Unit 2 Why integrate Web 2.0 into the social studies classroom?

Introduction

In this unit, you will explore how can Web 2.0 tools help social studies teaching and learning. In our fast-paced world, our school students are categorized as digital natives, more comfortable with new technologies. Students prefer to communicate by phones or through social network such as Facebook or Twitter. They adapt to instant gratification and pursue a similar involvement in social studies classrooms."The inclusion of technology has allowed social studies to become a more active and hands-on content area."(Holcomb & Beal, 2010. p.28) Teachers should strive for new innovative and powerful approaches to teaching as a way to reengage their students in authentic and collaborative learning.

Learning Objectives

• Participates will identify the benefits and obstacles of using Web 2.0 tools in social studies classroom

• Participants will classify Web 2.0 tools aligned with Blooms Taxonomy and NCSS Guidelines.

What are the benefits of using Web 2.0 in social studies?

• User-friendly and cost-free. Web 2.0 is a revolutionary new way of creating, editing and sharing user-centric content online at no cost.

• The use of Web 2.0 technologies allows teachers to instruct students in an authentic, true-to-life way, it promotes collaboration based on real-world problems, it encourages students to share their ideas, it creates a community of common standards among students.

• The use of Web 2.0 technologies can vastly change how students relate to social studies content. Students do not only retrieve information in this paradigm, but collaborative and publish new information.This synthesis calls upon higher-order thinking skills.

What are the obstacles of integrating Web 2.0 into social studies classroom?

• Today's teachers can use technology to enhance the teaching and learning process, and the appropriate application of technology could even revolutionize social studies education; and yet one major divide that could be an obstacle to use of Web2.0 tools in the classroom is the technical gap between teachers and their students, and how this is reflected in their teaching.

• Although teachers have embraced new technologies, their pedagogical are still largely the same. Teaching is lagging behind technical advances.Confounding this, teachers lag well behind their students,too. Most schools classroom are equipped with a digital screen, and overhead projector and one or more desktop computers. In addition, students are allow to bring their own devices and actively encouraged to use them in the classroom via a wireless network. In our current interconnected, networked world of digital technology, school students have grown up as digital natives, more comfortable with new technology.

• Meanwhile, some social study teachers are digital immigrants. They need help in choosing the appropriate Web 2.0 technology to meet instructional needs. Teachers must understand common Web 2.o applications and implement them in certain ways that grow students into critical thinkers and historical analysts.

• And with this divide, it remains true that teachers are struggling to find appropriate ways to implement technology into instruction while providing a sound academic content.(Fairly, Lee, & Bennett,2000).

Mini lecture

Watch a video of "21st century", click: [1]

• After watching the above video, answer the following questions:
• How do you define the 21st century learning?
• What is the important role that technology play in 21st century students' lives?
• How could social studies teacher help students to foster 21 century skills?

Learning activities

Congratulation to you!

You are halfway done with this minicourse.

• Please fill out K-W-L chart.

• It will clearly show what you have learned so far.

• Since Wikis and Blog are widely used in social studies instruction, think about what do you want to learn about those tools?

• Or how to implement Wikis or Blogs into social studies classroom?

What are NCSS National Standards for Social Studies Teachers?

• The National Council for the Social studies(2006) outlined the important guidelines that addressed the integration of technology into instruction.

• This current revision (NCSS 2013)"call for social studies educators to embrace mobile and interactive technology to bring powerful social studies education into the twenty-first century."(Diacopoulous,2016, p.141).

• In order to have a have a overview of the National Curriculum Standard for Social studies, please click [2]

• As shown in Table 1 (Diacopoulos,2015), according to Bloom's Revised Taxonomy (anderson,2001), thinking skills can be categorized based on whether they are higher order or lower order skills. When teacher implement Wikispaces or Edublogs in instruction, it foster students' ability to apply higher order thinking skills such as creating. This table can be used to help teachers to select appropriate Web2.0 tools for their instructions.

Tabe1. Web 2.0 tools charted alongside Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and NCSS Guildelines for Technology Integration

NCSS Guidelines/Blooms Revised Taxonomy	Planning and Learning Environments	Teaching ,Learning and the Curriculum	Assessment	Social,Human issues
Creating	Wikispaces	Prezi/Wikispaces/Edublogs		Wikispaces/Edublogs
Evaluating	Rubistar/Edmodo	Youtube/Survey Monkey	Edmodo	Edmodo
Analyzing		Create a Graph
Applying	Google /Skethcup	Community Walk	Evernote/Footnote	Community Walk
Understanding	Google Sites	Webspiration/Slideshare	Bubble.us/Quizstar
Remembering			Flashcard Exchange/Del.icio.us

What is Next?

Next Unit: Unit 3 Implementing Wikis/ Blogs in Social Studies classroom

Main page: Lu's min-course