The use of a mobile news application is incredibly valuable for the Social Studies classroom. Students will apply this site to various activities throughout the day including; current events, history, geography, social/cultural issues, politics, etc. These sites may be used for research and analyzing sources, or for finding basic information for classroom content. This site will also lead to students becoming positive, globally aware citizens.
Another program that I would like to include into your student’s tool bag of apps is YouTube. I am sure that your student has used YouTube for comedy purpose, but it is more than that. YouTube is the second largest search engine next to Google. What educators have come to understand is that students do not receive the amount of stimulation from reading as they do from videos.
In terms of social studies, YouTube will benefit your student’s education in a couple different ways. First, they are able to watch quick short videos. I believe that there is nothing worse than sitting down in class to watch a 30 minute movie when you can get the point by watching a 3 minute movie. Secondly, watching video will only help retention levels. There have been numerous times in class where students have been able to recall information that they had saw. If I asked them to recall text, it might not be so apparent. Lastly, YouTube offers a lot of current events information. For example, if we wanted to watch the Barack Obama’s Presidential Inauguration, we can easily pull it up and dissect what his plan of action for the country is.
An additional app we suggest is the program Dropbox. This is cloud storage software, that allows you to upload documents or images to a file that can be accessible to people you give permission to. This is a great tool for turning in assignments and saving on paper. Your student could upload his or her assignments or projects to our class’ Dropbox folder, and I can access them to read, grade, and provide feedback, all without using paper! In addition, it works great for group projects and collaboration, because all students in a class can access documents as needed. It is free to download, and has the potential to be a great learning tool.
Another app great app is for the Smithsonian Channel. It is also free, and is a great resource for checking out social studies-related information that is fun and interesting. You can rest easy knowing the material is appropriate for your student but will also allow your child to connect with history in ways that are meaningful for them. These include TV shows, videos, and history facts.
Jeffrey Fisher 