PRESS RELEASE
The Genocide Education Project
51 Commonwealth Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 264-4203
[email protected]
www.GenocideEd ucation.com
Contact: Sara Cohan – [email protected]
FIRST WEB CLASS ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAUNCHED:
http://www.genocideeducation .org/pr/2007/01_10_2007.htm
San Francisco, CA, January 10, 2007 – The Genocide Education Project has
launched Genocide and the Human Voice: Nicole’s Journey, the first
online classroom about the Armenian Genocide.
Genocide and the Human Voice: Nicole’s Journey uses contemporary
learning technology and methodologies to provide a stand-alone lesson
students attend online. Recognizing the limited amount of class-time
school teachers have compared to the many important and required topics
they must address, The Genocide Education Project created an opportunity
for high school teachers to introduce their students to the history of
the Armenian Genocide, without having to devote full class time to it.
This Internet lesson fulfills the World History curriculum requirements
of the 11 U.S. states which currently require instruction on this
important history. The online class is also designed to be used as
supplemental coursework for curriculum on Armenian Genocide.
"This online lesson brings the first genocide of the 20th century into
the education system of the 21st century," stated Sara Cohan, Education
Director. "We believe that the more we make up-to-date, quality
educational options available to teachers, the more they will choose to
include the Armenian Genocide in their course curriculum."
Through the voice of Dr. Nicole Vartanian, Genocide and the Human Voice:
Nicole’s Journey provides a background to the history of the Armenian
Genocide and the effects genocide denial on subsequent generations.
Based on Nicole’s real life journey to her grandmother’s village in
Eastern Turkey, the lesson illustrates the continued pain that genocide
brings and the fortitude of those searching for truth. After an
introduction to the history of the Armenian Genocide and Nicole’s
grandmother’s moving story of survival, the lesson walks students
through a series of emails that Nicole sent her mother describing her
many observations and thoughts as she undertook her journey.
The plan concludes with "The Eight Stages of Genocide," created by Dr.
Gregory Stanton, president of Genocide Watch, a non-profit organization
committed to predict, prevent, stop, and punish genocide and other forms
of mass murder. Using the events of the Armenian Genocide as a case
study, students learn the common stages of all genocides, proving a
global perspective on the subject.
Teachers use the website to create an online
classroom, assigning students a private log-in name and password to
access the lesson plan section of the site. Once students have
completed the assignments, they are stored online for teachers to access
at a later date.
The readings and assignments are geared toward high school students and
mature middle school students. Each section includes an assignment
composed of short answer questions and a writing component. Students
read and listen to historical text, survivor testimony and a variety of
other material giving them a better understanding of genocide and its
impact on a nation of people and its future.
Created by the award-winning web design company, Infivia Communication
Visuelle, of Montreal, Canada, the lesson employs the latest interactive
web features, including segments in which Nicole is heard reading her
emails to her mother, cell phone conversations, and other material,
engaging and suitable for high school students.
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The Genocide Education Project is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3)
organization that assists educators in teaching about human rights and
genocide, particularly the Armenian Genocide, by developing and
distributing instructional materials, providing access to teaching
resources and organizing educational workshops.
IMAGES:
– Screenshot: Students interact with the Lesson Plan using various
devices. The cell phone is used by Nicole to send voicemails about her
journey and guide students through their assignments.
– Screenshot: Many assignments are themed. In this one, students use a
laptop computer to send an email to Nicole.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
