History on CD-ROM

This article is about the use of CD-ROM databases in order to analyze and interpret primary sources. National History Standards insists that effective history teaching is not simply the retention of names and dates but students should understand history as a problem solving activity. Students should be given assignments like writing historical narratives based on critical analysis of historical records such as journals, letters, and old newspapers. Critical inquiry into history allows students to participate in debates about the past and learn history as a process of contention, construction, and revision.

I chose this article because a comprehensive database those students can access which allows them to really understand history in context. The article is helpful because it includes good descriptions of assignment that can be used n conjunction with using a CD-ROM database in the classroom. Also the article lists many different databases of many different subjects so no matter what you teach your subject will probably have a database that you can use in teaching your class. In conclusion databases will help students think critically and learn to interpret information which are tangible benefits to students that directly relates to my research. This is an A posting.

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Filming History

This article is about a group of ten 12th grade students in a Oral History of the Holocaust class they use cameras and editing equipment to interview real Holocaust survivors. The students do background research and conduct interviews and then they transcribe the interviews in full text transcript. After that is done the students work on editing the video using computer software. The result at the end of their project is a public website containing the interviews, complete with full text, video, and audio.

I chose this article because it enhances the learning experience especially because their interviewing someone who went through it. In a project like this history become more than just facts in a text book it becomes real and the students feel like their part of their learning experience. The main problem with teaching history is students do not see how it pertains to them and the world they live in but if they get to talk with some one who was actually their than it becomes more than just a story it becomes real and that makes all the difference when it comes to history. This is an A posting.

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Making History Fun

This article is about using video games that have a historical theme in order to assist in teaching younger children. The software is called Quandary its designed to allow educators to create their own games. In the course of the game students usually play as a historical character and they are given a range of possible choices or courses of action the decision they make than decides on the next group of choices they choose from. Because their choices how the game plays out the students become invested in the outcome and become more interested in finishing.

I chose this article because it directly relates to my field of study of how to get students interested in history through the use of technology. One of the major tangible benefits of these games is learning differentiation which is important because students do not all learn at the same pace the game allows them to go as fast or as slow as the students like. Also if the students work in mixed ability pairs guarantees that the decisions have been discussed and agreed upon. Games such as this allow for student to learn history without even meaning to because they work through it with a competitive motivation with other students. This is an A posting.

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Digital History

This article describe three models for developing skills that are necessary to understanding the significance of individual events that creates change on a large scale. This is done through the use of online resources and other technology based teaching aids. The three models are part of a larger technology based teaching project called the Digital History Reader (DHR). This project is a collaborative effort of Historians, educators, and tech specialists at Virginia Tech. Each module contains documents to give students real opinions by real people who lived during that time in which to put the textbook data in perspective.

I chose this article because it’s a technology based education aid that unlike many other devices is not designed to simply look good and frilly but has actual real value as a aid to normal everyday lectures. This is because this system is set up as a way for students to discover links between events and they wind up teaching themselves. All of the preliminary tests so far indicate that using this does increase test scores overall making this program highly valuable in an upper level history course. This is an A posting

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Multimedia History

This article details how multimedia software such as PowerPoint presentations and VR Worx which is a program that allows an individual using a camera and a tripod to take photos and turn those photos into a 360 degree virtual image. In the article a teacher used these programs to make presentations about trips she took to other countries such as the PowerPoint presentation she did in a one day trip to Granada Spain and the VR Worx virtual presentation for her trip to Vienna Austria. The article entails directions on how to use these programs effectively and explains further the advantages and disadvantage of each piece of software. One of the first questions many people ask however is the cost and time it takes to make such presentations justified by student performance and the author believes it is because of the enthusiasm of the students and the ability to reuse these presentations for years to come at no extra cost makes them very valuable.

I chose this article because I love how the article spelled out how to use the equipment and advantages and disadvantages of each program instead of giving you a flashy overview of all the amazing things they can do. Also I especially like the idea of creating virtual landscapes that can in my opinion really peak student interest because the students will be able to explore the actual real places and not just reading about them. This article directly relates to my search for educational technology that can interest students in a history course because it’s my belief that if a student is truly interested in a subject that they will learn from that subject and do well. this is an A posting.

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Virtual Egypt

A new Software Program called Virtual History-Ancient Egypt is a simulation based game designed to support traditional instruction in a history class. At the start of the game students take up positions of leadership in a simulated ancient Egyptian village. While the students play the game they are given choices for how they want to lead their village, how they want to distribute resources and many other decisions that are vital to their village’s survival. The decisions the students make will determine whether their village will succeed or fail.

I chose this article because it directly relates to using technology as an aid in teaching History and especially in motivating students into not just memorizing dates and facts but really getting students interested. In my opinion the reason why many students are not interested in history is because in most cases a textbook just doesn’t capture the real imagination and emotions of the students. When a student reads a paragraph in a history book that details what an Egyptian villages chief export were and what were the greatest dangers for them in life in the desert. It just does not convey the real life scenario the village lived in everyday of their lives and in my opinion a simple simulation such as this although might not be perfect however does portray a very real possible scenario for the people that they are studying. This is an A posting.

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The Mobiltity of Computers

In this article they entail how computers can be used to take students on a virtual field trip. The article is about using computers as a tool for student exploration and allows them to work together and empowers teachers. The advantages of using computers in this fashion is that it gives children a fun, educational, and collaborative experience of traditional field trips but it allows for flexibility because the computers are available on a daily basis also unlike traditional field trips a teacher would not have to go through the lengthy process of receiving funding arranging bus drop off and pick up and addressing school liability insurance. So by skipping all of these road blocks a teacher can become more spontaneous and flexible in how he or she wants to teach their students.

This article answers partially the question to how technology could improve a history class in terms of student motivation and productivity. I chose this article because students can use computers to take a virtual field trip to things like the battle of Gettysburg or to the Pyramids of Giza or the Great Wall of China any place in History that is not accessible because it’s in the past or on the other side of the world. This would in my opinion make a History class far more interesting for the students and increase classroom productivity. It’s my belief that if they can think of history as something more tangible than a chapter in a text book they will become more interested. This is an A posting.

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E-Books making Reading Fun

The project that sticks out in my mind the most is the E-Book reading assignment. The assignment was to read an E-Book with a child and record what he or she thought about the E-Book. I did this with my cousin Colby he is 5 years old. Its amazing how technology in learning has changed when I was his age all we ever did in class with computers was typing lessons and the occasional game of “Oregon Trail” which was always fun but today they have things like E-Books and hundreds of games that allow them to explore a multitude of places and experience a multitude of environments that is just mind boggling.

I really enjoyed this assignment and the time I spent with my cousin in this project was alot of fun for me. The greatest challenge for this assignment was just to get my cousin to sit still for long enough to get into it but once he did he really became interested. I learned from this assignment that I can be a teacher and work with children even if they start misbehaving I can maintain paitence and not let it get to me. This is a B posting.

During intro to Computers in Education we were assigned a project where in we created an interactive storyboard that our students would have to click on the pictures and put the story into the correct order. This project requred use of audacity a voice recording progam and photoshop in order to enhance and resize the photos we would use in the project. Students would benefit by taking this quiz because they wouldlearn to be a critical thinker andproblem solver ESOL students could also benefit by hearing the pronunciations of words. Students would enjoy this assignment because they would view it as a game instead of work helping motivate them to learn.

I learned how to use programs better and I learned about new ways that I as an educator can make things a little bit more fun in the classroom. It was challenging trying to get the audio files to work in conjunction with the pictures. I was finally able to solve the problem by reading over the directions carefully and trying different things until they worked. I learned that I work well under pressure and if I apply myself I can solve any problem that comesmy way. Blog type B

Intro to Ed. observations

During the course of this semesters intro to Education class we have been taught not in the usual fashion of memorizing material but has instead focused on opening our minds as educators. During thursday february the fourteenth we participated in an activity of studying a photograph of soldiers in iraq with children in the background. Thinking like educators we had to think of why the photograph seemed odd or wrong. The simplest question of course was why were'nt these children in school. This raised a debate with several possible answers such as maybe their school was damaged or destroyed or maybe their school system works differently. This activity was very interesting and allowed us to grow as educators. This is an E posting.

Welcome

Thank you for taking an interest in my blog. I hope you enjoy what my blog has to offer. My blog will focus on learning and teaching methods in a high school history classroom. The blogs will primarily involve discussions on articles i have researched about education. Hope you enjoy my blogs.