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 absolutely amazes me! Words and phrases like “blog,” “twitter,” and “rss” are familiar to me, in that, I’ve heard about them but never implemented them into my daily routine. After my brain woke up from “technology overload” following the last class and focused on the reading, I realized my responsibility as a teacher was to educate myself as much as possible about the use of technology. The wealth of accessible knowledge available through the Internet benefits us as social studies teachers especially. Admission into national museums, libraries, and even different countries once visited only thorough extensive travel and wealth can now be accessed by a few clicks of the mouse.
Understanding the language of the Internet including its grammar prevents time wasted exploring irrelevant or inappropriate sites. After reading chapter two, I diagnosed myself as having “googlitis”. Simply put, I google everything. The concept of using specific search engines to research particular information had never entered my mind or my research habits. I only wish I had known this information during my undergrad years of research papers!
The idea of incorporating student blogging into the curriculum had never occurred to me until reading chapter six but it is something that I plan to use in my own classroom. I understand the concerns of some of the skeptics, but in my opinion, the good far outweighs the bad, especially when otherwise doubtful students become excited about learning. Although an incredible avenue of learning, teachers have to be extremely cautious about protecting student’s personal information in addition to monitoring student subject matter and discussions. Technology is a permanent part of today’s society and as teachers, it is our job is to give our students the tools to become productive, responsible technology users.
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