Content Area Web Sites #4

This edition of "Content Area Web Sites" is brought to you by the Smithsonian Institute...America's Museum.

Web Site #1:

Between a Rock and A Hard Place: A History of American Sweatshops, 1820-Present

http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibition.cfm?key=38&exkey=119

How I would use this web site for instruction:

The above web page created and maintained by the Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of American History is a great resource for students learning about the Industrial Revoluntion and its aftermath.  The web site, an on-line version of an actual Smithsonian exhibit starts in 1820 and continues until present day.  This site would be a great way of showing students how an historical period which began almost 200 years ago, is still affecting people in the world today.

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Web Site #2:

Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn: Jazz Composers

http://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/exhibition.cfm?key=38&exkey=1296

How I would use this web site for instruction:

The second web site, featured above, would be used in conjunction with a lesson plan on the Roaring Twenties.  This web site, also created and maintained by the Smithsonian, contains text, documents, audio clips and video clips.  All of these can be used to help students better understand the period of American History when Jazz was all the rage.

Inquiry Question #3

Inquiry Group: Urban Education & Teens

Question #3:  In what ways does technology affect reading on the urban secondary classroom?

Prior to beginning my search for the answer to the above question, I decided it was time to use a resource other that Edutopia.  I figured there must be plenty of other sources of information on the topic.  I began my search on Google Scholar by conducting a search on the terms "technology integration," "urban," and "reading."  To my amazement, there were 3,110 results.  In an attempt to reduce the results, I requested only results from 2010 through 2012.  This brought the results to a more manageable 626 results.

I began to dig through the results and quickly found that the "scholarly" language was a little above my head and the article lengths could run well into 100 pages or more!  I began to think, "I am getting into an area that is a bit above my ability!"  To add to my difficulty, many of the articles I was able to locate required payment to see more than the 3-5 sentence abstract.

I needed a new approach!

A search of ERIC found a number of articles that seemed to be better suited to my needs.  One in particular stood out above the rest, Effects of Multimedia Software on Achievement of Middle School Students in an American History Class.

This article tracked the effect a technology-based social studies program had on students in an urban secondary history class.  The multi-media program included supplement texts along with a variety of other media.  In the end, the study found that students who used the program obtained a 12% improvement in the subject, while those who did not use the program only increased by 6%.  It was determined that the program created a statistically significant change.

This is one example of how technology affected reading (in this case, social studies texts) in the classroom.  Based on my on-line search, there are many other articles, web sites, blogs and on-line discussions just waiting to be tackled.


Source:

Kingsley, K. & Boone, R. (2008). Effects of multimedia software on achievement of middle school students in an American history class. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 41 (2), 203-221.

Content Area Web Sites #3

Web Site #1:

The Presidents

http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents

How I would use this web site for instruction:

The above web page created and maintained by the White House, contains biographical sketches for all of the U.S. Presidents.  This site would be an excellent resource for a social studies lesson on the Presidents or American Government.  I can see using it as a place for students to complete a Presidential Scavenger Hunt.  A list of questions or incomplete facts would be created that would cover the careers and personal lives of the 44 American Presidents.  Students would use the web site to answer the questions and fill in the blanks.

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Web Site #2:

WASP on the Web

http://wingsacrossamerica.us/wasp/

How I would use this web site for instruction:

The second web site, featured above, would be used in conjunction with Flygirl by Sherri L. Smith.  The book will be used as a supplemental text during a lesson on World War II.  Students will be able to see the planes used by the Women Airforce Service Pilots, or WASP.  Historical images of the women of the WASP, the planes they flew and other fun items can be found on the site.  Whether the students are directed to the site for independent exploration or they are walked through a specific task, this site should prove to be an important resource.