12 01 2007 - Genocide and the Human Voice

FIRST WEB CLASS ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE LAUNCHED: WWW.LEARNGENOCIDE.COM (From Annette Melikian L.A.)
http://www.genocideeducatin.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 with The Genocide Education Project.

"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, providing a global perspective on the subject.

Teachers use the website www.learngenocide.com 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.


The Genocide Education Project is a onprofit,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 resources and organizing educational workshops.

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IMAGE 1: 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.

IMAGE 2: Screenshot: Many assignments are themed. In this one, students use a laptop computer to send an email to Nicole.

PRESS RELEASE

The Genocide Education Project

51 Commonwealth Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94118

(415) 264-4203

info@GenocideEducation.org

www.GenocideEducation.org

www.TeachGenocide.com


Contact: Sara Cohan - sarac@genocideeducation.org

V.V