Chapter 6 Reflection

TPACK Reflection 3
EDU 583
Kim Fuller
2/10/09

I found the statements regarding social studies as lacking clear academic or disciplinary structure interesting. It made sense to me when thinking in terms of scholars constructing new forms of knowledge and verifying that knowledge. I agree Social studies is a collection of disciplines and is adapted for teaching purposes. I also see how social studies is constantly changing and is based on various perspectives thus the adaptation of the many disciplines can be done in many ways.
Technology adds another facet to the teaching of social studies and involves the use of resources and the adaptation of those resources. As a fourth grade teacher, I have begun to look a online sources to use for social studies units. Some sources are for my personal research on a topic so I have a good understanding topic. I also look for sources my students can access be it images and videos, text or interactive cites. Our district has offered some professional opportunities so teachers can learn to critique cites and resources. Our media specialists also provide teachers in our district with many links and cites to investigate. My challenge is finding the time to visit the cites and thoroughly go through each one. I have made use of the Portaportal tool in my classroom so students can quickly access specific cites I have reviewed and found to be the most useful. This is a great tool because it eliminates confusion and makes our time with the computers more productive. Teachers can share their Portaportals with each other. This helps in getting new cites reviewed. However, my Portaportal, is limited to the cites I have selected within the time I have available to update my page.
I find it necessary yet again difficult to go through the critical media skills with my students. Partly because I am stilling learning these skills myself, and the fact we have laptops for limited time throughout the week. I find myself wanting to get right into the project so we can make the best use of our time with the laptops. I need to incorporate these skills right into our activities. The non-linear aspect to computers is something which I am slowly getting used to, but I feel children are more comfortable with this concept and are more willing to explore a cites options. But I do see children “surfing” and not slowing down to really investigate some information. Again, teaching the skills is necessary to help students use technology effectively.
The aspects of technology within the context of social studies that are more difficult for me to utilize and teach my students are the communication and social networking.
I see the ways it can be done but I am having difficulty putting them into practice. I teach my students how to use email. We have created videos and shared them with our student body. We have created digital books and slide shows. But, I have yet to create a place where students can communicate with other students on topics or share work on a regular basis. I hope to learn how to do this effectively. However, outside of school many students are networking and it will be an easy transition to utilize these skills at school.
Other aspect of technology I find fascinating, are all the geographic tools that are now available. Again, these tools can provide perspectives and images that are current and student can have instant access to them. It in another area I need to learn more about.
Finally, the children in my classroom have a different way of seeing the world and see technology as an integral part of their world. I have to learn from them and for them.