artifact

(noun)

An object, such as a tool, weapon, or ornament, of archaeological or historical interest, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.

Related Terms

Examples of artifact in the following topics:

  • Paleolithic Artifacts

    • The Paleolithic era has a number of artifacts that range from stone, bone, and wood tools to stone sculptures.
    • Surviving artifacts of the Paleolithic era are known as paleoliths.
    • There has been much dispute among scholars over the terming of early prehistoric artifacts as "art."
    • The Venus of Tan-Tan is an alleged artifact found in Morocco that is believed by some to be the earliest representation of the human form .
    • The Venus of Tan-Tan is an alleged artifact found in Morocco that is believed by some to be the earliest representation of the human form.

  • Components of Learning by Design

    • The visual model of the Design Process (see Figure 1) represents the essence of Learning by Design.The learner begins walking down the "path of knowledge," and stops to choose a topic or task (Stop 1).This task would be based on a real-world application that is meaningful for the learner.The next stop (Stop 2) is to describe the audience.The choice of audience will guide the learner as he designs the specific artifact.The following stop (Stop 3) along the path is the actual creation of the artifact.Once the artifact is created, the learner will then pilot the artifact (Stop 4).At this point, the learner should receive feedback from the facilitator and peers (Stop 5).The learner then reflects on the artifact and the feedback in order to evaluate his work (Stop 6) .The learner can then modify the artifact based on this evaluation (Stop 7).The entire design process is overseen by the facilitator who is represented by the "eye in the sky."
    • Kayla incorporated many strategies suggested by the Learning By Design (LBD) framework.First , Kayla created a learner-centered environment in which she assumed the role of the facilitator by minimizing lecture time and increasing learner participation through thought-provoking questions, feedback and guiding or scaffolding the learners as they began planning and designing their projects.The task Kayla prescribed was to construct an artifact, web-based instruction for their target audiences.The learners were provided with examples of many different contexts if they had none of their own.
    • This chosen topic is based on a real-world application that is meaningful for the learner.The target audience is described and individual differences are noted.With this in mind, the learner creates an artifact (in this case a bridge) to solve the challenge (crossing the chasm).The artifact is piloted as the learner crosses the newly built bridge.The learner immediately receives feedback from the target audience and the instructor.Instructor feedback is represented by the 'owl of wisdom' descending from the eye to sit on the learner's shoulder.After reflection, the learner modifies the artifact to improve it (in this case, make it more stable).The learner gains knowledge at each step in the process.This animation was designed and developed by Bill Gray, Sangmin Lee, Tana Martin, Suzy Searcy, Jason Thomas, and Carole Williams.

  • Material Culture

    • In the social sciences, material culture is a term that refers to the relationship between artifacts and social relations.
    • In the social sciences, material culture refers to the relationship between artifacts and social relations.
    • Material culture is also a term used by historians, sometimes termed "material history," which refers to the study of ancient objects and artifacts in order to understand how a particular culture was organized and functioned over time.

  • Featherwork of the Aztecs

    • Featherwork, or the working of feathers into clothing and artifacts, was an especially elaborate practice among the Aztecs.
    • Featherwork is the working of feathers into a cultural artifact, which was an especially elaborate art form among the Aztecs.
    • Identify the ways in which feathers were encorporated into Aztec artifacts.

  • Learning By Design: What is it?

    • Designers (learners) create objects or artifacts representing a learning outcome that is meaningful to them.

  • The Essence of Learning by Design : Constructionism in Practice

    • In summary, the essence of Learning by Design lies in the experience of the learner as a designer and creator of an external, shareable artifact.

  • The Essence of Project-Based Learning: Constructionism in Practice

    • In this environment, learners choose, plan, design and construct artifacts as part of their learning outcomes.

  • Ceramics and Bronze in the Yayoi Period

    • Artifacts brought to the Japanese islands by the Yayoi people bore Chinese and Korean influences and ushered Japan into the Iron Age.
    • It is named after the neighborhood of Tokyo where archaeologists first uncovered artifacts and features from that era.
    • Artifacts brought to the islands at this time had a powerful effect upon the development of Japanese art by presenting objects to imitate and copy, such as bronze mirrors and swords in the Chinese and Korean styles.

  • Constructionism: What is it?

    • Moreover, constructionism suggests that new ideas are most likely to be created when learners are actively engaged in building some type of external artifact that they can reflect upon and share with others.
    • However, it emphasizes the particular constructions of external artifacts that are shared by learners.

  • Project-Based Learning - What is it?

    • They give learners the opportunity to work relatively autonomously over extended periods of time and culminate in realistic products or presentations as a series of artifacts, personal communication, or consequential tasks that meaningfully address the driving question.
    • emphasis on artifact creation as part of the learning outcome based on authentic and real life experiences with multiple perspectives