Podcast on Creative Social Studies on Vacation



Creative Social Studies Power Point Presentation

Technology & Social Studies

Around The World for Kids

Colorful Maps and Posters of Exotic Places Make Learning Fun!!!

 

Utilizing Technology in the Social Studies Classroom

As an aspiring early education teacher, I am always searching for new and interesting ways to help students explore the field of Social Studies. Technology is one to way to assist with this. The current focus on technology in social studies education is requiring that teachers become computer-literate and tech savvy for a number of reasons. Using technology will allow my students to access the world at their fingers. Too many times I have heard students say that Social Studies is their least favorite subject. My goal is to change that sentiment. Utilizing internet resources, students can learn and do reports about countries. They can compare statistics about the countries such as population, type(s) of currency, and any other specific topic of interest. Similarly, technology allows students to explore other states, comparing sizes and population, culture(s), state flower, and flag. This would assist students in creating a report about an assigned state. As an Anthropologist, I love the field of Social Studies and the study of cultures. I hope to instill this passion for cultural knowledge and our world to my future students. Technology will assist me in expanding my student’s horizons and to explore other interesting parts of the world. There are many online resources for games that help students learn geography while having fun. One of these awesome websites is GoogleEarth.com. This is more of an interactive and virtual “field trip” than a game site but it is extremely beneficial in the exploration of our great world including landmarks and other interesting famous sites. Select websites that engage the student’s curiosity for knowledge and games that teach are beneficial for the learning process. Students who are having fun while learning are more likely to retain the information. One beneficial website for educational games in a variety of subjects, especially Geography is MrNussbaum.com. Students play games and actually have the opportunity to win real prizes like ITunes gift cards by collecting “coins” which when combined add up to prizes. For the best learning experience, teachers need to provide children with hands-on experience in the use of tools that enable them to learn effectively from educational software and the Internet. Students work to research the subject and work to put together a collaborative report that requires technology in presenting it to the class in the form of Power Point, adding animations and or sound effects. There are many different ways that technology can be used in meaningful ways in education. As technology expands its reach to more and more people, many educators are interested in incorporating it into their classrooms. Education will be improved by teachers who develop creative methods and strategies for using technology in their classrooms therefore it is important for teachers to cultivate a personal approach to technology, computers, and all varieties of electronic communication and educational software.