Tuesday, April 6, 2010
education software
Today in my history secondary education methods class we were talking about how more and more teachers are incorporating technology, and specifically various forms of educational software into their classroom as a means of attaining their students' attention. And wouldn't you know... I have a blog due on that very subject that same day! I love it when worlds collide! I am particularly interested in the incorporation of educational software into the classroom because as much as I adore my field of study (history),I realize the vast majority of students do not love this subject. The use of educational software would allow me to make history fun and engaging for a variety of students who would otherwise be bored out of their minds! In my search for fun software that pertains to social studies, I must confess, I was a little disappointed! Though the more I searched and the more I sifted through the not so great educational software tools, I did find some pretty cool ones. My favorite was called Cultural Resources. This software was packed full of awesome stuff! It had everything from thousands of profiles on famous people throughout history and awesome maps, to links to great internet resources such as Encyclopedia Britannica! It is kind of pricey at $69.00 just for the CD-ROM but it is something I would definitely consider investing in. There are just so many things I could do with it! It's a social studies dream in a little CD form! :)
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Even though I don't have any experience on teaching history, I agree with you that incorporating technology in history classrooms is important to attain students' attentions. I took a history class when I was in high school, it was very boring class. I just sit in the class to hear my teacher from the beginning to the end of the class. I am really sure, the software will make history class be more attracting. thanks
ReplyDeleteI love the incorporation of technology into history lessons. I think it is one of the best and most effective ways to teach history. Personally, I find history fascinating and am rarely bored in a history class, but I know that is not the norm. You made the point that technology can make history more interesting for students and I think it definitely can help to make history more relateable and real for students. I am glad you brought that up because some teachers forget that.
ReplyDeleteWow, this does have a lot interesting stuff. I especially like the different maps that are available through this software. Geography is a really important part of social studies that seems to be left out in a lot of classes. Teachers might have a map in a powerpoint or something, but it is rarely explained in detail. It is also hard to find good maps to use in a classroom. I always have a hard time finding a map that is clear enough to use in a classroom, or one that is specific enough to what I am teaching. This software has many specific maps that can be really useful. I also think people sometimes forget that geography and history are linked, and that much of history is shaped by geography. Adding maps to a lesson can help students understand this a little better.
ReplyDeleteSo, I am one of those students who HATED history/social studies/etc., and to be honest, I still do. It just is so boring to me! BUT, reading about this, I wish I had access to this kind of thing (and not just Oregon Trail) when I was in school. The profiles of people really stood out to me because I can just imagine seeing myself in a classroom, and someone that I knew who was famous popped up on the screen, I would be HOOKED! And to be honest, $69 is not bad for something like this, especially if you were using it for an entire class and not just for one person! I can imagine that it would be worth the investment! Very cool!
ReplyDelete@ Catherine: I actually wanted to become a history teacher because in the 7th grade I had a dreadfully boring teacher who made me (a total history nerd) cringe every time I thought about having to go to class. I aspire to engage even the biggest history hater. I totally understand that not everyone is going to love history, and its my job as an educator to engage ALL of my students through the use of a variety of teaching strategies. One of the biggest will be the use of various forms of media and technology. :)
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see this as being a useful tool to incorporate into a history classroom. I, too, hated history class in high school because for me it consisted of lecture and note taking. Using something like this might have changed the way I looked at history. Looking back, I wish I valued my history classes more for their relevance in every other subject (English, especially) and I think it is very inspiring how you say you "aspire to engaged even the biggest history hater." With a mentality like that and your eagerness to look outside the textbook for tools, I think you will do just that!
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