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Favorite Tech Tools For Social Studies Classes

Favorite Tech Tools For Social Studies Classes
Educators are looking for ways to help students participate in a digital world, but the choices for digital engagement in the classroom can be overwhelming. Many teachers have little to no money to pay for premium versions of apps and are looking for quick and easy ways to determine how an app works. They must also consider why it might be useful for their teaching practice. Rachel Langenhorst helps teachers in her district find solutions for those issues. She used to teach social studies, but is now the K-12 Technology Integrationist and Instructional Coach at Rock Valley Community Schools in Iowa. She put together a list of favorite digital tools for the social studies classroom and shared them during an edWeb webinar. “Really be cognizant of the digital tools you’re picking and why you are picking them,” Langenhorst said. Every educator in the digital world needs a bookmarking tool to help keep track of resources, ideas and sources for students. Thinglink makes pictures interactive. Related:  karinusundbergSocial Studies Resources

Fastest Way to Create Comic Strips and Cartoons - Toondoo Till kursen (f-6) | Världen i klassrummet Välkommen till e-kursen Världen i klassrummet, som jag hoppas ska ge dig mycket inspiration till din engelskundervisning! Klicka på länkarna nedan eller på respektive flik i menyn ovan för att komma till de olika modulerna (du får tillgång till kursen så fort betalningen är registrerad). Varje modul innehåller en inspelad föreläsning och en pdf med klickbara länkar och frågor för reflektion, diskussion och utforskande. Börja gärna med Modul 1, som ger en introduktion till hela kursen. 1. I den första modulen får du exmpel på hur man kan tänka när man vill arbeta med engelska utifrån olika tematiska ”paraplyn” och genom att använda material utanför lärobokens ramar. 2. Den andra modulen ger exempel på hur man kan jobba med litteratur, film och internet i undervisningen. 3. Här får du tips på webbplatser där eleverna kan träna exempelvis vokabulär och hörförståelse utifrån ett färdigt övningsmaterial. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Lycka till!

How Do We Teach about History's Tragic Events? For most of us, the school year had already ended before the tragic shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston on June 17. By the time school resumes in August, this will no longer be a current event by today’s news cycle standards, though it has a historical context that reaches back over 150 years and more. Whether you are talking about a recent tragedy, or an ancient one, death is an unfortunate staple in history classes. The challenge for history teachers of middle school students is how to treat death sensitively. How do we impress upon our students how many have died in various events without sensationalizing it? While some might argue it is not, I think most would agree that it is at least insensitive to teach about war, terrorism, disease and other human tragedies without paying attention to the emotional impact of such occurrences. There are so many grim statistics. Suggestion #1: Visualizing the Statistics Suggestion #2: Make it “Human” Check it out here.

Native American Quotes, Native American Wisdom Sayings Inspirational sayings, quotes, and words of wisdom from a Native American perspective, reflecting Native American beliefs, philosophy and spirituality. Cherokee Prayer Blessing May the Warm Winds of HeavenBlow softly upon your house.May the Great SpiritBless all who enter there.May your MocassinsMake happy tracksin many snows,and may the RainbowAlways touch your shoulder. Treat the earth well.It was not given to you by your parents,it was loaned to you by your children.We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors,we borrow it from our Children. Ancient Indian Proverb You have noticed that everything an Indian does in a circle,and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles,and everything and everything tries to be round. In the old days all our power came to us from the sacred hoopof the nation and so long as the hoop was unbroken the peopleflourished. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it isin everything where power moves. White Elk Hold On

SPEL: I stormens öga | Globalportalen Det här är ett spännande skolmaterial om barns rättigheter och om barns situation världen över. Syftet är att få barn intresserade av barnkonventionen och vilken roll rättigheter spelar i våra liv. I stormens öga riktar sig till lärarledda grupper om minst 12 elever i årskurs 4-7. Materialet består av det webb-baserade spelet I stormens öga med tillhörande inspirationsfilm och lärarhandledning. Barnkonventionen som grund Spelet är uppbyggt kring barnkonventionens fyra huvudprinciper och visar vad som händer när eleverna själva får bygga sitt samhälle genom samarbete, diskussioner och beslutsfattande. Överleva på en öde ö Handlingen går ut på att en stor grupp barn i olika åldrar blir strandsatta på en öde ö, där de ska försöka överleva tills de upptäcks och kan återvända hem. Ladda ner material och spela För att kunna spela i stormens öga behöver du ladda ner lärarhandledning, frågelappar till deltagarna och diskussionskort.

History Class: Teacher or Student Driven? by Jody Passanisi Project learning or direct instruction? Written assessment or student driven assessment? Student directed inquiry, or teacher led units? Shara and I have discussed our shared views about how the fact-based history classroom needs to change in the technological age, both here at MiddleWeb’s Future of History blog and at Scientific American. It is difficult, however, to gauge where on the spectrum one should land. Like many teachers, I go with my gut on a lot of these matters. History class – online research My gut has always told me that student-centered classrooms are important, but my outlook on how MUCH control to give students has shifted for me over time. While many teachers continue to teach “from the front of the room,” it appears that an unprecedented number have decided to rely on student-led inquiry and PBL with very limited direct instruction. Pros of student-directed history classes Cons of student-directed history classes 7th grade history small group

Ancient Siberian genome reveals genetic origins of Native Americans -- ScienceDaily The genome sequence of a 24,000-year-old Siberian individual has provided a key piece of the puzzle in the quest for Native American origins. The ancient Siberian demonstrates genomic signatures that are basal to present-day western Eurasians and close to modern Native Americans. This surprising finding has great consequences for our understanding of how and from where ancestral Native Americans descended, and also of the genetic landscape of Eurasia 24,000 years ago. The breakthrough is reported in this week's Nature (Advance Online Publication) by an international team of scientists, led by the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum of Denmark (University of Copenhagen). The search for Native American ancestors has been focused in northeastern Eurasia. In late 2009, researchers sampled at the Hermitage Museum, St. Instead, both the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes of MA-1 indicate that he was related to modern-day western Eurasians. Dual ancestry of Native Americans Dr.

Löjligt enkelt! Det händer att jag i min lärarroll blir ifrågasatt, som t ex i slutet av förra terminen i sexan, när klassen jobbade med ett arbetsområde som vi kallade för ”Gott och blandat”. Loggan till temat fick bli påsen med godis från Malaco. Du vet säkert precis vilken. Klassen fick maila mig om vad de ville lägga i påsen, m a o vad de tyckte vi skulle behandla under de sista svensklektionerna. Mitt bidrag till gottepåsen var serien ”Pluggkoden” från UR. De fyra avsnitten på cirka 30 minuter vardera ger olika tips och strategier om ökat självförtroende och motivation i skolarbetet. ”Pluggkoden” tror jag kommer som ett direkt svar och hjälp till att reparera resultaten på de senaste PISA-undersökningarna. I serien får eleverna om och om igen höra att det är ”löjligt enkelt” att bli bättre i skolan. Klassen avslutade serien med att individuellt svara på frågan ”Vad skulle vara löjligt enkelt att tänka på för dig?” ”Jag skulle kunna lägga ifrån mig mobilen och andra distraktioner. Att diskutera

Gamified Social Studies Takes Off in Fantasy Geopolitics A new online game called Fantasy Geopolitics has sparked students' interest in global politics and geography by applying the ideas behind fantasy sports to world events. The idea for Fantasy Geopolitics was born out of the frustration that Eric Nelson, a former high school civics and history teacher in Minnesota, experienced after seeing his students act like zombies in reaction to his tutelage on world affairs, according to Engadget. To pique their interest in class, Nelson incorporated the game mechanisms of his favorite hobby, fantasy football, into his subject matter. During the draft period students choose countries they think will have an impact on world news in the coming weeks. When Nelson first rolled out the game to his classroom in 2009, he was initially discouraged when one student described it as “wack, but not in a bad way. Nelson has since left the classroom environment to expand the Fantasy Geopolitics idea as an educational entrepreneur.

DNA Analysis Shows Native American Genealogy The suppression of the Native Americans and the decimation of their culture is a black page in the history of the United States. The discrimination and injustices towards this ancient race, which had lived on the American continent long before the European conquerors came to this land, are still present to this day despite the efforts of different groups and organizations trying to restore the justice. The destruction of their culture is one of the most shameful aspects of our history, the extent of the damage that was done is still being down-played and denied entry into textbooks and history-lessons to this day. The origin and history of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas have been studied for years by researchers from different countries, and a recent DNA study showed that the genealogy of the western aboriginals is one of the most unique in the world. This explanation was persuasive enough; however, there was no strong evidence to support it.

Framgång i undervisningen | Lärarsidan Det finns fem nyckelfaktorer som är avgörande för en bra lärare och en framgångsrik undervisning enligt aktuell forskning. En sammanfattning av forskning på området gjord av Skolinspektionen pekar tydligt på några nyckelfaktorer. 1. Vi måste tro att våra elever kan! 2. 3. 4. 5. Det visar sig gång på gång i forskningsresultat att vi lärare är den viktigaste faktorn för att uppnå goda resultat och en meningsfull undervisning. Läs Skolinspektionens sammanfattning ”Framgång i undervisningen” Testa Lärarsidan utan kostnad Social studies inspires responsible citizens Injecting “social responsibility” lessons into social studies classrooms better prepares students to become informed citizens eager to participate in a democracy. Educators will learn about the many ways to reach this goal at this year’s National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference, which carries the theme “celebrate social responsibility.” Various presentations at the conference this year focus on Hurricane Katrina, an event with special meaning at this year’s conference, which is being held in New Orleans from Nov. 13 to 15. Colleen Sears, an assistant professor of music education at the College of New Jersey, says the hurricane is an opportunity for K12 teachers to explore issues of social responsibility through the lens of music and art. Sears created a high school social studies curriculum using clips from When the Levees Broke, a Spike Lee documentary about the hurricane, and a mini-opera titled Katrina Ballads. Jessica Terrell is a freelance writer based in Hawaii

9 Examples of Indigenous Sense in a Nonsensical Time By Rucha Chitnis / buzzfeed.com Sometimes it seems like we live in nonsensical times. Do you ever wonder what happened to good old common sense? 1. The first episode of the film series, Pilgrims and Tourists, shows the Winnemem Wintu Tribe in California resisting U.S. government plans to raise the height of Shasta Dam, which threatens their sacred sites and the ceremonies that have taken place on the McCloud RIver for over a thousand years. 2. In the film series, Onondaga Chief Oren Lyons, reflects on the values in life that matter more than money and markets: a sacred relationship to land, reciprocity and our obligation to give back to the Earth, a commitment to equity and peace for seven generations. 3. In episode two of the film series, Profit and Loss, First Nations in Alberta, Canada, fight threats from a mega-mining invasion—the tar sands—dubbed as the world’s largest development project. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

"Läxor är meningslösa" – What we should be looking at is the progress students are making, säger han apropå betygsdebatten. James Nottingham från Storbritannien är en väl anlitad föresläsare och skolutvecklare. Han har en bakgrund som lärare och skolledare och har skrivit ett flertal böcker om undervisning. I veckan besökte han Ånge där 200 lärare från Sollefteå, Härnösand, Bräcke och Ånge fick lyssna till hans råd och exempel från olika delar av världen. – Han har mycket positiva tankar, konkreta tips och idéer. Föreläser i många länder Häromdagen var han i Bahrain, nu i Ånge och nästa vecka Mellanöstern. – När jag själv jobbat i skolan har jag varit frustrerad över hur många människor som gjorde saker utifrån instinkt eller tradition. Tveksam till betyg Mer av undervisningen borde baseras på vad erfarenheten och vetenskapen säger, menar han. – Inlärning handlar om att göra framsteg, inte bara visa upp vad du kan. "Läs varje kväll" Viktigt med feedback De som var på föreläsningen fick lyssna till fler råd.

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