TouchCast Manifest Destiny Project

Student Historians demonstrated how five events from the early-to-mid 1800s proved the idea of Manifest Destiny, the justification Americans had for land acquisition "from sea to shining sea". They used Touch Cast to create news stories demonstrating their knowledge.

My Student Teacher and I had never used it with a class before but I'm proud to say that she took a risk with this new technology and it was successful! Most of the students had never used it before, either, but all quickly learned how to navigate the site. One of the biggest tips learned was the importance of having a green screen to make the final project look more professional. We have 2 green screens in the building but Ms. Berger was resourceful and make a few more paper screens (which we will hang up and save for future projects). 


Time management for the project was very good--the few groups that finished early were given the real-life task of creating a "dos and don'ts for Touch Cast" for other teachers in the building to refer to--the project got some positive attention while students were working on it in the hallways! One student took the project a step further and dressed like a cowboy all day yesterday in order to prepare for his role!

Project-based learning, Wild West style!

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