inputting the geographical maps, the photo and video credits, and the North Carolina Essential Standards. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Shannon, and I am grateful that she allowed me to be creative with our site.
My research into the Lost Colony has given me the interest to investigate history, which I hope to bring into my classroom as a teacher. I learned the importance of researching many historical accounts and evidences to answer a question about history. My students will learn how to research and analyze history using historical accounts and evidences which will provide a building foundation in their analytical skills. With this, students will be able to continue analyzing other historical accounts or use it in their life and career skills. I chose this historical event because it gives the students the time to investigate the multiple perspectives of historical accounts in which there is no concrete answer. In addition, students will learn how this one event has impacted history along with the effect it has on people, events, and places in today’s society.
In addition to Shannon’s reflection above, I created the home page, the second settlers page along with the names of the colonists, the main theories page, the theories that the colonists found a safe haven with the Croatoan Tribe, attacked by hostile tribes, and integrated with other friendly tribes. Shannon and I also contributed in inputting the geographical maps, the photo and video credits, and the North Carolina Essential Standards. I thoroughly enjoyed working with Shannon, and I am grateful that she allowed me to be creative with our site.