Georgia Flashback: A learning tool for Georgia students

Submitted by Teresa Lotti (tlotti@dot.ga.gov)

UPDATE: The link to this game no longer exists, so following a link in this article is useless.

The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) includes in its mission statement a provision for environmental stewardship, and the Office of Environmental Services, Cultural Resources Section fulfills this mission through a variety of projects and public outreach initiatives. One such initiative is Georgia Flashback, which was designed to complement an archaeological mitigation. The game was conceived and developed by GDOT archaeologist, Teresa Lotti and GDOT historian, Sandy Lawrence, but could not have been realized without the help of the Federal Highway Administration (Atlanta Division), Georgia Department of Education, consultant programmers, and prominent Georgia statesmen and athletes.

Guided by the new Georgia Performance Standards (GPS), Georgia Flashback was developed to enhance the 8th grade Georgia history curriculum through a medium that would capture the imagination of children while providing a meaningful learning experience. For teachers, the game is flexible as it can be used to enhance the value of instruction for individual periods of history during the course of the school year or it can be used in its entirety at the end of the school year to gauge how much a student has learned. In addition, the website includes lesson plans and thorough “Learn More” sections to supplement curriculum.

Georgia Flashback’s official roll-out is August 2011. Incoming 8th graders in every public school across Georgia will be introduced to the game through a poster featuring President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter, Congressman John Lewis, and Olympic gold medalist Angelo Taylor. Through Georgia Flashback, GDOT hopes to inspire a long lasting appreciation for Georgia and its storied history.

Visit the Georgia Flashback website for lesson plans and more information. Playing Georgia Flashback requires software that runs Flash animation. Download a Georgia Flashback poster by clicking here (4.2 mb).

Posted online on Saturday, July 30th, 2011

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