Chapter six was about Social Studies under a TPCK framework. I never actually stopped to realize the complexities of Social Studies until now. History, geography, political science, economics, cultural studies among others are all under the umbrella of Social Studies. This adds a great deal of difficulty to the teaching of Social Studies for educators and an even greater opportunity to use technology. The idea that Social Studies could most easily be thought of as the “study of subject matter for democratic life” is a useful construct.
Technology use through Social Studies or Social Studies use through technology is very vast. One of the most significant aspects of technology in this field is the wealth of resources at the fingertips of teachers and students. These resources allow the flow of information to be much more accessible. Primary and secondary source documents and even images that were not available for general use before are now available. These documents allow for research to be conducted more fully. It also provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to facilitate student led inquiry projects.
This wealth of resources also provides a dilemma for teachers, however. Educators must now begin to teach students about critical media literacy skills. Things like how to determine the quality and validity of websites and how to conduct effective searches are now crucial. Learning in a non-linear fashion also must be explained and modeled in order for students to successfully navigate the information.
Along with providing access to resources, technology provides a great opportunity for students to communicate and share their knowledge with others in society. The idea of using Web 2.0 technology gives students an authentic purpose for learning. Wikis and blogs allow students to share projects with others and receive immediate feedback. The Internet also provides students with the opportunity to communicate and collaborate with other students around the world. This new collaborative learning environment is certain to enhance content in Social Studies especially in the areas of problem solving, cultural studies, and civics projects.
New Geography software has also changed the ways that Geography can be taught. The concept of a “bird’s eye view” no longer has to be imagined by students. Real images and maps can be shown with great detail and accuracy. Programs like Google Earth fascinate students and make concepts like spatial relations easier to understand. G.P.S. technology along with these maps has made geography boundless.
Using technology in Social Studies provides amazing possibilities and potential for learning. I am eager to try out some of the concepts with my students. I have a geography unit coming up at the end of the month and I’d like to start experimenting there. We’ll see what happens!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It was interesting listening to James and Charmaine present about Social Studies. Their links will be very useful as I continue to develop the lessons for my unit in Social Studies. As I've explored the Rockingham site shared by James, I liked how you could search by content area and grade level. Many of the social studies lessons were usable. I need to remember to use the site. The Internet4classrooms site also has a lot of ways to integrate technology into not only social studies, but to other sites as well. One of Charmaine’s links also looks like it could be very useful. Social Studies Central has a wealth of resources such as lesson plans which I especially appreciate. From this page, many other social studies sites can also be accessed! There is even one for the Smithsonian!
ReplyDeleteAs far as content from the chapter goes, I agreed when Charmaine spoke of how using the internet has forced students to learn in a nonlinear fashion. A student can no longer just read from top to bottom. It is also necessary for students to follow a trail of links to access the information that is most pertinent to the topic being studied. It is essential for teachers to teach this skill.
Another site that people might want to check out for Social Studies is Shmoop.com. Hattie shared it with me and it is pretty cool!
Who is going to teach the teacher how to pick out the most pertinent information in a timely manner? What does this idea do to the actual teaching of reading as we know it? Anything? Nothing? What will happen to eye muscles? Will more children suffer eye fatigue? Will more people end up needing glasses? (Better eat a double portion of carrots.) The web certainly is non-linear! No longer can we walk the line…sad in some ways.
ReplyDeleteAs educators we often get to involved in our work and day to day schedules. When this occurs we forget to use outside resources and just fall back to what we have always done. I have found that when given free time during the day i spend it searching online for resources to enrich my lessons.
ReplyDelete