The Finale!

Advantages
One complaint that I hear often when I tell people that I am going to teach history is, “but it is so boring!” I am always shocked. Luckily, integrating technology will help to put visuals with the content of the course and make it more interesting (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 338). Other obvious advantages include the ability to access documents electronically. Also, current events are easily accessed and up-to-date via the internet (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 341). In terms of geography, the use of online resources for maps and global viewing, Google Earth, for example, are invaluable (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 343).

Disadvantages 
One disadvantage is that although it is possible and useful to use technology in a social studies classroom, it is more practical to develop new material for other subject areas like math or English (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 336). Therefore, the social sciences do not get the newest and greatest advancements first. Another downside is that while you can find authentic resources for historical documents online, you can also find resources that are biased and untrue. It is the job of the educator to properly prepare their students for determining between a good site and a poor site in terms of research. It is also up to the educator to determine how to fit technology into the content knowledge of their course (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 345).

Two items that I created that I will use:
I cannot stress enough how much I enjoyed making my Wiki/Social Media product. I think it is going to be beneficial to me in the future by using it in the classroom. I think it is a great way to keep students engaged as well as provide an alternative to simple “homework.” Kids are more apt to participate if they can access the information from their phones while on the go. I love that they can edit the content themselves, and they can actually participate with one another to finish assignments.

I also think the collaboration of Google/iPad/Web Apps is great. It goes along with what I stated before about connecting with the age group you are teaching. Kids might enjoy doing primary document research more if they can access the pieces of history through an app on their phone. ((I do not know why they would want that over touch old paper, but, hey, what do I know)) There are tons of free tools that can be at their fingertips to help them with the lessons and material in the class.

As I said on Twitter, this is the best site for Social Studies integrating technology: http://thwt.org/

PUT A FORK IN ED527, FOLKS! It’s done! :)

M5 Blog Posting- Wiki Ideas

Wiki: I was lucky to find this Wiki here: https://jwilson82.wikispaces.com/

This is an excellent example of how to utilize a Wiki for your classroom. This teacher does a nice job of electronic mentoring his studies by providing them with links to resources for their projects (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 242). He showcases the functionality of Wikis in the classroom by providing a digital meeting place that encourages student communication (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 246). I can take cues from this Wiki on what works and what does not.

Podcasts: These are wonderful podcasts on colonial life in America here:

Witches in the colonies: http://podcasts.history.org/102708/WitchesintheColonies.mp3

Singing and dancing in the colonies: http://podcasts.history.org/082707/colonialchildrensdance.mp3

These audio files will be great for students on the go. Their small format (usually Mp3) is made to be played on personal media devices like cell phones (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 224). What student can argue that they were not near a computer to do their homework when it is available to them on their phone! This will enhance my Wiki by giving my students a quick, easy resource at their fingertips.

Social Bookmarking Site: https://delicious.com/stcody

This stream is a great resource of articles and websites that can be used to augment my curricular plans and serve as lesson enhancements (Roblyer & Doering, 2012, p. 238). In terms of my Wiki, this is an excellent resource for pages for my own social bookmarking site.

Embedded HTMLs: 

This “day in history” widget will be great in my Wiki just to simply add some “cool” factor. I think it could, as Roblyer and Doering (2012) suggest, “broaden{ing} students’ perspectives on their own and other cultures (p. 244). It would be great to log in on their birthday and see what was happening in the world that day long ago!

This timeline widget will be useful for subject content as well as the “group assignment” portion of the Wiki. My idea is to have my class create a collaborative timeline of events from the founding of Jamestown to the Civil War (the mythical subject matter for my “class”). This list of explorers will help the students come up with ideas and find benchmarks.