This article compared using technology (Inspiration 6 software) with traditional textbooks. the author makes an statement that i thought was interesting "social studies textbooks assume students have a significant amount of background knowledge o important concepts." As i read that i placed myself back in my high school history class. i agree with that statement, it wouldn't be so bad but the teacher assumes you know the concepts as well. The article goes on to explain that computer increase students recall and comprehension in social studies.
The main section in this article was talking about the two groups that were tested. Both groups of students were taught one chapter of social studies. The cognitive organizers were the experimental group while the traditional textbook students were the control group. Using the Inspiration 6 software the teacher demonstrated how to insert text into the software and show the students how to work the system. After the lesson was over the students inserted their information on to the software. The teacher asked the students questions relating to the cognitive organizer and content material. The traditional textbook students completed a set of review questions.
The same method of scoring was used for both groups. The results showed that the students using the software performed much better than the students who worked with the traditional textbooks.
From this article I learned that technology can be used in the classroom, history included. The article did leave me with a question though. I was confused as to how the students with the software were actually graded. technology helps to expand students horizons. They don't have to be confined to a textbook. I can see how teachers would not be able to use technology in the classroom due to a lack of time but from this article anyone can see that the time and effort a teacher puts into learning and understanding computer software can be beneficial to you and your students.
Boon, Richard & Burke, Mack. "The Impact of Cognitive Organizers and technology-Based Practices in Student Success in Secondary Social Studies Classrooms." Journal of Special Education Technology, 2006. found on 9-15-09.
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That article sounds really interesting. I like that quote that you pulled out. I never thought about that before either, but now that I read that, it is true. It does take a prior knowledge of concepts. I really like the idea of using the internet to supplement the text with the use of the internet, as long as the textbooks aren't ignored all together. I think you make an important point about the assessment. It is becoming more dificult to find ways to access students as we add more technology. The traditional methods of testing do not work as well.
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