"Teaching Social Studies with Technology: New Research on Collaborative Approaches" (http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ht/40.1/taylor.html) really breaks down the benefits from student achievement to activities and engagement. This is the first article I have found that shows how critical adding this type of technology is to one specific subject.
Some of the highlights are:1. Students who used technology, including digital cameras, to do research reports scored higher on tests of the same subject matter.
2. Students, who at one time said that when they thought of their history class the only word that came to mind was boring, are now more engaged in class and excited about learning.
3. By increasing the use of technology in the classroom, teachers have discovered new was to teach and activate student's learning. It also helps teach students with many different learning styles.
Jen, I was unable to link to your latest web site.
ReplyDeleteI especially identified with the #1 highlight. The student's own creation of materials personalizes the subject - and internalizes it so that student's test scores rise. Sounds like a great site.
Jen, it looks like you're really finding some good evidence of the effectiveness of digital cameras. The link between technology and higher test scores is certainly encouraging. I'm looking for the same type of information in my research of interactive whiteboards. History is definitely one of those subjects that many kids see as boring (I teach 8th/9th grade US History). Involving cameras and photography gives students reasons to be excited about the course content. If more history teachers incorporate technology maybe fewer students will automatically label it all as boring. It certainly allows great opportunities to be creative in instruction.
ReplyDeleteHi Jen;
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about the projects that were designed by the Mitten participants. Creating newspapers in Publisher, searching & evaluating WWI photos online,creating webquests and webpages gives students the opportunity to incorporate new technology skills as they are learning history. It also gives them an opportunity to be creative and take pride in their finished projects. To me this scenario provides a richer learning experience than just reading textbooks.