Applying Research

Teaching American History involved a responsibility to help students understand valuable research. After you show students the value of effective research then it is time to apply that research. This has proven to be the most difficult part. Technology makes it easier each day to find the information that we want. The hard part for students will continue to be the application. They must take the facts and put together historical arguments. Since history is one large argument about the past it will be important for students to learn this skill. There are also many careers that deal with reading facts and putting together a plan or an argument. The next technology step that I will look for here is a way to share this type of information. I want to find a resource online that assists students in putting together historical arguments. Anyone out there know of one please share.

District Wide Unit Planning

As the district passes out unit plans for subjects it would be great to add a technology piece over time. There are great projects that could be done where eighth graders district wide could work together. By exposing the students to a larger form a technology communication, achievement might increase. We live in a diverse valley and have diverse schools. Connecting our students with educational opportunities could help build this valley into a better place. I will definitely be watching and listening for opportunities to share what I have done with American history in the computer lab so that more students, district wide, can be impacted by the learning.

Self Reflection

Self reflecting has become an important part of increasing technology use in the classroom. Students respond well to certain elements of technology. If they do not know how to use a specific program there can be some negative responses. I think that teachers can end this reaction by giving more exploratory time. As students begin to realize that there is always a fix when it comes to technology they will be more liberal in using the programs we provide. It will also be necessary for teachers to reflect on the quality of the work and the efficiency of the technology based assignments. Without proper reflection the assignments can become stagnant and students will begin to lose interest.

Using Google

Students were preparing for their final and needed to complete research. I did not give them a guide on where to go for their information. After allowing them to begin researching to see what they chose to use it was interesting to see which students used Google and which went to the library website. After approximately ten minutes of watching I began guiding students toward a better source and having them explain why it would work better for them. This is something I plan on doing at the beginning of the year next year. Most students have the idea that Google is the best way to find information. The problem is that when you know what you need to find there are better ways to find that specific information. Just a little guidance here went a long way with the quality of their research.

Tech Collaboration

Meeting today with other teachers to finalize our work is very helpful. It is nice to share ideas and get suggestions. The colleagues are also going through some of the same struggles and have come up with some solutions that maybe I did not think of. Moving forward, the best way to continue using technology will be frequent discussion with colleagues.

Student Games

There are some free games that exist for students to practice many social studies skills. Some of them are too easy. I want to take a class to check them out but there is no consequence on the game for being incorrect. This allows the students to guess whatever they want to finish the game. It still has the benefit of allowing them to explore the information in a different manner. Games like these will require a log for students to record the information they are covering and how they are doing with that information. If I use a piece of paper then it seems to defeat the purpose of being in the computer lab. At the same time it seems unnecessary to create blogs or wikis for a quick assignment like this. Something that I will have to figure out a solution too.