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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