This unique guide offers practical strategies for using WebQuests to optimize learning in social studies, foster student inquiry and higher-level thinking, and promote greater intercultural understanding.
Despite technology’s presence in virtually every public school, its documented familiarity and use by youth outside of school, and the wealth of resources it provides for teaching social studies, there has been relatively little empirical research on its effectiveness for the teaching and learning of social studies. In an effort to begin to fill this gap in research literature, this book focuses on research on technology in social studies education. The objectives of this volume are threefold: to describe research frameworks, provide examples of empirical research, and chart a course for future research endeavors. Accordingly, the volume is divided into three overarching sections: research constructs and contexts, research reports, and research reviews. The need for research is particularly acute within the field of social studies and technology. As the primary purpose of social studies is to prepare the young people of today to be the citizens of tomorrow, it is necessary to examine how technology tools impact, improve, and otherwise affect teaching and learning in social studies. Given these circumstances, we have prepared this collection of research conceptualizations, reports, and reviews to achieve three goals. 1. Put forward reports on how research is being conducted in the field 2. Present findings from well-designed research studies that provide evidence of how specific applications of technology are affecting teaching and learning in social studies. 3. Showcase reviews of research in social studies It is with this framework that we edited this volume, Research on Technology and Social Studies Education, as an effort to address emerging concerns related to theorizing about the field and reporting research in social studies and technology. The book is divided into four sections. The first section of the book includes three descriptions of research constructs and contexts in social studies and technology. The second section is focused on research reports from studies of student learning in social studies with technology. The third section contains research reports on teachers’ pedagogical considerations for using technology in social studies. In the fourth and final section, we present work that broadly reviews and critiques research in focused areas of social studies and technology. This volume contains twelve chapters, each of which focuses on social studies content and pedagogy and how the field is affected and enhanced with technology. The volume includes research and theoretical works on various topics, including digital history, digital video, geography, technology use in the K-12 social studies classroom, and artificial intelligence.
January 2009 marked the 25th anniversary of one of the most famous three minutes of television history. It was during half-time of the 1984 Super Bowl that APPLE show cased its new Macintosh Computer in an avant-guard commercial. In the following three weeks sales of the new computer, in both the public and private sectors, took off leading some to note this occasion as the "true" start of the information age. At the same time schools joined this so-called information revolution and began to use the new technology, in various forms, in a much more serious manner. Given both the changing nature of technology, as well as its classroom applications, over the past quarter century this work's goal is to capture the historical trends of both use and application of information technology in the social studies during this era. This is done by providing a retrospective view , from 1984 through 2009 , of where we've been, where we are, and a view of new tools and strategies and possible studies that are emerging that can enhance our understanding of the effects that technology has and will have on the social studies.
"Makes a distinct contribution to program planning for gifted education. Provides great charts that illustrate the key basics for identifying change." —Tara McGuigan, Resource Teacher San Diego Unified School District, CA "The major strength of the book is its step-by-step process. There are plenty of charts and checklists that make the book user-friendly. Great planning guide." —Cheryl Brockman, Gifted Education Teacher Jonathan Alder Local School District, Plain City, OH Gain tools to custom-build programs that nurture students' strengths and talents! Gifted programs should be as innovative, unique, and ever-evolving as the exceptional students they serve. This comprehensive handbook provides the expert guidance and tools necessary for shaping a contemporary, inclusive talent development program tailored to students' individual needs and strengths. Rather than imposing a "one-size-fits-all" model, this guide offers a flexible six-stage framework for planning, implementing, evaluating, and enhancing gifted programs. The authors draw on current theory, research, and more than 20 years of professional experience with schools, districts, and state education agencies to provide proven approaches for designing new programs and reinvigorating existing ones. Practical tips and ready-to-use resources include: A CD-ROM with reproducibles, presentations, and templates aligned with each chapter Needs assessment and climate inventory exercises and resources Methods for constructing and implementing action plans Strategies for tackling logistics, including how to form planning committees and effectively lead the planning process Program goal-setting and evaluation tools Ideal for gifted education coordinators, administrators, and special education directors, The Talent Development Planning Handbook covers best practices from leading experts to inspire innovation, improvement, growth, and change for talent development that contributes to the total school program.
The preparation of social studies teachers is crucial not only to the project of good education, but, even more broadly, to the cultivation of a healthy democracy and the growth of a nation’s citizens. This one-of-a-kind resource features ideas from over 100 of the field's most thoughtful teacher educators reflecting on their best practices and offering specific strategies through which future teachers can learn to teach, thus illuminating the careful planning and deep thinking that go into the preparation of the social studies teachers. While concentrating on daily teaching realities such as lesson planning and meeting national, state, or provincial standards, each contributor also wrestles with the most important current issues on educating teachers for today’s increasingly diverse, complex, and global society. Features of this unique teaching resource include: Volume sections that are arranged by both disciplinary organization and approach or activity. Thoughtful introductory section essays that conceptualize each theme, providing a conscientious theoretical overview and analysis of each individual section. Rich and concrete examples of best practice from some of the field's most diverse and highly regarded scholars and teacher educators An index that identifies the appropriate teaching level and teacher education context and links the strategies and ideas that are presented in the essay to the relevant INTASC and NCSS standards for quick reference in classroom planning as well as institutional development and implementation. A much-needed addition to the field, this comprehensive volume will be of value to any teacher interested in social studies or diversity education across age groups and educational contexts.
For social studies teachers reeling from the buffeting of top-down educational reforms, this volume offers answers to questions about dealing with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). Each chapter presents and reviews pertinent standards that relate to the social studies. Each chapter also deals with significant topics in the social studies from various social sciences to processes such as inquiry to key skills needed for success in social studies such as analysis and literacy. The most important aspect of these chapters though is the array of adaptable activities that is included in each chapter. Teachers can find practical approaches to dealing with CCSS across the social studies panorama. The multiple authorships of the various chapters mean a variety of perspectives and viewpoints are presented. All of the authors have fought in the trenches of K-12 public education. Their activities reflect this in a way that will be useful to novice or veteran teachers.
Weaving together the latest knowledge and best practices for teaching children to read, this indispensable text and professional resource provides a complete guide to differentiated instruction for diverse learners. Uniquely integrative, the book places the needs of English language learners and students with disabilities front and center instead of treating them as special topics. Accessible chapters on each of the core components of literacy clearly demonstrate how to link formal and informal assessment to evidence-based instruction. Special features include Research Briefs, Tech Tips, Internet Resources, Reflection and Action Questions, and dozens of reproducible student activities and assessment tools.
Research on history education and historical thinking is becoming increasingly relevant internationally. The need for a renewal of history education is not only justified by the epistemology of history itself, but also by the demand for a methodological change in education in general, making students active protagonists in the construction of their learning and based on the development of competencies. Further study on the potential use of gamification within social studies and humanities education is required to understand its benefits and challenges. Cases on Historical Thinking and Gamification in Social Studies and Humanities Education proposes and analyzes gamification as a pedagogical innovation that can enable the renewal of the teaching and learning process of history, facilitating the active learning of historical thinking concepts while influencing students' conceptions of history as a discipline and as a school subject. Covering key topics such as historical thinking, social sciences, video games, and mobile learning, this reference work is ideal for historians, policymakers, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, instructors, and students.
This unique guide offers practical strategies for using WebQuests to optimize learning in social studies, foster student inquiry and higher-level thinking, and promote greater intercultural understanding.
Grounded in theory and best-practices research, this practical text provides teachers with 40 strategies for using fiction and non-fiction trade books to teach in five key content areas: language arts and reading, social studies, mathematics, science, and the arts. Each strategy provides everything a teacher needs to get started: a classroom example that models the strategy, a research-based rationale, relevant content standards, suggested books, reader-response questions and prompts, assessment ideas, examples of how to adapt the strategy for different grade levels (K–2, 3–5, and 6–8), and ideas for differentiating instruction for English language learners and struggling students. Throughout the book, student work samples and classroom vignettes bring the content to life.
Nearly all history teachers are interested in how new technology might be used to improve teaching and learning in history. However, not all history departments have had the time, expertise and guidance which would enable them to fully explore the wide range of ways in which ICT might help them to teach their subject more effectively. This much-needed collection offers practical guidance and examples of the ways in which new technology can enhance pupil engagement in the subject, impact on knowledge retention, get pupils learning outside the history classroom, and help them to work collaboratively using a range of Web 2.0 applications. The chapters, written by experienced practitioners and experts in the field of history education and ICT, explore topics such as: how to design web interactivities for your pupils what can you accomplish with a wiki how to get going in digital video editing what to do with the VLE? making best use of the interactive whiteboard designing effective pupil webquests digital storytelling in history making full use of major history websites using social media. Using New Technologies to Enhance Teaching and Learning in History is essential reading for all trainee, newly qualified and experienced teachers of history. It addresses many of the problems, barriers and dangers which new technology can pose, but it also clearly explains and exemplifies the wide range of ways in which ICT can be used to radically improve the quality of pupils’ experience of learning history.
