Remixing History: The Cigar Box Project by Neil Stephenson

Neil Stephenson believes in the power of technology to bring the past into the future. Empowered with 21st century tools, Stephenson’s Grade 7 students reinterpret events from five periods that have shaped Canada’s current historical landscape. Called the Cigar Box Project, Stephenson’s students collect and analyze historical images and artifacts, and then use graphic design principles to digitally assemble new cigar panels, each one revealing a unique, visual perspective of an historical event or time from Canada’s past. At the end of the year, students physically build their wooden Cigar Boxes, creating their own historical artifact that pulls together the story of our country. Along the way, students encounter a variety of assessment practices, create mini-documentaries about their artifacts and meet a number of experts who support their historical learning.