I've begun to study for the CSET in Social Sciences, and apparently I don't know anything about US history. I was busy outlining broad themes -- movements/eras, political thought and development, wars, religion and philosophy, etc. -- when I thought, "Since several of my classmates are also preparing for the test, why not post this outline as a wiki?"
As I was listing wars, I thought, "Hmm...maybe I should check Wikipedia to make sure I'm not skipping anything." When I looked at the US history page, I found that it was organized in exactly the way I wanted. Not only was the information divided chronologically, but thematically.
Wikipedia is the first place I go for quick or general answers. Why is it, then, that I've only heard negative comments about it for use by students? Sure, it's possible that the information is unreliable, and citations are a bitch. But, in general, I think it's a great tool for studying, quick answers, finding relationships between topics, etc.
Wikipedia is also saving me like 75 bucks on review books.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Computer Lab Visits
About half the time I've spent with my class so far this semester has been spent either in the computer lab or projecting streaming video in the classroom. We've been practicing media literacy by looking at the election coverage. We've compared 2004 red/blue state divisions to post-Super Tuesday headlines from different states' newspapers to look at audience and angles. We've used the internet to research candidates' positions on issues. We've looked at major candidates' political ads to discuss persuasive strategies.
Stephanie, my cooperating teacher, says that visits recently have been more frequent than is typical. We've seen increased familiarity with operating the computers, and more time devoted to the tasks at hand. Students have been engaged in the activities and we've been able to tweak them a little for each class. We've been posting links from the school's website, rather than allowing free browsing of the internet. Mainly, this is a time issue, but we also have not discussed reliability of internet sources yet.
Nevertheless, it's been a great experience to cull material from a number of sources so quickly. I've seen that my most effective lesson plans from both of my placements utilize computer-based presentations. The main reason for this is that I can present EXACTLY what I want to present, with little fuss.
Stephanie, my cooperating teacher, says that visits recently have been more frequent than is typical. We've seen increased familiarity with operating the computers, and more time devoted to the tasks at hand. Students have been engaged in the activities and we've been able to tweak them a little for each class. We've been posting links from the school's website, rather than allowing free browsing of the internet. Mainly, this is a time issue, but we also have not discussed reliability of internet sources yet.
Nevertheless, it's been a great experience to cull material from a number of sources so quickly. I've seen that my most effective lesson plans from both of my placements utilize computer-based presentations. The main reason for this is that I can present EXACTLY what I want to present, with little fuss.
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