Tag: gamification

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15 Best Social Studies Websites for Teachers

Social studies class can be boring when it only consists of reading a textbook. It can also be boring and long when students are required to research or memorize geography. For these reasons, many students claim that they don’t enjoy the social studies. But, geography, history, civics, sociology, and political science can be very enjoyable when made interactive.

Many teachers are taking advantage of interactive assignments, activities, and documentaries in the classroom. How are they doing this? By making use of all of the teaching and learning resources that are available on the internet. In this article, I will list 15 of the best social studies websites for teachers.

  1. National Geographic Education: Photos & Videos

Outstanding database of engaging photos and videos that are related to social studies.

  1. PBS LearningMedia

Awe inspiring collection of free multimedia resources that were specially made for classroom use.

  1. org

A wonderful collection of social studies content. Includes lesson plans, assignment ideas, etc.

  1. Library of Congress

Take advantage of one of the world’s largest collection of online digital resources for social studies.

  1. National Archives

Peruse a collection of U.S. history docs and other resources.

  1. Smithsonian Learning Lab

Access a treasure trove of Smithsonian resources.

  1. Digital Public Library of America

A collection of historical and cultural items that are second to none.

  1. American Panorama

This atlas highlights events that have occurred in U.S. history. The best part about the site is that it is highly interactive.

  1. The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

Amazing social studies resource that has a treasure trove of information.

  1. National WWII Museum

Quality social studies resources that help teachers plan outstanding lessons.

  1. American Social History Project

A website that contains a cache of research-based resources which highlight American diversity.

  1. Historypin

A website that uses crowdsourcing to produce its outstanding resources.

  1. The Idea of America

Digital history lessons that sparks debate.

  1. Voices of Democracy

Huge collection of primary source documents that produce a sound starting point for any historical research project.

  1. Stanford History Education Group

Research-based social studies curriculum that sparks historical research.

Did we miss any?

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9 Indiana teachers on how technology changed the way they teach

Originally posted on Chalkbeat by Hayleigh Colombo

Putting a Google Chromebook in the hands of a middle school student isn’t enough to take your classroom into this century. Using technology smartly — to complement and foster learning — has to be taught.

That’s what a few of the more than 400 teachers, librarians, and administrators who descended Thursday on Wayne Township’s Chapel Hill 7th and 8th Grade Center for Google Ed Camp said today. They spent the day asking each other technology questions, getting ideas for lesson plans and learning from each other.

While they were at it, Chalkbeat asked teachers from around Indiana the most surprising ways technology has changed the way they teach. See their responses here.

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

1. Kathy Hicks-Brooks, Ben Davis High School librarian

“I had heard that maker spaces (areas where people are encouraged to collaborate and use new technology to work on projects) were the way that public and school libraries were heading. Adding a maker space changed the whole library. Kids who never knocked on my door are now in here and they’re creating. During lunchtime, instead of everybody hanging out, they’re making things. A lot of the puzzles are tied to the curriculum. It really took off.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

2. Zach Meyer, special education teacher at Shelbyville Southwestern High School

“It gives me the ability to differentiate. I know right away which kids are getting it and which kids aren’t. It’s instant data collection. Data drives everything. It’s something we used to have to do using a gut feeling.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

3. Leslie Preddy, librarian at Perry Meridian High School

“The biggest change I have seen is our kids actually need more help. It’s overwhelming and you want to believe everything that’s in print. The kids are reading and don’t understand how to interpret and evaluate and analyze what they’re reading. It’s a challenge.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

4. Pete Just, Wayne Township Chief Technology Officer

“Ten years ago I was frustrated. We were putting devices in classrooms. We knew they had power but we didn’t know how to harness it. It’s starting to change the way students learn, and how teachers are looking at their roles. They’re looking at their role as a facilitator which allows for more differentiated learning.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

5. Katherine Russo, 8th grade science teacher at Lawrence Township

“It’s getting kids to want to read. I found they’re a lot more likely to read on the computer than in a book, which is weird. They’re more likely to write you a complete thought. Anything you can do to take something off their hands is something they enjoy.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

6. Martin Van Zant, Ben Davis High School graphic arts teacher

“You’ve got to be ahead of the kids and they’re super fast. The challenge is teaching them how to use the devices responsibly. They’ve grown up with technology but they’ve never been shown how to use it properly.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

7. Fay Miller, business teacher at Royal Center schools

“When I look at the kids, this is their wheelhouse. I learn from them. Feedback is quicker. You can send a message to the kids. We communicate that way.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

8. Nathan Davidson, former technology manager at Wayne Township schools

“I’m surprised that it hasn’t caught on quicker than this. It’s hard to change a mindset and understand that technology is important. We’ve got fantastic tools available. The exciting thing is the opportunities that are ahead.”

PHOTO: Hayleigh Colombo

9. Andrea Milender, teacher at Mill Creek East in Clayton

“What amazes me the most is watching the kids’ adaptability with it all. Adults struggle with change. Kids are ready to dive in and do it. They amaze me with how much they teach each other.”

Chalkbeat is a nonprofit news site covering educational change in public schools.

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Internet addiction and online gaming disorder on the rise

By The Australian Psychological Society
In our modern world, the internet has become an integral part of our daily lives, enabling us to be more connected and efficient than ever before. But our move online has also resulted in the serious and growing global phenomenon of internet addiction.

What is internet addiction?

Internet addiction manifests when excessive internet use starts to affect someone’s life, causing impairment or distress. There are various types of internet addiction, from social networking and gambling to pornography and gaming.

Internet gaming addiction, also known as Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD), is now recognised as a mental health condition that can have major consequences for an individual’s wellbeing.

Dr Vasileios Stavropoulos, a senior lecturer in clinical psychology and coordinator of the Gaming Research Group at Federation University Australia, says six criteria must be met in order for excessive internet gaming to be classed as an addiction.

That criteria includes a frequent preoccupation or obsession with internet gaming, progressively higher doses of gaming to achieve the same outcome, using gaming to modify mood or feelings, conflict with others due to dysfunction in the gamer’s other roles, failing in attempts to curb or stop gaming, and withdrawal symptoms when not gaming online.

“Anyone who presents with all six of these characteristics gets a diagnosis but if some do not present with all six and present with some of them, we tend to think that they are at high risk of Internet Gaming Disorder,” he says.

While the incidence of online addiction has grown in the past decade, it’s still an emerging area of research. Dr Stavropoulos says a 2010 Tasmanian study of more than 1300 students indicated 4.6% met the six criteria for internet addiction but little is known about the national prevalence of the condition.

Who is most at risk?

Dr Stavropoulos, who has studied the impact of internet addiction and excessive online gaming on adolescents, says studies show male adolescents, particularly those aged 16 to 18, are generally at higher risk than female adolescents. But new research has shown that female students who are struggling at school and who experience hostility in the classroom are vulnerable to addiction, turning to the internet as a refuge and a place to find acceptance and connection that they are not finding at school.

“What makes people addicted to the use of online games has been found to be mainly the online socialisation aspect, so they get in contact with other gamers. It’s what we call internet paradox because this medium, which has been designed to advance communication between individuals, ends up making them more isolated in real life,” he says.

“Gamers compensate the lack of relationships in real life with online relationships, and what makes online relationships more attractive to individuals has to do with three things – anonymity, escapism and convenience.”

What makes internet gaming addictive?

Research shows Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) can increase the symptoms of internet addiction.

Dr Stavropoulos says the games create ‘online flow’, where gamers are absorbed by the game action, coupled with the psychological state of telepresence, where gamers’ perceptions fail to accurately acknowledge the role of technology in their experience.

MMORPGs also enable gamers to create and develop a character, known as an avatar, that reflects who they would like to be in the real world.

“This virtual identity often reflects their idealised self – you can choose who you are and you can choose the way other people see you. You can be who you want to be and that’s the power of the game,” he says.

“It’s what we call augmented reality. It’s a part of reality but it’s also augmented with fantastic elements that make it very absorbing and attractive – it’s like living your fantasy in many ways.”

Dr Stavropoulos says MMORPGs feature constant development and rewards, enabling gamers to develop skills to achieve higher levels, which provides an immediate sense of satisfaction.

Despite the games often being played in isolation in the real world, they drive communication online, enabling gamers to socialise in gaming groups, called guilds or clans.

How is Internet Gaming Disorder treated?

The evidence-based psychological talk therapy Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) is used to treat internet addiction.

Dr Stavropoulos says group therapy is crucial in helping gamers to develop relationships and improve how they relate to others while individual therapy assists gamers to address gaps between their virtual identity and their real self.

Dr Stavropoulos also urges caution against using medication, such as mood modification-related medication, to treat internet addiction.

“The gamers’ main driver is to change the way they feel, and if they find that there is a chemical way of modifying their feelings, we may address the behaviour form of addiction, transforming it into a substance-related form of addiction.”

Disconnecting problem gamers

Dr Stavropoulos says it’s imperative we move to protect adolescents at risk of internet addiction with the introduction of measures, similar to responsible gambling legislation and regulations.

“In terms of prevention, there needs to be a legal framework that will oblige the companies making these games to protect gamers,” he says.

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The Slow Gamification of K-12 Classrooms

Children are becoming acutely acquainted with mobile technology long before their K-12 classroom years. When they arrive at their first organized school experiences, they are often already savvy on basic computers and mobile devices. If their parents used this technology correctly, these kids have had at least some exposure to phonics and math through learning websites, downloads and other applications. Research suggests that once these young learners enter a classroom, however, learning through tech “games” disappears. Families may still choose to buy the apps and use them at home but schools are slow to bring gamification of education into their classrooms.

A report by the market research group Ambient Insight found that edtech in the forms of learning games is not making its way into classrooms. Instead of educators making learning game purchases, marketers target parents because they are the ones who buy them. The North American edtech market is expected to grow over 15 percent in the next half-decade but company leaders have candidly said that they will focus marketing efforts on parents, not schools. To paraphrase, targeting schools is simply a waste of time.

So why are games developed for young learners having such a difficult time entering classrooms?

The reasons are simple enough. Money is a factor and it impacts more than the purchase of the games or applications themselves. K-12 schools are still in the process of creating mobile technology policies and finding the money in their budgets to fund these initiatives. There are also issues of slow internet speeds and low bandwidths that prevent too many students from flooding the network at once. If teachers do not have the right technology in their classrooms, they cannot purchase the games to enhance lessons.

Regulations are another issue when it comes to the quick implementation of learning technology, including games. There seems to be a distrust of games, and in some cases of technology in general, and their place in the classroom setting. By the time teachers can prove the worth of the games they want to use, another game is available with more bells and whistles. For-profit companies that develop these learning games have no hoops to jump through with parents but the same cannot be said of schools.

Does all of this really matter, though? Are kids still learning what they need to know without inundation of education games? While the general consensus seems to be that screen time “rots” the brains of little ones, researchers have actually found benefits for young minds. In her paper “Children’s Motivations for Video Game Play in the Context of Normal Development,” Cheryl Olson found that games, even non-educational ones, improve decision-making and encourage self-expression in children. If there is an educational feature, children absorb the knowledge while finely tuning motor and strategic skills.

It stands to reason then that children with access to gaming technology at home are at an advantage. If there was no educational gaming at home AND no educational gaming at school, it would be a different story. Instead, parents that can afford the vehicles for the technology and the games themselves are able to better prepare children for the classroom and academic success – furthering a socio-economic achievement gap. Through educational technology that is readily available to consumers, the advantaged become more so and the disadvantaged fall farther behind.

For all students to benefit from edtech initiatives, schools need to find the funding for better technology suites and cut through red tape more quickly. Otherwise the educational opportunities presented through gaming will never be fully realized and the students will suffer.

Have you found ways to incorporate edtech, particularly when it comes to gaming, into your classroom?

 

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