The first day in class, however, completely changed my outlook. I am still definitely wary of technology, but I now see how necessary it is in our world. If I do not implement technology in my classroom, my students will be at a grave disadvantage for the future. Our world is changing, and technology is at the heart of this evolution. Technology also does not necessarily make school easier for the students, as I once believed. Forced to differentiate between legitimate and false information on the Internet, the students must use critical thinking skills with technology.
Simulation activities are especially useful in a history classroom, because it gives the students a unique glimpse into the time periods they are studying. Making history come alive for the students is crucial in making the subject interesting for the students; technology allows this to happen. Technology should not be viewed as something to be scared of, it should be seen as something that enhances the teacher and the classroom.
The National Council for Social Studies believes that technology is crucial in a social studies classroom. Social studies is designed to create effective citizens for the future, and our future is certainly technologically based. NCSS discusses how America's students live lives filled with technology, and that should not stop when they enter the classroom. Students can learn both important content and beneficial skills such as critical thinking through technological mediums (Blogs, Wikis, etc). Media literacy needs to be an integral part in every social studies teachers' classroom for years to come!
Simulation activities are awesome. Some of my best memories from high school social studies. Technology could make it much easier to coordinate simulations
ReplyDeleteThe bombardment of all that technology at once last week was a little bit intimidating, especially since it still takes me forever to put together a text message. But I agree with you completely; my opinion of technology in the classroom only became stronger after our first class meeting. We have a lot to learn this semester!
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, I'm sure you're not the only one who felt overwhelmed that first week. The first week is the greatest hurdle, and that couple with the intimidation of technology makes for one scary MONSTER.
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ReplyDeleteMaking history come alive can prove to be one of the hardest tasks as social studies teachers, but it is also one of the most important. As future teachers we want to find ways to effectively teach students about the different areas of social studies without lulling them into a light slumber on their textbooks. I was always the kid that absolutely loved dressing up as historical figures and even pretending like I was back in time. Little House on the Prairie caused lots of daydreaming for me back in the day. I would be lying if I said I haven't exactly grown out of the whole "wannabe time traveler" attitude. I am probably going to be that crazy history teacher that dresses up to teach a lesson and grab my students' attention. And now with the advances in technology, I will be able to implement more into my lesson plan, engage my students, and make history extremely interesting.
ReplyDeleteYay for bringing history to life. :o)
I can definitely understand your feeling of intimidation from our first weeks class! I am very computer illiterate and now am seeing how important it is that I get with the times for the benefit of the students. Especially with history we rely a lot on resources and it is so wonderful that we have this information at our fingertips through the internet!
ReplyDeleteI like that you used the word forced when you talked about how students have to differentiate between legitimate sources and illegitimate ones. I think you're absolutely correct and I have to say that I think its great that we are getting classes on how to make sure the students can handle themselves on the internet. Its better than walking into a situation like the one in the November book about the kid who turned in the Myth of the Holocaust paper.
ReplyDeleteDont worry, I felt completely overwhelmed as well! I thought I was very knowledgeable in technology as well, but I felt like I just turned 80 years old. It is important to integrate it in the classroom. It will be difficult to get the students involved with technology in history, as will it be in economics.
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