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History/English Bm Q4

Posted by Elona Myftaraj in American History - Laufenberg on
This is the link to my english/history benchmark:​

http://www.schooltube.com/video/61cf8c2ea795813c9adc/EnglishHistory-BM-FINAL

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gmsj53QoARs

 Reflection :

My favorite part of the project has creating my own history. Originally I thought "Hey I know a lot about WW1, lets do something about that" only to find out I was kidding myself. Yes, I knew a lot about WW1 but nothing compared to what I learned through this project, I think that one of the most challenging things for me were coming up with my own history, I enjoyed it the most but also had the hardest time coming up with what primary source documents I was going to make, and whether to make the US the good guy, or the bad guy, it was a long thought process.
I think that one of the most interesting facts I learned was that the man in charge of hiring and preparing the assassination of Franz Ferdinand archduke of Austria-Hungary, was the chief of the intelligence department of the Serbian army, Dragutin Dimitrijevic, whom surly enough was also the leader of "the black hand," "the name of a secret military society in the Serbian army in the kingdom of Serbia." I learned that the actions of one individual make a huge difference, especially since World War one started because of the murder of an individual, and because of the man that pulled the trigger. Systematic changes impact our history by determining and effecting the way of life of not only an individual but for the whole nation. One decision in history can be so influential that it leads man to do from the unthinkable acts to the most kind and gentle, two perfect examples of this are, Hitler and Mother Teresa. 
I really enjoyed working on this project, I learned a lot through it. I think that if I included music in the final presentation it would have helped a lot, there are a lot of silent pieces and I thought they would have been good for dramatic effect, but I'm not sure if everyone will think of it the same way I do. If I had a do over one thing I would change about my process would be my organizing the information I gathered, if I had done so from the beginning I wouldn't have as much of a panic when it came time to put everything together.

What If : Trail of Tears

Posted by Markia Johnson in American History - Laufenberg on
​​My Project 

My Sources 
  • What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?

     I think the most challenging part of the part  of this project was actually finding something to change and then put it together.

  • Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.

    One of the more interesting things in this project that i investigated was the assimilation of choctaw indians. They really tried to blend and adopt our culture. Even though they did this they still were not accepted.

  • How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?

    One person can change the course of a whole event. Making their impact a large one on society and history.

     
  • How do systemic changes impact the historical record?

    If a system changes then there has to be adjustment within the rest of the system. If any part goes without adjustment then a part of the historical record could be lost.
  • How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?
    One decision as well as one person can change history very dramatically. This one thing can change a historical landscape completely. 
  • How could this project be improved?

    I think my project could be better if my design was a little better looking and if i had more sources.

  • If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?

    I would have gone over my idea with Ms.laufenburg a little more and i also would have chosen a different subject . Along with that i would have tried to make my sources look more professional or ask for more help

What if John Mayer

Posted by Basheer Lewis in American History - Laufenberg on
Link to the story


    •    What did you like about this project?I enjoyed the freedom to do whatever we felt like doing at the time. What was most challenging?Picking what do while staying in the guidelines of the project 
     •    Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.
In interesting history of the English people many things I thought would take year to do they got done in no time.     •    How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?
They impact is heavy and lite in different areas but it's really the event that do the impact.     •    How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?
One decision can change history.If one major event is changed the historical landscape could be upside down.      •    How could this project be improved?
Not much maybe more of a storytelling element the people that wrote a story could possible say they are feeling more of the english part of the project.      •    If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project? Nothing really I just say remember to say on top of the deadline of the project

393px-Treaty_of_Paris_1783_-_last_page_(hi-res)
393px-Treaty_of_Paris_1783_-_last_page_(hi-res)

Benchmark and Reflection

Posted by Christine Walden in Globalization - Laufenberg on
Benchmark!: ​
Here it is.

Reflection:
What did you find most challenging about this project?
I found the most challenging aspect of this project to be first sitting down and simply starting than determining the validity of certain choices. I remember distinctly choosing a few that I felt were somewhat like "cheating" when in fact it simply highlighted the global nature of globalization.

How did you go about collecting the images or selecting the images?
I spent one morning wandering about with camera attempting to capture globalization. I imagine I looked a great deal like crazed tourist unfamiliar with the popular landmarks. After a short break, I decided the other somewhat more logical choice of thinking of the sites I wished to photograph before leaving the comfort of home.

Which image is your favorite? Why? Elaborate.
My favorite image was the safety image. It was a lovely morning when I took the picture and now each time I look upon it, I think only of the pleasantness of that morning. I am sorry, as this is probably not the answer you were looking for but it is the only one I have. Well, I should amend- the only one I will happily give for it is the only that is true.

How prevalent is the evidence of globalization in Philadelphia? Do you think it is more or less so (evident) than in other large cities in the US? Why Why not?
I think that globalization is quite prevalent in Philadelphia. I think that all large cities in the United States have similarly levels. This project showed how deeply ingrained globalization has become in our cullture and I think if we were to do this project in any other large cities we would find similar results. Granted, the overall amount may be the same but there may be some differences on the more specific levels. (Other cities may not have as high a Hispanic population or an Italian market, etc.)

No repeal of the Prohibition

Posted by Delesha Jackson in American History - Laufenberg on
To see my project click here. For this project I decided to see what the country would be like with out the repeal of the prohibition.


Reflection:

The part that I liked about this project was it's originality and how you could basically do anything you wanted. But at the same time that was what I didn't like about it. I wasn't sure how I was going to present the project and what I was going to do the project on, it was so broad. The thing I found most interesting was that my topic could have changed an election. FDR was liked for his ability to please the people and not repealing the prohibition would not have been good for him. Well depending on the person their actions impacts a lot on history. But then that does make sense because if the country gives you enough power to influence something then of course something will change history. Since people depend on the system it always will impact something historical. This project could be improved if you gave a list of things that people could do and try to have them not create so many sources. I would probably change my topic because even though it seemed a little fun and interestingly good it turned out not to be as interesting and not fun.



What if Fred Vinson had lived through Brown vs. Board?

Posted by Ayanna Robinson in American History - Laufenberg on
​
  • What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?
    I liked that I had free control to change something in history. It gave me the opportunity to choose something I was passionate about and change it to my liking. On the flip side, it was hard to pick something to change that would give me the outcome I wanted.
  • Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.
    Although I had studied Brown vs Board several times I was unaware that the judge died in the middle of deciding the verdict. I was also unaware of how esteemed he was. 
  • How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?
    They impact it in a small way at first but it's like a butterfly effect. One person's absence may start a whirl wind of change. 
  • How do systemic changes impact the historical record?
    These can change history quickly and easily but maybe not in the expected fashion.
  • How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?
    One decision can totally change history. This case would have changed history regardless but my version of it was a completely new America.
  • How could this project be improved?
    I feel as though there wasn't enough english in this. I'm not sure how the storytelling part could be improved but thats what I would change.
  • If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?
    Rather than deciding how I wanted 2011 to be first I should have brainstormed ways the initial change could alter history.

    Link To My PDFs
cover
Anabellia Academy
curfew
Dionna White Middle School
school closin letter talk about it
Hobbes School of Music and Arts
banned book graduations court cases
Davis Johnson School
donna wallace
Nadie Preschool

If Bill Clinton Hadn't Been Impeached

Posted by Aaron Johnson in American History - Laufenberg on
Here is the link to my quarter 4 benchmark. For my project I decided to take a closer look at Bill Clinton's presidency and find the pivotal moment that caused his impeachment in 1998, then discard that crucial moment in history and explain what would have changed afterwards. 

Reflection:
Overall this was a pretty exciting project for me. I enjoyed the fact that my classmates and I were given freedom in that we were able to choose our own point of divergence and tell our own story. At first I had a difficult time finding a topic that interested me enough to want to keep digging for more and more resources. One question that really explains my topic of choice is How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape? This is key in my quarter 4 benchmark project because the decision to impeach President Bill Clinton changed history for a number of reasons that are explored on my website. Changing that decision would have made a substantial difference in the United States' history in the past 13 years. If I was to do this project over again I think I would probably choose a topic or point of divergence from further back in time because the changes would be even more profound.  

What If.. Osama Died in the 1980s.

Posted by Samuel Sirochman in American History - Laufenberg on
  • I enjoyed this project because it allowed to me to show the world the direction I wish America would go in without pushing my opinions on anyone else. The most challenging obstacle was overcoming my fear of "What if I do this? Then someone saying well that's not how it would've happened. The project really showed me that the world is a lot more like teenagers in high school, than it would be like adults. In my project, I have one person completely changing the way the past 30 years happens, and he isn't even American. Systemic change causes the history of everything to be altered, because all we really have is within one system or another and if we change one little event, it could start the snowball effect. This project could be improved by.. I don't really know this was a well designed project. Maybe turn this into a quarter long project, the first half being about making your change, then the second half being grouping up with 3 or 4 others and seeing debating how the world would change if we all did our events. If I had to change my process, I would find different sources, less about Osama and more about Middle East relations.
View the Newspaper online.

What If America Lost?

Posted by Yadierys Angeles in American History - Laufenberg on
What I liked about this project was finding out more about my birthplace, Puerto Rico. I found some really interesting facts about it that I had never been told before. What was most challenging, though, was finding out how one thing might affect another. I spent hours just researching how America not having PR could affect the both of them. The most interesting fact I found was that the U.S tried to buy PR from Spain for 160 billion dollars. I was amazed at how a land, a culture, my own people could have a price tag. Everything is connected like a chain. One event happens, and it affects the entire thing. A person could decide to be at the wrong/right place at the wrong/right time and the entire world could change. One decision could create or make other lives including nature.

I'm not certain how this project could be improved. I didn't have any problems with the project itself. But if I had to do it over, I would probably focus a little more on America and how they're affected as opposed to only focusing on Puerto Rico.

This is the link to my website, I'm sorry it's a dropbox link.

What if? Urban Music QWhite

Posted by Qyidir White in American History - Laufenberg on

·  What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?

One thing I like about this project is that it showed everybody true creativity. Giving us a project where we could have changed a part of history of our choice was truly amazing.  The most challenging part was creating points of diversion. I had to go into point of different point of people life and change the outcome. It was hard to  change something that had a big on peoples lives.

 

·  Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.

Rapper Little Wayne when he was only 12 years of age shot him self in the chest with a 9 mm gun owned by his stepfather. He hit his chest only 2inches away from his heart. I didn’t know that about him until reading biography .

·  How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?

Action of individuals have a big impact on historical record depending on who you are. If you somebody important people are going t care what’s going with you.

·  How do systemic changes impact the historical record?

Same way as any other change If people care about whats changing it would have a impact on them but it means nothing if people don’t care.

·  How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?

A lot because lets say look at the oil spill  if the person who owned the company had reacted when he first saw the oil spill then when it got big, what would have happen there no would been as much damage.

·  How could this project be improved?

If I could have been there at my points of deversion to actually see what happen and then change the outcome it would have been so much more detailed.

·  If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?

Do something that had nothing to do with somebody creativity, because if one person didn’t do it for sure somebody might have came up with it afterwards.

Q4 Benchmark luaf

What If Emmett Till lived

Posted by Tyler Hankinson in American History - Laufenberg on
​My project changes the traffic death of the young boy murdered in 1955 for a cause that was not worth it my presentation will expose the cruelty of the south and how he would have helped change it if he would have survived. This project had a deep affect on me because of the research it made me search my grandmother was a teenager when this event happend and she gave me me insight as to how it felt to live and that time and to here the events that took place the way she feels and i feel are totally different but are the same in a way because my reaction was how could people be like that ,and her reaction was a more emotional approach ''Again
WWW.001
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WWW.004
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WWW.002

English/History BM

Posted by Rick Kinard in American History - Laufenberg on
MY Prezi
 I think the most challenging part of the part  of this project was coming up with the point of deviance what would change if it happened. I thing the most interesting fact about my project is probably the us makes history in the presidential election by electing Rice.  
Created primary source docs:
 
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Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986

Posted by Natalie Sanchez in American History - Laufenberg on
Natalie Sanchez 
6/7/11
History BM reflection:
 My favorite part of this project was being given the opportunity to change the course of American history. This was exiting to me because it gave me the chance to play with history. It was like opening a new toy; I got to play with it and see the different things that could happen. The most difficult part of this benchmark was picking a point in history that I wanted to change. There were so many points to choose from, so it was very hard for me to decide. Once I picked my topic, however, it was harder to come up with a story of how America changed because of this historical modification. I had to do a lot of research on my subject just to understand it fully, and once I had a pretty good grasp on the subject, I started to brainstorm how changing its outcome would affect American history. It was a very hard and tedious task to come up with a point in American history, change it, and rewrite how things turned out in America. 
Though the project was tedious and took a lot of time, I learned some pretty interesting things during my researching phase. The most interesting fact that I found during this process was that the Northeast and Mid west states were once rust belt states. Rust belt states were areas that were heavily populated with foreign factory workers. These Rust belt supported the democratic party, while the Southern and Western states mostly supported the Republican party. Their votes reflected their ideals, as the foreigner, impoverished workers of the Rust belt states wanted immigration reform, while the American citizens that lived in the Western and Southern regions of America were very patriotic, and therefore, did not support immigration reform. 
In this project, I learned that the decision that one person makes can have a large scale affect. For example, in the 1980's, Reagan had the most influence on the issue of immigration in American because he was the one who decided if the Immigration Reform and Control Act or (IRCA) of 1986 was to become an act or not. I made it so that he vetoed the IRCA of 1986. Consequentially, our economy changed drastically, as we are suffering a huge depression, and live in a country where the unemployment rate has increased 75% what is used to be in 1986, when the decision of vetoing the IRCA of 1986 was initially made. These things only occur in my history of course, but it just goes to show you that the decision that one person makes created a domino affect that will eventually affect a bigger aspect. The decision that Reagan made allowed U.S. legalization to a considerable amount of hard-working immigrants and made sure that they received the wages that they deserved, as neutralized U.S. citizens. Not only this, but it also helped our economy. This is a good example of the effects of systematic change. 
One change in decision can change the whole course of history. One decision can lead to a huge change in the United States. It was Madam Curie's decision to study physics that allowed her to discovery the therapeutic properties of Radium, as it treated malignant tumors. It was young man's decision to shoot the arch duke of France that sparked WWI. As mentioned before, these small decisions create a domino affect that change the whole course of American history. 
If I could do this project again, I would start building my website a week prior to the due date of the Benchmark. This way, I would avoid all of the stress that comes with the work of putting all of my individual components of the Benchmark together into one multimedia presentation. My project can be better in the its presentation aspect. If I were to do this project again, I would improve my website by adding embellishments and more color to it. This would make my website more attractive, therefore, increasing its presentation quality.  

Here is the link to my website.

Nat Turner Rebellion

Posted by Douglas Wallace in American History - Laufenberg on
Dollar What if Nat Turner Didn't get Caught?








Citations: 

Gray, Thomas R. "Natturner." Wake Forest University. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.wfu.edu/~zulick/340/natturner.html>.



"The Nat Turner Rebellion." History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/6811>.

In this project I liked how we were able to re-create history. There weren't any limitation which made the project that much more interesting and that much more challenging. The hard part was that because of the infinite things to do, there were infinite outcomes that you had to think about.

Specifically when it comes to my project, because I changed something that happened so long ago it was hard finding evidence to draw a reasonable conclusion. Whilst doing my research I discovered that Nat Turner believed he was a prophet. Nat Turner was very religious and intelligent which was rare for a black man in his time.

Nat Turner was the leader of a rebellion which failed however his actions lead to the massacre of hundreds of black men and women. What I did was I took what Nat Turner did, made it different and caused more of a systematic change. Nat Turner himself created controversy between the north and south. His rebellion and slaves escaping to the north created tension. The relationship between north and south grew sour causing war. The decisions of Nat caused a war.

I believe that I could improve on this project with more assembly time and research on other character in my story. If I could redo this project i would research Martin Van Buren because he played a major role in my story too. The research I did was sufficient but I would rather have a more in depth look at the man.



Douglas Final

What If? Taking the power out of the NAACP

Posted by Brittany Riggins in American History - Laufenberg on
what if Prezi

What I liked about the project was the same thing that I disliked about the project. For this project we got to choose the topic and the way in which we would present the information that I have found I liked this because it gave us the freedom to be in charge of what we wanted to do, but at the same time I rather do things that have a rubric and specific steps to follow because I find it easier that way. When I was doing my research the most interesting fact that I found was that most of the people who were already involved in the NAACP were people who did not have a lot of power but had more of a faith in what their organization stood for which created power. I like this because I thought before I need the project the only reason why the group got anything done was due to the fact that there was power in the group but that did not turn out to be the case, which made my hypothesis not entirely factual so this added a twist to my project.  The actions of specific individuals is made up of the reasons why the historical record is impacted, for instance if Martin Luther King Jr. was not born this would have made a huge impact on the historical record which would be changing the record completely. Also the way in which historical events happen is different too because if something happened before the time it was suppose to happen that could make sense. One decision can influence historical events because usually when things happened back then then that stirred up a whole chain of events. Throughout the project I had a certain way that I wanted the project to look like and a certain way that I wanted to story to be told, if I could have improved anything for the project it would be the way I choose to present it. If I could do it all over I would like to have more of a solid topic when I first started I had two topics in mind so it took me a while to start the actual process of getting the project started. So I felt like with research and other things I had to rush a little but I am still happy with the final product.   


Mstuart Quarter 4 Benchmark

Posted by Marina Stuart in American History - Laufenberg on
Here is a link to my website which tells the story of what life would be like if congress had not passed the Us Copyright Term Extension Act in 1998.

Reflection:
Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.
-One of the most interesting facts was that many classic disney characters would have gone into public domain and would have been able to be ued by anyone.  Also lots of other works would have gone in too, such has Gone With The Wind and Early Ernest Hemingway works
How do the actions of individuals impact the historical record?
-In the real world the law would have never been passed if not for the work of Mary Bono, wife of Sonny Bono who originally wanted the bill.  If not for their actions, and those of Disney my hypothetical situation might have come true.
How do systemic changes impact the historical record?
-In my hypothetical situation, one of the main reason the law did not pass was because the public was against it for seeming to unconstitutional. Even though in real times this happened it was not to such a great extent that it stopped the law from passing.
How influential can one decision be in the historical landscape?
Hugely influential, with out some key acts in history, events could be drastically changed. One good vvisual example of this was in the movie "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" Where he goes through the last five minutes before someone got hit by a car and all the way it could have been avoided. 
How could this project be improved?
I believe if we had been allowed to use the 60's era there would have been more events to choice from.  However I enjoyed the project and think it's really great.
If you had it to do over, what would you change about your process for the project?
I would have chosen an event that had a greater impact of society then mine.  I also would have something older.

POD: Huey Newton/ Black Panther Party

Posted by Nadif Bracey in American History - Laufenberg on
Here is my project.

This has been a very interesting benchmark. This has been the most difficult to process to me and I still feel like I am not getting the assignment. Creating primary source docs for my project has been confusing me until today. Finding existing primary source documents were easy for me since the earliest date of my project is in the late 60's. I decided to pick Huey Newton as my point of divergence because I not only wanted to think of a different outcome, but dive into the information and history associated with him. I liked that we had the ability to choose our own Point of Divergence because it helped us be more creative and original. The challenging part for me was when I had to put all my information into one easy to follow presentation. I decided to use Prezi because it was visually pleasing and adds "pop" to a project. It is amazing to see how one individual action can impact the outcome of a nation. I could of improved my project by adding more created documents and going in-depth on the present day outcome of my Point of Divergence. If I had to do it over I would change the time it took me to complete this assignment. This was the first time I was a little concerned about getting my assignment completed on time. 







​ Works Cited

Baggins, Brian. "Black Panther Party." Marxists Internet Archive. 19 May 2002. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/>.

Cassidy, Mike. "A Short History of FBI COINTELPRO." Albion Monitor. Monitor.com, 26 May 1996. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.albionmonitor.com/9905a/jbcointelpro.html>.

Fields, Sean. "Today In Black History: Huey Newton." Y.E.B. Blogspot, 17 Feb. 2010. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://yebies.blogspot.com/2010/02/today-in-black-history-huey-newton.html>.

Hintz, Dani. "The Story of Black Panther Huey P. Newton Has as Much Resonance and Relevance Today as It Did in the '60s. | Miscellany." Style Weekly - Richmond, VA Local News, Arts, and Events. Style Weekly, 1 Jan. 1991. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.styleweekly.com/richmond/the-story-of-black-panther-huey-p-newton-has-as-much-resonance-and-relevance-today-as-it-did-in-the-60s/Content?oid=1388364>.

"Huey P. Newton :: Philosophy :: Lumpenproletariat - Social Justice Wiki." Main Page - Social Justice Wiki. 14 Feb. 2004. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://socialjustice.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/index.php/Huey_P._Newton_::_Philosophy_::_Lumpenproletariat>.

"New Black Panther Party for Self Defense: Introduction." ADL: Fighting Anti-Semitism, Bigotry and Extremism. ADL, 1 June 2011. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.adl.org/main_Extremism/new_black_panther_party.htm>.

Tyehimba:, Cheo. "IKR | Timeline: KEY EVENTS IN BLACK PANTHER HISTORY." I've Known Rivers The MoAD Diaspora Stories Project. Known Rivers, 5 Apr. 2006. Web. 07 June 2011. <http://www.iveknownrivers.org/read-2.0.php?id=125>.

 

Gina Dukes Q4 Benchmark

Posted by Gina Dukes in American History - Laufenberg on
This is the link to my website that details how America would be today if the Supreme court did not decide that "separate but equal" was unconstitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education case. The point of divergence that I focused on was instead of dying, Chief of Justice Fred M. Vinson lives and Earl Warren does not take his place, therefore Vinson is alive to rule against Brown in the case.

My Reflection:


What I liked about this project is that we were given complete freedom of which point in history to focus on. Also, I loved the fact that we were given the power to change the course of American history to anything that we wanted. The most challenging thing about this project was focusing on completing it in the midst of working on other projects that had to be completed. I am also a huge procrastinator, so it was a challenge for me to complete everything on time. The most interesting fact that there were many cases similar to Brown v. Board of Education, however, the NAACP chose to have Oliver Brown present his case because they felt that his character was very respectable and would give them a good chance of having a verdict in their favor.

In my project, the actions of a few individuals had a major impact on the course of American history. Once Martin Luther King Jr., Kivie Kaplan and Malcolm X joined to fund three schools in the segregated American South that was specifically for Blacks, they set off a Renaissance in Education in which Blacks fought hard to receive the same quality education as Whites. The systematic changes impact the historical record in a momentous way as well, because once segregation was deemed constitutional in the Brown v. Board of Education case, it lasted for a few decades in the United States until Blacks began to reach the same economic and education standards as Whites and President Clinton abolished segregation in 1995.One decision can greatly influence the course of history. As shown in my project, the Brown v. Board of Education case rocked America and determined the role of African Americans for years to come.

 I think that this project could have been improved if students were allowed to choose the number of primary sources they needed to make for each new event, instead of their being a minimum of 2.If I had to do it over again, I would not procrastinate as much and I would also put more effort into my primary sources.

What if Project: Attack of Pearl Harbor

Posted by Anna Roman in American History - Laufenberg on

For this project we had to take an event in history and pick a certain point in that event and change it and see what other events that would change because that one event was different. For my project I chose to do it on The Attack of Pearl Harbor, the POD(point of divergence) I chose was that the radio system was working, because it wasn't, and they were able to warn the naval base in time for them to be prepared for the attack.

I really liked how we got to choose our own topic for the project, though at times it was a bit difficult finding exactly what to do, it was still nice knowing there wasn't really a boundary you could do whatever you wanted with it. The most challenging part I think was trying to figure out the different events that would change because of the moment I changed. So like the outcome of it all was kind of difficult to determine, because you really had to research what really happened, what was the outcome of that and even what was happening before. Because you had to change it all, depending on if that moment would change it.

The most interesting fact that I investigated and found out was actually two things. The first one was actually the moment I changed which was that the whole reason Pearl Harbor didn't get the warning from Washington D.C in time was because the radio wasn't working so they had to find a different way to reach the men at Pearl Harbor, which I didn't know. The second thing I found interesting was one of the reason Japan attacked the naval base, maybe the biggest reason, which was because the U.S cut Japan off from the oil resource, which I wasn't aware about either. So those two things I thought were really cool because they clarified a lot of what happened for me and actually became the main points of my project.

It still amazes me that one moment in and event can flip around so much. From one decision in battle to a radio not working, it effects a lot of events after it. I remember one of my classmates saying this in class and it really stuck in my head. They said it was almost like dominoes falling, like a chain reaction, you knock one down which then knocks another down and then another and so on. One little moment in history changes one thing which can change another and this whole chain reaction starts.

I think the project itself was good, but maybe when explaining what to do for the project having an example of work that a previous student had done. That way the students can build off that with ideas and fully understand what the teachers are looking for in the project.

If I had to do this project over I would defiantly ask for more help with the research portion, I feel like even though I research a lot, I got stuck at certain parts with deciding what the different outcomes are going to be like or what moment would be good to focus on. Maybe organize my time better and defiantly no facebook while doing homework.

To see my finish product:

1)  Just click the picture at the bottom (download)


2) Or go to this LINK
PEARL HARBOR POD

English/History Changing History BM

Posted by Brenda Chhin in American History - Laufenberg on


    English and History decides once again to collide benchmarks to make the season easier for us. Our assignment was to identify a point in American History in which we are interested in and change it which would include a point of divergence and 3 new events that proceeds it. I actually enjoyed working on this project. Although it required much research and thinking, the process of it, after knowing the actual history, wasn't as bad. While researching, one of the most interesting events or facts that I've found was William Wilberforce who wanted to abolish slavery because the section in the Declaration of Independence that mentioned slavery was not accepted by southerners who've attended the congress meeting. I believe I made it harder on myself choosing an event in history that the Declaration of Independence was not accepted. When I thought about it, it was simple-minded ideas but you had to make sure your new events would actually fit with history. That being said, for future references, I would not choose the Declaration of Independence to not be written which had a big impact on history and 2011 today. 

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B1Sp_1P7HIJJNTQ0ODU2M2YtOGMzMy00ZjdlLWE0MmYtMmYxYTA1NmIxNzFl&hl=en_US



Bach Q4 final product

Posted by Bach Tong in American History - Laufenberg on
Click here for the final product


Click here for the bibliography

My project was focused on the social changes that would result from Great Society plan of Johnson in the scenario of JFK was still alive. The point of divergence focused on the "what if" of JFK's signing of the Foreign Assistance act of 1962. 

The project was enjoyable toward the end, not as same as it was irritating and mysterious in the beginning. The most challenging part was when I began to think about events that would be emerging as result of the POD. I had a hard time to find event that would logically fit with that point in history. Beside that, making the primary source was quite an amusing journey. I was able to be the history writer, where I could decide history and talk bad about people while still can be viewed as a valuable primary source. It was interesting how sometimes however I  modified the event, it almost impossible to not let it happened. If I had to do it over, I would love to start it earlier, and create more primary sources. 





What If....

Posted by Tyrone Kidd in American History - Laufenberg on
What if Chinese Immigration never existed. That is the point of diversion I did for this project. The most challenging part of this project was the history behind this finding information, about this project; history about chinese immigration.  Honestly if I had more time to do this project i would totally revamp the entire thing.  I've never knew anything about the project, even this might seem a bit awkward, but I never actually knew about World War II ending with an atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. The impact that the Chinese people have made in the United States are the fact that the majority of the consumers in america, the major companies are owned by Chinese. Major shoe companies  the manufacturing comes from Asia. So thats like a huge impact in America's  International trade routes. 

This project could improve, just by me going back a lil further in time to make this more informative and it would also help my point of diversion much much more.  

http://prezi.com/opnxukz94id9/chinesse-immigration/

<div class="prezi-player"><style type="text/css" media="screen">.prezi-player { width: 450px; } .prezi-player-links { text-align: center; }</style><object id="prezi_opnxukz94id9" name="prezi_opnxukz94id9" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" width="450" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf"/><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"/><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"/><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff"/><param name="flashvars" value="prezi_id=opnxukz94id9&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"/><embed id="preziEmbed_opnxukz94id9" name="preziEmbed_opnxukz94id9" src="http://prezi.com/bin/preziloader.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="450" height="400" bgcolor="#ffffff" flashvars="prezi_id=opnxukz94id9&amp;lock_to_path=0&amp;color=ffffff&amp;autoplay=no&amp;autohide_ctrls=0"></embed></object><div class="prezi-player-links"><p><a title="" href="http://prezi.com/opnxukz94id9/chinese-immigration/">Chinese Immigration</a> on <a href="http://prezi.com">Prezi</a></p></div></div>​