To tech or not to tech, that is the question

Recently, I went on a School Tech Hunt.  

Every classroom was set up with a teacher laptop and projector.  Some more tech savvy teachers were provided with a few speakers to help support the lackluster sound coming direct from the project.  Others were forced to repeatedly say "shh" while watching an instructional video so the students could hear the verbal content.  VHS was still used in a few of the Social studies classes mostly due to older primary source films being produced on VHS. 

A number of technological pieces were introduced to the district this fall. These recent additions includ: document cameras, Chromecast, and Apple TV.  My estimation is that about 30% of classrooms have document camera's, with even less for Apple TV and Chromecast.  Obsolete materials have been placed in a separate storage area or discarded.   There are two computer labs that are used intermittently by students.  I did not observe any Flip Classrooms, Cinematography supplies, or tech applications being used. 

I remember the old M-DOS computers from Elementary School where I would visit a classroom to play computer games for 30 minutes a week.  I recall High School where "cutting edge" overhead projectors where pens were used to write on a plastic sheet and project notes to students.   So much has changed now.  Technology connects us globally.  However, as I have observed it is up to the teacher to determine how to implement and support the technology in the classroom.  A number of teachers feel scared and uncertain about how to implement the technology.  Without the proper training teachers can feel lost amidst a sea of ever evolving technology. 

Learn on Your Own...
You are the only one who knows exactly what you need to be successful in the classroom.  As I seek to become a teacher I have worked on networking with top educators. One common shared element about professional development is the lack of quality Professional Development provided by the School Systems.  Seeing the divide a number of educators seek out their own ways to develop and learn on their own.  I hope to do the same and have searched for blogs that will help me in the field of Social Studies and Education.

Diane Ravitch was a leader for President Bush's Education Reform.  Since then she has changed her view of education.  A recent pet peeve of Diane's is the lack of alternative assessments for children that quality with IEP's.

History Teach is a blog created for social studies teacher's to inspire and integrate technology. One notable recent blog includes ideas for Social Studies Simulations and video games.

Social Studies and History Teacher's Blog is filled with resources to utilize during instruction. Additionally, Historical based games, and Power Points are available to quick use for teachers.

Teaching the Civil War is an interactive blog heavy on content.  Timelines and presentations from the land where the battles were fought help to provide a greater depth of the battles that have shaped whom we (the United States) are today.

Speaking of History is a place to discuss, ponder, and reflect history with Dr. Eric Langhorst a teacher at Discovery Middle School in Missouri where he is considered one of the top educators in the State.  Dr. Langhorst is has been given multiple awards for his teaching.

World History Teachers Blog is written by a group of High School teacher's for those who teach World History.  It was developed to help provide online content and tech ideas for educators.

eLearning Blog is maintained by Ken Halla to help inform educators how to better utilize their time using tech shortcuts and also incorporate social media into their classroom.

The Learning Network is written by the New York Times in efforts to show current social issues in effort to integrate them into education.

Free Technology for Teachers is written by Richard Byrne a former educator.  He reviews new tech trends and provides feedback on Free Technology showing how it could be best utilized int he classroom.

The Innovative Educator is written by Lisa Nielsen after she found school boring and sought to change this.  Lisa has written numerous blogs and books integrating texting and cell phones.

Successful Schools is written by Scott Taylor the Superintendent of Highland Park Schools in New Jersey.  He shares successes and failures and using those learned experiences to shape a dynamic school.

Creative Minds Engage Students

Collaboration with effective leaders in Social Studies Education helps to build a teacher's personal growth. I am using a number of tech platforms to help me develop into a top notch educator. Here is who I follow:

Twitter:
@burgessdave: Teacher/Speaker who teaches how to live life with passion, enthusiasm and increased creativity.  Auto of Teach like a Pirate.
@facinghistory: Facing History and Ourselves combats racism and antisemitism by using history to teach tolerance in classrooms around the globe.
@liamBIE: Liam is an advocate for project based learning, getting students engaged, and helping them reach higher levels of thinking.
@BIEpbl: Buck Institute for Education a company out of California is dedicated to Project Based Learning and has also published Project Based Curriculum.
@Cobb_SS: Cobb County Social Studies is an innovative, creative, visual learning program in Cobb County Georgia.
@NatGeoEducation: Site from the National Geographic enterprise, emphasizing photography and data to be utilized by students and teachers.
@Ron_Peck: is an AP US & World History Teacher in Medford, Oregon whom created #sschat & EdcampSS.
@mseideman: is a history teacher in Cold Spring, NY whom emphasizes integrating technology to enhance instruction.
@isteconnects: is a community of teachers and leaders whom desire to expand the field of technology in teaching.  They have a number of conferences for educators to attend and further learn how to develop their craft.
@sstiles67: is an online facilitator from Southern Spain whom specializes in topics such as thoughtful tech use and differentiation.
@innovationhigh: Kent ISD in Grand Rapids, MI has started a school based on Project Based Learning and Collaboration.  The projects they create help change the world around them.

Instagram:
Social Studies Success: Trainer and Educator focusing on creative teaching.

You Tube:
Crash Course: Hundreds of short 8-12 minute videos based on various themes and timeframes.  These are especially useful in starting a lesson or transitioning between lessons within a unit.
Mrs. Cook's History:  Flip Class videos for World History 2 (1500-Present) which Mrs. Cook used in her own classroom.
Mrs. Ocampo's AP World History Lectures: Self explanatory Mrs. Ocampo utilizes You Tube to post all of her lectures for viewing later by students.
Khan Academy: Educator videos on a number of different content areas.
World History: Videos from the History Channel that can be used during instruction to visually back up important elements of the Unit.
World History Documentary Channel: Video Documentary's based on important people throughout History.

Pinterest:
madefromhistory: Graphic Organizer's showing a look at the cases and effects of events throughout History.
Annette Parker: AP World History teacher with an entire board of content from World History between 1750-1914.

Professional Associations

Professional Associations


Professional Organizations for Teacher's help to provide necessary support, educational training and development for teachers.

NCSS
The National Center for the Social Studies (NCSS) mission is for the National Council for Social Studies to provide leadership, service, and support for all social studies educators.

Here are the details: 
Membership is $43 for students and $53 for first year teachers.
National Conference in Washington, DC December 2-4, 2016 (No Cost has been set for the 2016 Conference)
Find NCSS on Facebook and Twitter.
Benefits of being a member includes: access to a number of journals and organizations that think, breathe, and eat social studies.  These include: Social Education Journal, Rho Kappa Honor Society, Access the US History Lesson (Lesson Planning), Collaborations with Colleagues, Annual Conferences, Newsletters, and other reading materials.

NCSS publishes a number of Academic Journals that members have access to in the form of a PDF. 

Michigan Council for the Social Studies

The Michigan Council for the Social Studies mission is to recognize and promote effective social studies in education to our members and stakeholders.

Here are the details: 
Annual Membership $40. 
Social Studies Conference (Annual) No date has been set. 
Find MCSS on Facebook and Twitter. 
Benefits of being a member include: Publications and Journals.  On a monthly basis, MCSS published opportunities for teachers and pre-service teachers that they can use to enhance their teaching, knowledge, and be involved with the community of social studies (and other disciplines too).  The journal is published three times per year.  It is include articles, book reviews, and information for educators at all levels. 

About Me

Greetings,

I am currently student teaching in Mr. Ondersma's World History Classroom at Fennville High School.  I am in the process of finishing up my teaching certificate in Secondary Education, majoring in Social Studies, and minoring in Psychology.

While I yearn of the ability to use technology regularly in the classroom I have not had much current involvement with technology.  Unfortunately Fennville School is not a one to one school and has limited accessibility to technology.  This does appear to be changing with the schools recent Chromecast and Apple TV purchases.  However, that being said it takes about 30 seconds to open a document on my School provided laptop and have already been through two power cords that have overheated.

I believe in project based learning.  I see project based learning as a platform for students to seek solutions to problems, providing a voice for social justice, and discovering the cultures around them.  This form of learning integrates technology steadily throughout the process.  I have been able to see this in action at Holland High School's AP Government Class where the teacher uses upwards of a dozen apps to engage students throughout.  As CNN news is played the students would log on to todaysmeet.com and answer questions the teacher posts while viewing.   The teacher then may go into a mini lecture with the powerpoint being uploaded by the students and personally edited by each as they take additional notes and provide examples.  The teacher then creates a collaborative assignment with few requirements.  Often when students are given a rubric they go right for the A line and read what it takes to get an A.  However, there are a number of students that are driven and would go much beyond "A" work if not given a rubric.  Students collaborate and use creative means to complete the project.  As I observed students creating game shows and capturing videos I observed one thing in common all of them were using technology.  Often teacher's throw in a few bits and pieces of technology and think of it as being successful tech integration.  But these students were using technology with purpose.  Whether it was creating a google form to survey 100 people for their Family Feud game or using the computers as a teleprompter as they created a news media broadcast on the Black Lives Matter Campaign, they all were using technology to its fullest.

These students were engaged and the projects were in many ways better than anything I had created in the past.  I later learned students had sent projects to the President, Governor, and presented in front of local Congressmen and Congresswomen.

I hope to learn more about how to purposefully integrate technology in a project driven setting in this class.  Unfortunately, I have not taken any pictures of myself teaching in the classroom.  I found this image on google images and it represents myself.  While I desire to be fully integrating technology (as the drawings indicate on the chalkboard) I am stuck still using old methods of teaching (illustrated by the chalkboard). Hopefully, with the addition of this class I can learn ways of getting "unstuck".