Digital History in the K-12 Classroom

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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

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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.