Technology Integration in Social Studies

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Technology Integration in Social Studies

• Randy Lyseng, Consulting Services
• Lance Burns,
• Argyll Learning Centre

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Topics

• Overview of the Edmonton Public School District
• External Forces
• Knowing your Customer (i.e., the student)
• Technology Initiatives in the District
• Other places to visit

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1. Overview of our school district

• 80, 000 students
• 203 schools
• Variety of programs to meet the needs of
  students
• Alternative Programs
• Special Education Programs
• Transition Programs

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2. External forces (catalysts for change)

• Three main forces
• The new K 12 Social curriculum
• Alberta Learning Commission Report (2003)
• High School Completion Rates

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New K-12 Social Studies Program of Studies

• The Infusion of Technology
• Technology encompasses the processes, tools and
  techniques that alter human activity. Information
  communication technology provides a vehicle for
  communicating, representing, inquiring, making
  decisions and solving problems.

• It involves the processes, tools and techniques
  for
• gathering and identifying information
• re-representations of dominant texts
• expressing and creating
• classifying and organizing
• analyzing and evaluating
• speculating and predicting.

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Albertas Commission on Learning Report (2003)

• Specifically, technology offers the potential to
  
• Increase access to learning opportunities
• Adapt teaching to different learning styles,
  preferences and paces
• Customize learning materials and services
• Provide access to interactive educational
  resources
• Expand research and knowledge creation
• Individualize the tracking and recording of
  students' progress
• Develop new learning communities for the sharing
  of knowledge and best practices

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Albertas Commission on Learning Report (2003)

• At a minimum, classrooms should have
• One computer for the teacher
• Several computers for student use
• A projection system
• An interactive whiteboard
• Online resources.
• In addition to these basic classroom
  requirements, schools should have access to other
  related equipment including a digital and a video
  camera, conferencing hardware and software, as
  well as regular equipment such as microscopes and
  lab equipment.

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High School Completion Rates

• Identifying students who are at ask of not
  completing their schooling
• Making sure the mid-range students dont come off
  the radar screen.
• Intervention strategies
• Motivation strategies
• Technology plays a key role

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3. Knowing your customer

• Todays studenthow to tap in?
• Typical profile myths or reality?
• Net savvy
• Multimedia savvy
• Communication savvy (IMg, Chat)
• Multi-tasker
• Online presence gt lots of time
• Keyboarding vs. writing
• Computer in bedroom
• Time article

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Implications for teachers

• Kids are usually going to know more about
  technology than you do.
• Kids can be great mentors to other kidstakes the
  pressure of the teacher in the lab.
• Kids are fairly tech savvy and can hide things
  very quickly.

• Kids will always find a way around a tech
  problemnot scared of pushing buttons.
• 5. Teachers dont need to be the experts, they
  just need to set the parameters.

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4. District Technology Initiatives

• Video-Conferencing
• Professional Development
• On-line Learning
• Web-based Activities
• Mobile and Wireless Technology
• Interactive Whiteboards
• Assistive Technology
• Communication between home and school
• Multimedia

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Video Conferencing

• Originally a High School initiative
• Quickly moving towards a K-12 solution for
  delivering
• Subject experts (e.g., Canadian Space Agency)
• Candidate forums (Political debates)
• Language instruction
• Special services
• Now have 18 schools involved

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Professional Development

• AISI (Alberta Initiative for School Improvement)
  gt Sustainable PD
• Modules
• Coaching
• Targeted PD
• Conferences
• Trios
• Clusters of district schools with similar needs
• Sharing best practices

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Professional Development

• Online Resources
• Digital Online Resource Selector (DORS)
• ICT Online http//dtp.epsb.net/ict
• District Technology Newsletter
• Groups
• TELUS Learning Connection (http//tlc.epsb.ca)

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Online Learning

• Argyll Centre
• http//argyll.epsb.ca
• Video

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Web-Based Activities

• Engaging the Learner through a variety of
  activities
• Scavenger Hunts
• Blogs
• WebQuests
• Collaborative Activities
• Learning Objects
• Some Examples
• Editorial Cartoons
• Dive Trilogy Project
• LearnAlberta.ca

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Mobile and Wireless Technology

• Bringing the technology to the learner
• Wireless Laptop solution
• Alphasmart solution
• PDA solution?
• Reducing transition time
• Class to class
• Starting up and logging in
• Out of classroom context
• More on task time

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Interactive Whiteboards

• Allowing students to touch their learning
  through
• Simulations
• Software demonstrations
• Virtual manipulatives

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Assistive Technology

• Providing students with an equal playing field
• Word prediction software
• Text to speech software
• Visual representation software
• Dedicated word processors
• Voice recognition software
• Purchased mainly for special needs students for
  IPP accomodations

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Communication between home and school

• SchoolZone http//schoolzone.epsb.ca
• Practice quizzes
• Homework, assignments, links
• Information for parents
• School and Teacher Web sites
• Web links for research
• Homework, assignments, links
• Teacher notes

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Multimedia

• Getting kids interacting with a variety of media
  / programs
• Paint and drawing programs
• Animations
• Web site development
• Hypermedia
• Talmud Torah Holocaust projects

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Some Great Sites

• Alberta Launch Pad
• http//albertalaunchpad.com
• The Teacher List
• http//www.theteacherlist.ca