Prompt: Why should technology be integrated into social studies classrooms? How has the learning from our first session influenced your answer?Please support your views with content from the readings.
Technology. How is it possible one simple word can be saturated with such an abundance of meaning? It's everything from the development of the atomic bomb to the Internet, indoor plumbing to the Industrial Revolution. For the sake of the course, the technology being examined in this blog relates to that being utilized in the standard American classroom.
Technology has evolved at such an alarming rate it's enough to make one's head dizzy. Megabyte? Nanosecond? Micro-thermal? All are just a few examples of the changing vernacular as well as the implementation of technology. People, like technology, change. Change is good. Without change the world would be a mundane place. The classroom is just another facet of change, and technology can help teaching in an unlimited manner.
We live in a technological age, and to ignore the utility of technology in the classroom would be ignorant and catastrophic. On page 5 of the November book, the issue of web page validity is presented to the reader. Not only must we incorporate technology in the classroom, but we must instruct our students on how to use the Internet and its resources correctly. Identifying a legitimate website is just one way in which can help our students.
Technology is purely amazing! With all new kinds of innovations, teachers are finding new ways to interest and help their students. One new method is what I am doing right now. Blogging. In Chapter 6 of the November book, it is suggested teachers can create blogs to spur discussion among students, build a community, build a body of knowledge, or even publish student work.
Also in support of technology in the classroom is the NCSS position statement on Media Literacy. The NCSS recognizes in today's day and age there is not a child born not knowing cell phones or having a familiarity with the Internet. Times are changing, and so must the classroom. Educating students on media literacy is crucial for "their questioning of the relationships between information, knowledge, and power."NCSS Position Statement on Media Literacy | National Council for the Social Studies.
Aside from the readings, the last class provided one of the most convincing rationales for technology in the classroom. The "Shift happens" video spoke greatly to me, I was absolutely flabbergasted by its presentation. I was also in awe of the accuracy of Wikipedia, especially being on the same level as Encyclopedia Britannica!
