A historical account is always better when it comes directly from someone who experienced it, and scientists at USC have come up with a way to offer firsthand accounts to students even after the storyteller is long dead.
Utilizing hologram technology, Holocaust survivors are being recorded and saved so that generations of students will be able to benefit from hearing their stories.
Reporting on the development tech site CNet states, "USC is teaming with the USC Shoah Foundation Institute and design firm Conscience Display to develop installations that let students and others converse with the hyper-photorealistic life-size digital versions of the survivors. Viewers ask questions, and the holograms respond, thanks to Siri-style natural-language technology, also developed at USC, that allows observers to ask questions that trigger relevant, spoken answers."
I start this lesson plan with an admission: I love studying and teaching about the French Indian War. On a personal level, I find it fascinating – the multiple sides, the desire for land expansion, the connection to events on continental Europe and the significance of the outcome to British-American relations. For years, I struggled with how to make the war and its results come alive for my students and really stick for them. In the last few years, I have finally found a lesson plan that...
Discussion and debate in the History classroom are necessary if we want our students to truly engage with the material and think critically about the past. How to generate discussion, however, can serve as a challenge for many educators – particularly in wired classrooms where students are constantly connected to computers or devices. Yes, technology can sometimes serve as an impediment to live discourse. Students, and even teachers, sometimes find it easier to immerse themselves in an...

“We want mindfulness to be as common as brushing your teeth!” – Addie Wootten
The Dalai Lama once said, “if every 8 year old is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.”
Mindfulness has become much more relevant and effective in a constantly changing environment. Clinical...
When visiting classrooms, I often feel for introverts—those who prefer to work alone and gain strength from their own thoughts and ideas. Classrooms have been transformed into collaborative factories, full of teamwork, groupwork, small groups, debates and discussions.
Let me say right off the top, that I believe these configurations are valuable to students and help prepare for them for the work force, which depending on the field and job, more than likely will be designed around...

“Why should there be only one teacher in class? Why not everyone teach and learn?”- Abhijit Sinha
India’s rural schools struggle with high rates of teacher absences and student dropouts. How do you educate youth without sufficient government funding, resources and teachers?
Abhijit Sinha...
Whenever I ask my daughters what they did in school, the answer is they generally took a test.
One day, they sighed and asked me if I had taken that many tests as a child, to which I replied “no.” They then ask me why they have to take so many tests, to which I don’t have any answer.
The testing culture in schools is absurd and shows little signs of slowing. Depending on what report you read, students spend anywhere from 10 to 19 school days each year testing. That number...

“We create a mechanism or an environment made up of a few simple but clear rules. Within this context, the children are free to explore autonomously.” – Alessandro Lumare
Wanted: Learning that nurtures innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship. These skills play an essential role in helping us to...