Spreadsheet Integration Project

For this blog entry I reviewed Ms. Eichelberger's "Warlords of Japan" project. I found the project to be interesting although I have my doubts as to how education can be obtained without the use of books. For the project Ms. Eichelberger ordered a kit on-line. The kit contained the necessary materials for her class to participate in a 3-week long project designed to inform the students about feudal Japan through the use of quizzes and spreadsheets. The students were devided into groups ("Castles" named after different Japanese cities). The object was to gain wealth, through correct answers on quizzes and assignments, from the instructor (the "Emperor") to buy armies and attack other "Castles" to gain the Shogunate.

I think that this set up could easily be adapted to a Western Civ history class to teach about alliances and and the political situation in Europe up to and during World War I. The "Castles" in the Japan example could be various European countries. The student groups could form alliances and conduct "battle" through quizzes and assignments with the ultimate goal being the domination of Europe.