Integrating Technology into Social Studies

I like to use every opportunity to find ways to make teaching Social Studies not be a miserable experience for students, which is why I chose to read chapter 12 about integrating technology into social studies instruction.  As a student my social studies experiences ranges from terribly boring and sometimes not even accurate to moderately interesting and mildly clear how it applied to my life.  Reading this chapter luckily led to me getting some ideas on how to use technology to make social studies not be everyone’s least favorite subject.

Advantages of Integrating Technology into Social Studies

One of the many advantages that technology offers is making social studies more engaging, interactive, and motivating.  For example “…a larger percentage of students will voluntarily engage in creating digital storytelling than are willing to write a traditional essay” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 340).  Also GPS treasure hunts sound like a great way to teach students about “geographical information and techniques” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 348) without them even knowing they’re learning anything. 

Technology can also make information and experiences more accessible.  Virtual field trips are a great way to expose kids to places and cultures that otherwise may be inaccessible.  “The wealth of information and images available about other cultures enriches students’ study of other lands and ways of life” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 348).  Additionally the news is readily available in a multitude of forms.  Sites like this direct news at students in an age appropriate way.

Disadvantages of Integrating Technology into Social Studies

Possibly one of the most distressing factors in integrating technology into social studies instruction is misinformation on the internet.  “In the past, most information that students received was sifted through a reliable filter; today, those filters often are nonexistent” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 337).  This can be a major problem obviously but I think that it can be ameliorated by teaching students which sites are reliable and how to evaluate newly-found sites for content.

And probably the most practical and insurmountable problem with technology is the cost.  “For example, it costs over $1,000 to equip 30 computers with TimeLiner software, a piece of software that allows students to organize data on multimedia timelines” (Roblyer & Doering, 2013, p. 336).

References

Roblyer, M. D., & Doering, A. H. (2013).  Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.