President Abraham Lincoln once said, "This war is eating my life out." These words and others come to life through the PBS American Experience vidcast series. I located a podcast about the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, the Civil War, and the assassination of the president. Check out the PBS American Experience vidcast here!
Approaching a unit on the Civil War in my own classroom, I was looking for ways to illustrate the concepts we will discuss in the classroom. The Civil War and the presidency of Abraham Lincoln are powerful points in the social studies curriculum. This vidcast accurately and effectively conveys the most important points to reiterate concepts covered in class.
A unique part of this vidcast is that it is divided into multiple sections. I could break the class into small groups to focus on one specific component of the history of the Civil War, Lincoln, and the assassination. Students, as "professionals" on the topic, would then teach the rest of the class about their topic. These are also excellent models for social studies videocasts that could be done as an extension to this lesson.
Friday, November 20, 2009
ePals and TalkShoe for the Social Studies Classroom
ePals is a global Internet based learning community. Both safe and secure, students from across the globe can communicate. Students can read emails from students speaking another language through a language translator. ePals promotes cross-cultural collaborations and communication between teachers and schools.
The most useful part of ePals for a social studies classroom is the ability for students to learn about the global community. Diversity in the global community is a core element of the social studies curriculum at all levels. Students can "project share" and become pen pals with diverse groups of students across the globe. The blogs and email are designed for use by young people.
TalkShoe works in a similar way. TalkShoe allows students to better connect with a podcasting and blogging audience. This can be used to create a discussion or to join another discussion already in session. Older podcasts are stored in an archive that can be retrieved for use in the future. Students and teachers can chose a topic for discussion and invite others to participate. The conversation is automatically recorded as a podcast.
In the social studies classroom, this could be a project designed to incorporate both the global community and class curriculum. Students could brainsotrm a topic and design the agenda of the conversation with another group of students. Although previous arrangements would be made by the teacher with another teacher or group, the students would take command of the project. Students could also access the achival podcasts made by others from all over the world. In either case, students grasp the vastness of the world and how different cultures view issues and events.
The most useful part of ePals for a social studies classroom is the ability for students to learn about the global community. Diversity in the global community is a core element of the social studies curriculum at all levels. Students can "project share" and become pen pals with diverse groups of students across the globe. The blogs and email are designed for use by young people.
TalkShoe works in a similar way. TalkShoe allows students to better connect with a podcasting and blogging audience. This can be used to create a discussion or to join another discussion already in session. Older podcasts are stored in an archive that can be retrieved for use in the future. Students and teachers can chose a topic for discussion and invite others to participate. The conversation is automatically recorded as a podcast.
In the social studies classroom, this could be a project designed to incorporate both the global community and class curriculum. Students could brainsotrm a topic and design the agenda of the conversation with another group of students. Although previous arrangements would be made by the teacher with another teacher or group, the students would take command of the project. Students could also access the achival podcasts made by others from all over the world. In either case, students grasp the vastness of the world and how different cultures view issues and events.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
I just added two videos to my blog. The first is a link to a you tube clip explaining how to perform the Heimlich on a child. Although many educators have had some training in life saving techniques, some have not. Knowing how to perform the Heimlich on a child may save a life. This is a useful video for any teacher who works with children.
The second video is a link to teacher tube. Next week, I am explaining a tough event in American history known as the XYZ affair. Students always have a hard time understanding the importance of this event much less the basic storyline. This teacher tube clip explains the XYZ affair though a humorous theatrical production including president John Adams. It incorporates all the major points and uses correctly information from primary documents which we talk about in class. In 3 minutes this teacher tube video explains more effectively the XYZ affair than two pages in the textbook. Check out the video and see if you understand the XYZ affair!
The second video is a link to teacher tube. Next week, I am explaining a tough event in American history known as the XYZ affair. Students always have a hard time understanding the importance of this event much less the basic storyline. This teacher tube clip explains the XYZ affair though a humorous theatrical production including president John Adams. It incorporates all the major points and uses correctly information from primary documents which we talk about in class. In 3 minutes this teacher tube video explains more effectively the XYZ affair than two pages in the textbook. Check out the video and see if you understand the XYZ affair!
Flickr is an excellent tool for use in the classroom. Educators can locate photos and images to create visual presentations that show students major concepts and ideas. Teachers of all content areas and ability levels can use Flickr to create visual presentations that along with audio and tactile elements, cater to all learners in our classrooms.
I used both Bubblr and Bookr. On Bubblr, you can create a comic strip or find one that someone else has created. You simply search for images and drag them to the comic strip template. Then, you select a "thought bubble" and type in words. I attempted to make my own comic strip, but had some difficulty finding images to use to illustrate what I wanted to say. Nevertheless, I found this humorous and informative comic strip which I will use in my classroom in the future. Check it out here!
I also tried Bookr. On Bookr, you can create a story book. Like Bubblr, you search for images and then write the storyline- it's as simple as that! I created my own story about George Washington and the rise of political parties. Check out my story here!
I will use both the comic from Bubblr and the story from Bookr to introduce a new unit on the New Nation next week in my class. I hope that introducing the people, events, and concepts will help while covering the topics during the unit. I will use these resources in future units to illustrate concepts. I will also ask my students, as a final assessment or class activity, to create either a comic strip or book using these user-friendly sites.
I used both Bubblr and Bookr. On Bubblr, you can create a comic strip or find one that someone else has created. You simply search for images and drag them to the comic strip template. Then, you select a "thought bubble" and type in words. I attempted to make my own comic strip, but had some difficulty finding images to use to illustrate what I wanted to say. Nevertheless, I found this humorous and informative comic strip which I will use in my classroom in the future. Check it out here!
I also tried Bookr. On Bookr, you can create a story book. Like Bubblr, you search for images and then write the storyline- it's as simple as that! I created my own story about George Washington and the rise of political parties. Check out my story here!
I will use both the comic from Bubblr and the story from Bookr to introduce a new unit on the New Nation next week in my class. I hope that introducing the people, events, and concepts will help while covering the topics during the unit. I will use these resources in future units to illustrate concepts. I will also ask my students, as a final assessment or class activity, to create either a comic strip or book using these user-friendly sites.
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