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Yes, I have a new and improved blog site, and have moved all of my work to my "Making History" page.  Please visit me there at http://teachersworkplace.org/.  I look forward to your continued visit to my new page while I "Make History" in the classroom!  Cheerio!

The Technology-Integrated Classroom: Isn't it Already a Necessity?

Disclaimer:  I understand that not all schools have access to cutting-edge technology.  This is a situation that must be addressed, but is not the purpose of this particular conversation.

The importance of using technology in the classroom has been an ongoing debate. One argument suggests that technology for technology's sake is not productive for learning.  Another holds that technology, used appropriately, is just another tool to reach students.  I would suggest that technology-integration in the classroom in the 21st century is a necessity.

About five years ago, I made the decision to go paperless in my classroom.  I had a small space in which to teach so my storage space and file room were non-existent.  The last year I used paper, it took me an entire week to come out from under the mounds of paper that we had generated in the class during the year—what a waste.  Frustratingly, I noticed several stacks of unused papers (we have all been there:  we make plans to pass out assignments that never get used for one reason or another), and multiple stacks of various other things I had way too many copies of.  I wanted to end that waste, so made the commitment to go paperless. 

It was an easy transition.  I began using wikispaces for all of my classes.  Any documents or assignments that needed to be handed out were uploaded instead.  If a student was absent for a day or more, she could access the class wiki and find the discussion notes, reading notes, project information or anything that she missed in class that day (no more, "I was absent and didn't get the notes" excuses).  The class wiki is even open to parents so they have access to everything we do in class.  This is helpful, as well, for those students who don't have internet access at home—their parents can retrieve all of the class information for them at work, if necessary.  Of course, other arrangements were made for students who had no internet access at all; luckily that happens at my school very rarely.

Wikispaces is not the only technology tool that has become second nature for us in the History room, however.  As budding historians, my students are expected to do a fair amount of research using both primary and secondary sources.  There are a myriad of online databases that we use on a daily basis. My students had already been blogging on an online current events website.  In my History class we depend on technology for productive learning, as well as on the countless tools of presentation that we use on a regular basis.

The real proof that technology is essential to the classroom came when our access to technology was restricted and we were forced to revert to a classroom without integrated technology. This happened because my colleagues and I set up in a temporary location as our building underwent massive renovations.  As the "Perfect Storm" of bad-renovation Karma hit us, it became impossible to outfit the temporary space with wi-fi internet access.  On most days, we were lucky to have any internet access at all on the teacher's desktops.  Given that our student laptops are outfitted for wi-fi, it was impossible for the students to use the computers for anything other than word processing.  Very frustrating.

With no access to technology, I had to completely rethink how to teach.  Those first few weeks were difficult to say the least.  Thankfully, I had built up a respectable classroom library of history research materials that had gone sorely unused for several years.  Problem:  they are all secondary sources, and I didn't have nearly enough for every student and every subject they were interested in.  We spent a lot of time in a public library that fall.  Imagine, for a moment, going totally disconnected...What would you do?  How would you teach?

The experience taught me that, yes, in my history classroom, we need to use technology.  (And, it is imperative to be flexible, positive AND creative when things don't go the way I expect.) Some people warn of the dangers of using technology for technology's sake, but that experience got me thinking: why not use technology for technology's sake? Students are immersed in it anyway, whether we use it in the classroom or not.  If we teachers go out of our way to use technology in schools, we have the opportunity to model for students all the cool and useful things that the tools can do, and to use them in productive ways. 

We should try to reach our students where they already live, and let's face it:  they live in 21st century technology.  Our students are children of the 21st century, and we have a responsibility to prepare them for life in the 21st century. I'm not suggesting that we disrupt the progress of the classroom just to incorporate the latest technological gadgets, but I do think that it is important for teachers to make an effort to incorporate at least some technology that fits with the flow of the class while modeling safe, appropriate and productive use of it for our students.  Food for thought.

Resources for the Digital History Classroom

As an educator, I am committed to sharing the best of the web resources with my students.  Here is a partial list of essential websites that my class cannot live without.  I am partial to those sites that provide primary sources in a kid-friendly presentation.  Location matters, too, so I support those museum websites that we actually frequent often in person (easy to do when located in DC).  Many museums offer excellent online educational resources and lesson plans for teachers.

Please enjoy.  These are just the tip of the iceberg:

• History News Network
• Center for History and the New Media
• Wilson Center
• National Security Archive at GWU
• Smithsonian for Educators
• Library of Congress Digital Collections
• National Archives for Teachers
• DocsTeach Primary Source documents
• National History Day
• National Geographic
• Newseum Digital Classroom
• Newseum for Educators
• Spy Museum Educator Resources
• Spy Museum Learn
• BBC World War II Resources including countless animated maps
• BBC animated map of Western Front 1939-1945
• WWII animated map of Auschwitz
• PBS The Great War interactive
• The Walters Museum
• The Bayeux Tapestry online!
• The Battle of Hastings interactive
• Battle of Hastings Essential Norman Conquest
• Boeing Learning Center at National Archives
• Digital History
• CNN international
• BBC News
• The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
• Political Cartoon Analysis LOC
• The Political Dr. Seuss
• History of Rome for kids

Use of Current Events in the History Classroom

Yes, I teach History.  My classes and I spend about 20% of our time discussing current events.  I think paying attention to news events is important to understand "current" history, but more importantly, I have never encountered a class that is indifferent to current events.  Since I require my students to keep a current event journal, I allow them the opportunity to choose whatever news interests them to write about (well, as long as it's not celebrity gossip).  Each grade level I teach has different requirements and expectations, and obviously, the complexity that I expect progresses from 6th to 8th grade.

I utilize a wikispaces account for communicating with my classes, and I upload the complete written instructions for submitting journal blog entries onto the appropriate wikis for my students to consult when necessary.  I also use an infogram for each grade level so the students can see at a glance what work is required of them from assignment to assignment.  I'm still working on the 6th and 7th, but here are the requirements for the 8th grade:



easel.ly

First Week Introductions: Another cool use for Animoto

This year, I would like my students to utilize more interesting presentation tools. For now, they are content with Powerpoint, which is fine, but some presentation tools create a more powerful presentation. Prezi is a powerful presentation tool that offers unexpected visuals, and some of my students have embraced that. However, I would like to introduce them to Animoto this year. One of my first week assignments is to have the kids prepare some sort of introduction about themselves so that I can learn their names, interests, and something historical they did in the summer (I am a History teacher, after all). I will often introduce myself to them using the method of introduction that I expect them to use for me (you, know, as a model). I have created my introduction to my new classes; I hope it makes them want to use Animoto as a presentation tool all year long. Animoto speaks for itself:

Political Cartoon Analysis

Every political cartoon has a message; the trick is to decipher that message, since some of them are pretty tricky, although some cartoons are quite obvious.  Check out this cartoon from Time.com/cartoonsoftheweek:




A tool that I find useful in helping my students understand how to analyze political cartoons is through the Library of Congress.  This is a helpful guide that provides worksheets for documents analysis, primary source documents and award winning historical political cartoons.  Pay particular attention to the "cartoon analysis guide" located in #3.  According to the Library of Congress website, the five things to look for in analyzing political cartoons are:

1. Symbolism
2. Exaggeration
3. Labeling
4. Analogy
5. Irony

ThingLink is a useful tool to use in introducing students to political cartoon analysis, because bullets can be placed in strategic locations, calling attention to the different persuasive techniques of the cartoonist (See my example above, from Time.com/cartoonsoftheweek, a website that I use on a regular basis).

Another way to use cartoon analysis in the classroom is through VoiceThread.  This tool offers students the opportunity to collaborate with each other on cartoon analysis.  They can add audio comments to the image so that other students can hear what they think about the cartoonist's message.  Other students can add audio or text comments to add to the analysis, or to provide supplemental ideas.  VoiceThread is also a great tool for classes to collaborate over long distance, so the students can connect with other students to share ideas from afar.  The possibilities are endless!

It important to remind students, often, that the first guiding principal of understanding a political cartoon is to ask "What is the cartoonist's message?" I tell my students to think of political cartoons as editorials in picture form.  The trick is to figure out what the cartoonist is editorializing.  Most cartoons can be understood by utilizing the Library of Congress guide (in other words, locating the five things listed above within the cartoon).  Comprehension comes more quickly when students pay attention to prominent current events, which I expect in all of my classes to some degree anyway.

When my students are adept at understanding political cartoons that are already out there, I will often allow them to create their own political cartoons.  Writing editorials is a unique, and necessary skill, and I encourage all of my students to become adept at writing them by assigning several editorials throughout the year.  However, there are some students who have unique artistic talents, and can convey their opinions much more effectively through a cartoon.  I envy them that!

Awesome Roman Army in Action

  

Check out this cool video about that shows the Roman-modified phalanx in action.  Pay attention to the soldiers transitioning from the front lines to the back after the whistle signals the move.