With education at the core of Georgia Public Broadcasting’s (GPB) mission, the organization has become a leader in providing resources and content for teachers and students, including locally produced, Georgia-specific content and digital media streaming services.
Most recently, GPB launched the Georgia Studies Digital Collection, which encompasses the Georgia Studies Digital Textbook, virtual field trip experiences and online interactive history video games. With the support of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, GPB has been able to expand and enhance the project.
The Georgia Studies Digital Textbook is a comprehensive resource for the more than 120,000 eighth graders studying Georgia history each year. This resource replaces the traditional textbook, Georgia Studies: Our State and the Nation, and was embedded in six Georgia public school districts for the 2016-17 year, including the state’s two largest public school systems – DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties. The Digital Textbook will be added to the curriculum of seven more school systems for the 2017-18 academic year. The materials are also being used by educators in at least nine other states.
The Georgia Studies Digital Collection includes 31 virtual field trip experiences that are available online, as well as through the free GPB Education app on iTunes. GPB worked closely with knowledgeable and engaging historians and tour guides throughout Georgia to create innovative learning experiences exploring the state’s regions, physical features, Native American history, entrepreneurship, history and culture. The virtual field trips align directly with the Georgia Standards of Excellence, as does all of the content from the Georgia Studies Digital Collection.
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he third component of the collection is a pair of interactive online history games that were developed to complement the new resources. Georgia Race Through Time leverages primary source documents, rich historical content, and a unique storyline for an engaging, game-based learning experience. Students help a young girl named Savannah and her dog, Peaches, find historical artifacts hidden in cities and towns all over Georgia. The second game, Guess Who, allows students to test their knowledge of historical figures by guessing the identity of an unknown character based on a series of clues. The games were designed to work across web and mobile platforms and are available both online and via mobile devices.
GPB has conducted over 600 school-based training sessions with teachers across the state of Georgia since August 2015, in support of their use of the digital materials. As a proven leader in digital education, GPB is already looking at other potential digital projects that will enhance student learning both in and out of the traditional classroom setting.
For more information on the Georgia Studies Digital Collection, visit the website.