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History Lesson Plans & Technology

• Collect-Relate-Create-Donate Framework and Planning Tips
• Best Sites for History Lesson Plans
• Best Sites for History Activities and Games
• Examples of Technology Integration
• Tom Daccord's Innovative Technology Projects
• Links to Quiz and Test Making Programs

Thinking about Lesson Plans

The most effective technology integration lessons put students at the center of the learning process. These lessons empower students by fostering creativity and innovation and they enhance collaboration and communication. Look for lesson plans that help build 21st century skills such as inventive thinking, communication and collaboration, and information literacy.

A Vision of K-12 Students Today

• Instead of focusing on "canned" lesson plans, concentrate on finding "lesson ideas" that can be adopted and integrated into your lesson objectives. Look for lesson plans and activities that enhance and supplement what you are trying to accomplish, not supplant it. Keep in mind that the number of sites devoted to lesson plans is growing rapidly and you will need to do some critical evaluation before introducing any of these lesson plans into your classroom. Not all lesson plans you find will automatically be valuable, authentic learning experiences.

The Collect-Relate-Create-Donate Framework

In Leonardo’s Laptop, Professor Ben Schneiderman lays out a simple but powerful framework for designing user-centered, student-centered technology- integration projects. The framework consists of four parts: Collect, Relate, Create, and Donate. In Schneiderman’s framework, projects begin with a chance to “Collect” knowledge, and students research the factual building blocks of their learning project. From there students “Relate” with one another—since collaboration and cross-cultural communication skills play essential roles in our economic and civic spheres—in an effort to “Create” some kind of tangible demonstration of their understanding. The final part of an activity is to find a forum to “Donate” the student work so that students can enjoy the opportunity to publish their work and be of service to others. We’ve found this approach helpful in designing and evaluating Social Studies activities that take advantage of emerging technologies. The best technology integration projects use computers to empower students to take responsibility for their own learning and give them the tools to succeed in that endeavor. The Collect-Relate-Create-Donate (CRCD)framework is a great way to get started in creating these kinds of student-centered learning experiences.

• The "A Day in the Like of a Hobo" project employs the C-R-C-D framework

Here are some planning suggestions from the Plano ISD Instructional Center:

• Identify those areas of your curriculum that seem to be the most likely to be supported by freely available Internet resources.
• Keep a bookmark list with a section devoted to lesson plans in the areas you're most interested in.
• Involve other colleagues in the collection and evaluation of possible lesson plans already produced.
• Research the topics yourself before assigning projects to students to make certain that an appropriate number of resources exist. Expect the students to find resources that you didn't.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues as you develop your original lesson plans that integrate Internet resources.
• Share your lesson plans so that others can benefit from your work.

Source: Plano ISD Instructional Center: "Lesson Plans Resources Guide" from http://k-12.pisd.edu/lesson.htm

Summer 2010 Teaching with Technology Workshops

Organized by Tom Daccord and Justin Reich of Best of History Web Sites, Center for Teaching History with Technology, & National Council of Social Studies Technology Committee

Join educators from around the world who come to Boston each summer for a memorable educational experience:

8th annual Teaching History with Technology
Dates: June 30-July 2 or Aug 4-6, 2010

Geography & Maps 2.0
Date: June 29, 2010

Primary Sources 2.0
Date: June 28, 2010

Connecting Classrooms with Web 2.0
Dates: July 22-23, 2010

4th annual Teaching English and Language Arts with Technology
Dates: July 6-8, 2010

Creative Teaching with Interactive Whiteboards
Dates: July 19-20, 2010

21st Century Skills- Frameworks and Teaching Strategies
Date: July 28, 2010

and more. . .

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