Digital History in the K-12 Classroom

© Anderson Ross/Blend Images/Corbis

As a student, history was always one of my favorite subjects, but I know that is not always the case for most students.  Over the course of my education at UCF, I have learned that students learn much better when they believe the content to be meaningful and relevant to their lives.  They learn better when teaching strategies and assessment tools are engaging and interesting.  Unfortunately, most secondary classes, particularly history classes, are pretty much considered the opposite of engaging or interesting.  My roommate is a 10th grade World History teacher, and she says that students have a difficult time relating to historical events and figures, especially given how these subjects are typically taught in our current school system.  Students read the textbook and then are usually given a quiz or a test to gauge their retention of the information.  

In this day and age, every teacher should be incorporating technology and digital media into the classroom, regardless of the subject.  When utilized effectively and properly, these tools and resources can greatly change and positively impact how we teach history.  We should be encouraging our students to take an active and participant role in the historical research process, building upon their inquiry and critical thinking skills, and engaging them in the process of DOING history.  The use of and incorporation of technology and digital media within a historical context can be referred to as digital history.  

Integrating 21st Century Skills Into the Classroom

© Pop! Studio Photography/Corbis

According to U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, 21st century skills are "skills that increasingly demand creativity, perseverance, and problem solving combined with performing well as part of a team."  (Larson, 2011)  Today, 21st century skills such as these are being emphasized just as much, if not more than, the "basics" including reading, writing, and math.  In this blog article, I will explore what 21st century skills are in the context of education, suggest some ways for how they can be incorporated into the classroom, and finally delve into a specific example: digital storytelling.

In the article "21st Century Skills: Prepare Students for the Future," Larson defines and explores what the term means.  The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has developed a framework for 21st century learning and included the following student outcomes:

My Amazing Animal - Video Link

My Amazing Animal - A Digital Story Example

Digital Story Project for First Grade

For my digital story project, I have developed a culminating, end-of-year assessment that will bring together all of the skills my first graders have learned throughout the school year about writing stories.  The project will be spread out over a few weeks and slowly build upon their skills as they complete each task.  The project is centered on a short story from our Houghton-Mifflin series called "Amazing Animals."  In groups, the students will select an animal and perform some simple research.  Using thinking maps, they will draw pictures, write short sentences, and finally write a whole story about their animal.  With my help, they will turn these stories into digital story presentations to present to the class and share with family and friends.  For more specific information about the project and the various steps involved, please refer to my Curriculum Page I created on WikiSpaces. 

Exploring Digital Storytelling

© Hill Street Studios/Blend Images/Corbis

What is Digital Storytelling?

According to the University of Houston, digital storytelling is:

"Digital Storytelling is the practice of using computer-based tools to tell stories. As with traditional storytelling, most digital stories focus on a specific topic and contain a particular point of view. However, as the name implies, digital stories usually contain some mixture of computer-based images, text, recorded audio narration, video clips and/or music. Digital stories can vary in length, but most of the stories used in education typically last between two and ten minutes. The topics that are used in Digital Storytelling range from personal tales to the recounting of historical events, from exploring life in one's own community to the search for life in other corners of the universe, and literally, everything in between. "

Benefits and Uses of Digital Storytelling

Digital storytelling can be used in a variety of classroom settings, from early elementary all the way up to graduate school and offers numerous benefits to the students.  In this day and age, students are easily bored with traditional educational activities and assessments and do not feel engaged in the classroom.  Digital storytelling incorporates interactive digital media, which the students are already familiar with, and engages the students in active learning.  Projects that incorporate digital storytelling are usually learner-centered, with the student picking the topic themselves - this makes the learning meaningful and relevant to the students' lives because they can explore topics they are interested in.  

Prezi Demonstration - Digital Storytelling

Check out this simple Prezi I made about the basics of Digital Storytelling!

Digital Storytelling: Benefits for my Students on Prezi

Yay! I Have a "SMART" Board! Now What??

Source: http://www.usref.net/projects.html

When I first walked into my portable at the low-income elementary school I started teaching at this year, I was very pleasantly surprised and excited to see that there was an interactive white board in my classroom!  I have heard so many amazing things and positive testimonials about how SMART boards enhance the education process and make learning fun.  According to Dr. Joyce Snyder, superintendent and member of the Upper Saddle River Educational Foundation, the new SMART boards "are an interactive tool that combines the power of the computer, the display of a blackboard, and the enhancements of graphics in a way that makes learning more exciting, more efficient, and more substantive."  

I couldn't wait to learn how to use it and try it out!  Unfortunately, my school does not provide any kind of training or professional development with the interactive board and thus, I pretty much use it as a glorified whiteboard, substitute projector, and an alternative to PowerPoint.  And as a first year teacher and full-time grad student, I just haven't had the time to fully delve into my own research on the matter.  So, I figured now was a good time to at least start!  

Using Cell Phones in the Classroom

© Hill Street Studios/Blend Images/Corbis

According to an April 2010 study by the Pew Research  Center:

“Cell-phone texting has become the preferred channel of basic communication between teens and their friends, with cell calling a close second. Some 75% of 12-17 year-olds now own cell phones, up from 45% in 2004. Those phones have become indispensable tools in teen communication patterns. Fully 72% of all teens -- or 88% of teen cell phone users -- are text-messagers. That is a sharp rise from the 51% of teens who were texters in 2006. More than half of teens (54%) are daily texters.”

The chart below shows the frequency of use of texting in teens compared to other forms of communication.  This study was from 2010 – just imagine what the stats and numbers would look like today!

Blogging with Elementary School Students

Students in Jon Schwartz's Classroom, Blogging and Learning!

When I first started delving into various articles about incorporating blogging into the classroom, I must admit, I was a bit skeptical.  Of course I can see why blogging would be useful to some students at some grade levels, especially in middle/high school.  But, I was unsure if blogging was really a suitable medium for elementary school students, especially for first graders, which is what I am currently teaching.  However, I was very pleased and intrigued to discover that utilizing blogging as a learning tool can be very beneficial and rewarding for young students!

Convenience vs. What's Best

Doing what is best for students or what is most convenient?
Being a first year teacher, I am realizing just how much work goes into teaching! Working 10 hour days, and spending my weekends planning for the upcoming week, are pretty much what my life consists of. Dr. McLeod asks if teachers are doing what is best for students, or what is most convenient for them? He stresses the importance of incorporating technology into the classroom, as technology is proving to become one of the most influential aspects of our future.