Many Americans had been glued to the television or were watching from rooftops as news of the explosion of the first World Trade Center tower came in. News cameras focused their lenses on thick, dark smoke billowing from the high rise as reporters tried to make sense of the accident. Within minutes, however, the world watched in astonishment as another jet liner descended from the sky and crashed into the second tower. The shock, confusion and amazement were undeniable.
The events of 9/11 have left an indelible mark on the American culture. The images of the attacks and ensuing chaos and rescue operations were captured live on news, surveillance and personal cameras. Audio of screaming victims, rescue crews putting their lives at risk, hijacked passengers planning their own fate and even the terrorists themselves still inundate the internet.
These images and recordings leave a media history of one of the world’s most devastating and disturbing attacks. However, they also reflect the state of the modern world, its technological capabilities and connectivity.
In this assignment you will create a video timeline history of the 9/11 attacks and ensuing events. Using various online video resources, students will locate video links that show the events of 9/11 and beyond as they happened. Each student will place the link or embed the video on a slideshow presentation slide and write a short paragraph describing the event and the source of the video. Please address each of the following prompts for each video:
- What event is the video showing?
- What is the source of the video you are showing?
- What is the video showing? What stands out about it?
- Based on the reaction of the videographer, what is the impact of the event on the people describing it and viewing it?
- Why did you select this particular video or event?
Please provide one video to illustrate five of the indicated events below, with at least one event from each column. You will locate a total of five different videos to represent the five events you select. Each event will have one slide with the video linked or embedded onto the slide and a short paragraph answering the questions above
| September 11, 2001 | Beyond 9/11 |
| The Collision in the 1st Tower | Ground Zero, the rescue efforts and search for the missing |
| The 2nd Plane Hits | al-Qaeda was responsible |
| The Pentagon or the Pennsylvania Crash | Invasion of Afghanistan |
| The Towers Collapse | |
| President Bush addresses America |