REFERENCE: Lippitt, L., Bailey, D. (1993). The Hupobi Heritage Project: Multimedia and Authentic Assessment. The Writing Notebook, 10 (4), 28-29, 46.
PRODUCTS: QuickTime (Apple Computer), MacroMedia Director 3.1 (Macromedia)
Description of classroom practice:
CONTEXT: The Hupobi Heritage Project, a collaborative effort between the Santa Fe Indian School and the New Mexico Bureau of Land Management, involved Pueblo Indian youth in a project to interpret their cultural heritage to non-Native Americans. In an effort to provide a Native American perspective to an archeological study, five high school juniors created an interactive multimedia computer display for the Gateway to the Past Museum in New Mexico. Goals for the project included completing a meaningful research project, enhancing English communication skills and using contemporary technology. Also, collaboration with a federal agency was designed for students to explore possible careers, for instance, in photography, videography, history, anthropology, museology and cultural resource management.
The computer exhibit was designed to celebrate the architecture, agriculture, technology and history of an ancient Pueblo village. The archeological ruins are ancestral to the students' community. The task was an "authentic performance assessment" which would be viewed and evaluated by museum visitors for many years to come.
PRACTICE: In June the students began their work with two adults to research the pueblo, photograph artifacts and interview tribal elders, writers and scientists. The second stage was storyboarding the production and developing a pictorial flowchart. Additional student interns were hired in the fall to assist with the technical development of the interactive display. Gaining an appreciation for the efficiency of the technology, they scanned and refined collected images, and digitized, edited and compiled video sequences and audio narration. Their interpretation of the information had to be meaningful, accurate , culturally sensitive, technically strong and visually appealing. The deadline (early October) and public audience were "real." All of these aspects provided a strong incentive and powerful educational experience. "Students were required to show mastery oaf academic skills, problem solve as a cooperative team in a variety of technical areas, and make critical judgments on the accuracy and appropriateness of volumes of information. They scrutinized their work for spelling and grammar errors, and practice reading their text "literally hundreds of times before recording a 'perfect' take." (p. 29) The design process required students to think and learn at the highest cognitive and creative levels.
OUTCOMES/REFLECTIONS: The authors note that the multimedia tools became a vehicle for the application of critical thinking skills which transcended the context of the classroom and standard testing. Outcomes included highlighting student learning. They:
"There was a public celebration of their achievements, acknowledging their competency in technical and academic skills, as well as their personal persistence, creativity, and problem-solving abilities." (p 46 )
[Last Updated October, 1997]
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Linda Lippitt and Doreen Bailey, Santa Fe Indian School, 1501 Cerillos Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501.
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This material was developed by the National Center to Improve Practice (NCIP), located at Education Development Center, Inc. in Newton, Massachusetts. NCIP was funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs from October 1, 1992 - September 30, 1998, Grant #H180N20013. Permission is granted to copy and disseminate this information. If you do so, please cite NCIP. Contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by NCIP, EDC, or the U.S. Government. This site was last updated in September 1998.
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