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.
Throughout college, I rarely had to go to the library and search through books and journals because I was able to easily access the texts I needed online. Being able to access these materials at home or anywhere I happen to have to have an internet signal proved to be extremely convenient and immensely valuable. Technology should be integrated in today's classrooms because student's need to learn how to use this very powerful research medium responsibly. students need to understand the politics of the web. As stated by Alan November, students need to know whether or not a company is paying to have their website listed first in the search results (November 2008 6).
For many students, going on the internet is an everyday experience. Although these students may be simply accessing social networking sites or playing games, using the internet in class can help teachers tap into the prior knowledge that students possess. Teachers need to be able to relate content to students and it is likely that students will appreciate the teacher more is he/she uses a medium that the students already feel comfortable with. Also, students should be encouraged to develop a relationship with technology because it may foster a deeper appreciation for math and science. As a country, we should encourage our youth to pursue careers in engineering and positive experiences with technology may inspire students to pursue such challenging career options.
This week I was able to use what I learned in class to help a student. For several hours a week, I tutor a student who needs help with reading comprehension. This week, we read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and discussed some issues surrounding the Civil Rights era. My student wanted to do some additional internet research and googled "Martin Luther King Jr." As my student clicked on the various search results, I saw the misleading martinlutherking.org website and asked him to go to the site. After he read what the site was about he looked at me with confusion and asked "Is this real?" I asked him questions about who made the site and why these people believe what they do. We had recently read material about the Holocaust and this website helped us connect some ideas together concerning white supremecy. I was so glad to utilize what I learned in class so soon!
Also, I don't consider myself to be a tech-savvy person but I do have my own website for my fashion line. Go to www.rehashedfashion.com if you want to see it.
References:
- November, Alan. (2008). Web Literacy for Educators- chapters 1, 2, and 6. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
