Social+Studies

Kim Truong
 * Chapter 12 -__Technology in Social Studies Instruction__**

This chapter focused on the subject of Social Studies which is an area that focuses on the interconnection of people and the earth. Social studies education has been affected by the impact of technology possible more than any other content area. There is a great potential of technology within the subject of social studies. The rest of the chapter goes through the issues and problems in social studies instruction, how to effectively teach it, and strategies to integrate technology.
 * Summarize the chapter in one paragraph**

__The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has adopted the following formal definition for the social studies:__ Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence. Within the school program, social studies provides coordinated, systemic study drawing upon such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, law, philosophy, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology, as well as appropriate content from the humanities, mathematics, and the natural sciences. The primary purpose of social studies is to help young people develop the ability to make informed and reasoned decisions for the public good as citizens of a culturally diverse, democratic society in an interdependent world. (NCSS, 1994, p. 3)

Include:
 * Identify and discuss current issues related to the integration of technology into your content area.**
 * Methods of addressing social studies standards
 * The National Social Studies Standards
 * Address overall curriculum design and comprehensive student performance expectations
 * Standards exist for each social studies disciplines- such as civics, economics, geography, government, and history – providing more specific content detail for each discipline.
 * Problem: many social studies majors get into areas such as history due to the job availability- while economics and geography is last on their list
 * Themes:
 * Theme 1: Culture
 * Theme 2: Time, continuity, and change
 * Theme 3: People, places, and environments
 * Theme 4: individual development and identity
 * Theme 5: Individuals, groups, and institutions
 * Theme 6: Power, authority, and governance
 * Theme 7: Production, distribution, and consumption
 * Theme 8: Science, technology, and society
 * Theme 9: Global Connections
 * Theme 10: Civic ideas and practices


 * Dilemmas in teaching social studies effectively
 * Social studies themes and topics are not usually among those included in statewide assessments
 * Sheer amount of material to review in many social studies topic areas is also a concern –teaching in a meaningful way is difficult because there is a large amount of content covered in such a short amount of time
 * This adds challenges to role of technology - to be in constructivists ways can be powerful, yet time consuming
 * Google Earth, ERSI’s, ArcExplorer Java Edition for Educators, Google Document, and VoiceThread—free constructivists technologies available
 * Perils of the information explosion
 * There’s a lot of information on the internet
 * Internet information has the potential to alter the traditional relationship between student and teacher – teacher would not be the primary source
 * Many students do not question accuracy of hate or conspiracy sites
 * This should be tools to teach students how to become critical consumers of information

One example is doing electronic research- On Invention Events –grade level 5 through 8
 * Describe effective ways in which technology can be integrated into your content area.**
 * This integration lesson offers students the opportunity to use the internet to research inventions, develop a database of their findings, and communicate their findings to their peers
 * Students would gather information and background on the invention then enter it into a database
 * Fields include: items such as invention, name, category, date of patent or invention, inventor, and significant effect of invention.
 * After students can create a timeline to position their invention historically
 * How can technology help adapt your content area for special needs?**
 * Studying current events is important in social studies
 * One innovative tool for engaging students in news media stories is creating a personalized newspaper. Using technology known as selective dissemination of information (SDI), users create a set of filters that allow topics of interest to be presented.
 * Crayon- [|http://crayon.net] is popular personalized newspaper services
 * Students are responsible for deciding what stories they want to monitor.
 * For students with mild or moderate cognitive impairments, specially designed resources are available to provide current events information at an appropriate level. News-2-You – [|http://www.news-2-you.com] is a subscription based service that prepares an 8-page current events reader
 * For students with mild or moderate cognitive impairments, specially designed resources are available to provide current events information at an appropriate level. News-2-You – [|http://www.news-2-you.com] is a subscription based service that prepares an 8-page current events reader

1. __Adventure learning__ provides students with opportunities to collaborate with other students, teachers, and experts- it is a hybrid distance education approach that provides students with opportunities to explore real-world issues through authentic learning experiences within collaborative learning environments. 2. __Virtual field trips__ help students learn about other cultures- visiting foreign locations gives students a richer, more comprehensive perspective on the world around them and makes the world a living part of their classroom. 3. Send students on a geocaching treasure hunt with __GPS devices__- these motivating activities get students to spend more time studying geographical information and techniques. Global Positioning System (GPS) can be used as a classroom activity called geocaching. It is a “high-tech, worldwide treasure hunt… where a person hides a cache for others to find.” 4. __“Live through” history__ with Muzzy Lane’s simulated immersion experience- students play the role of decision maker in historical situations in order to see the relevance of these events in their daily lives and to develop better problem- solving skills 5. __Do webquests__ to learn the history behind political issues- students do internet research to learn that current issues have historical roots in past events and debates 6. Integrate __geospatial technologies__ to study the earth, people, and the symbiotic nature between the two- geospatial technologies such as Google earth allow for real-world analysis as students study content such as history, economics, and geography. Geospatial technologies, such as Good Earth and ArcExplorer, allow individuals to view and examine the world through multiple layering of data within a spatial environment. 7. Students learn __economic principles__ with stock market simulation games- The complexities of the stock market become easier to understand when students play the role of stockbroker, investing “their own” money and seeing the return over time. 8. Teach local and other history with __electronic storytelling__- Images and audio make the stories of lives, events, or eras come alive for students and play a key role in helping students prepare oral histories. One example would be using Digital Storytelling 9. Use software such as __VoiceThread__ to allow for real-time collaboration around numerous forms of content- This kind of hands-on software allows student to post content (e.g., photos, videos, pdfs) and comment on each other’s work in an online learning environment. 10. __Use digital cameras__ to explore community-based history and current issues- Digital photography allows students to capture images from their vantage point, participate in the construction of knowledge, and learn how diverse perspectives can be shaped.
 * Identify 5 strategies for integrating technology into your content area.**

Goes with all social studies themes
 * List 5 websites along with brief descriptions that are useful for your content area.**
 * GoNorth! Adventure Learning Series- [|http://www.polarhusky.com]
 * The White House – [|http://www.whitehouse.gov]– Social studies themes: theme 6: power, authority, and governances, Theme 10: civic ideals and practices
 * Good resource for electronic research
 * Digical Documentaries- []
 * Social studies themes: all
 * States Web Games- []
 * Theme 3: people, places, and environments
 * Good resource for practice of factual information
 * PBS Civil War- []
 * Theme 2: time, continuity, and change
 * Good resource for digital storytelling
 * List one package of software that is useful for your content area.**
 * The Oregon Trial
 * GeoThentic, Muzzy Lane’s Making History
 * These simulations help students see the relevance of socials studies in their daily lives and help develop better problem- solving skills.


 * Write 5 questions that could be used on a quiz.**

1. What is a good strategy of integrating technology for Social Studies? 2. What would be a good software package to use? 3. How is digital storytelling helpful? 4. How can the amount of information be a problem? 5. What is the purpose of the site [|http://crayon.net]?