1. Technology in
Social Studies Instruction
A report by Riza Mercado
For Educational Technology
Class 2012 – 20132nd Semester

2. What is Social Studies?

3. What is Social Studies?
-Isthe “integrated study of the social sciences and
humanities to promote civic competence
-- Draws upon various fields such as …

4. Sociology
Political Science

5. History

6. Economics

7. Religious Studies

8. Geography

9. Psychology

10. Anthropology

11. Civics

12. What is Social Studies?
-Isthe “integrated study of the social sciences and
humanities to promote civic competence
-- Draws upon various fields such as
sociology,
political science,
history,
economics,
religious studies,
geography,
psychology,
anthropology, and civics

13. How do we teach Social Studies
Traditionally?

14. How do we teach Social Studies traditionally?
- Reading

15. How do we teach Social Studies traditionally?
- Memorization

16. What are the different ways to
improve Social Studies Instruction?

17. What are the different ways to improve Social
Studies Instruction?
-Interviews/Field Trips
-Research
-Power Point Presentation
-Video Clips
-Internet or Websites

18. What are the different ways to improve Social
Studies Instruction?
-Interviews

19. What are the different ways to improve Social
Studies Instruction?
-Research

20. What are the different ways to improve Social
Studies Instruction?
-Power Point Presentation

21. What are the different ways to improve Social
Studies Instruction?
-Video Clips

22. What are the different ways to improve Social
Studies Instruction?
-Internet or Websites

23. What are the different ways to improve Social
Studies Instruction?
-Interviews/Field Trips
-Research
-Power Point Presentation
-Video Clips
-Internet or Websites

24. Let us focus on the Internet

25. Let us focus on the Internet – e.g.
One example of how we can use technology to prepare
social studies teachers to extend learning in a meaningful
way is by using digital archives, such as the ones found at
the Virginia Center for Digital History . The Virginia Center
for Digital History has developed a series of digital history
projects including the award-winning Valley of the Shadow
Project: Two Communities in the American Civil
War , Virtual Jamestown , Race and Place: African American
Community History , Presidential Recordings
Project , and Dolley Madison Project. The Virginia Center
for Digital History `s mission is to develop high-quality,
well-researched, and reliable history materials for the
World Wide Web and deliver them to schools, colleges,
libraries, historical societies, and the general public.

26. Let us focus on the Internet – e.g.
For example, let’s click on the following link:
http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/index.php?page=VCDH

27. Let us focus on the Internet – e.g.
Using the digital archives of primary sources available
online through the Virginia Center for Digital History,
students can conduct historical research to construct
the significance of people and events in history. These
materials provide students with the opportunity to
access, manipulate, and interpret raw materials of our
past.

28. Let us focus on the Internet – e.g.
The Valley of the Shadow Project is a multimedia archive
that follows two communities, one northern and one
southern, through the experience of the American Civil
War. It contains searchable and browsable newspapers,
letters, diaries, photographs, military records, and census
manuscripts from Augusta County, Virginia, and Franklin
County, Pennsylvania. Researchers at all levels can explore
the material and create authoritative historical accounts of
the experiences of families, women, soldiers, immigrants,
politicians, African Americans, and farmers during the Civil
War years. Although the documents are organized
chronologically as the years just before or during the Civil
War, the archive contains rich material for teachers and
researchers interested in exploring other important themes
in American History, such as slavery, immigration, ethnic
groups, women's lives, reform movements, economic
development, and political culture.

29. Guidelines in using technology
in Social Studies Instruction

30. Guidelines in using technology in Social Studies
Instruction
1. Extend Learning beyond what could be done
without technology
2. Introduce technology in context
3. Include opportunities for students to study
relationship among science, technology, and society
4. Foster the development of the skills, knowledge,
and participation as good citizens in a democratic
society
5. Contribute to research and evaluation of social
studies and technology

31. Discussion

32. Discussion
1. Technology opens the door to learning social
studies skills and content in ways impossible in
the traditional classroom
2. “… [we need to] consider if the technology is
allowing them to learn in a way they could not
without the technology or if they are at best
learning in a more meaningful way.

33. Discussion
1. Social Studies educators must be able to meet
the demands of the electronic or knowledge
age and must deal with the impact of
technology on development of society
2. Social Studies instruction must account for the
changes in society resulting from the use of
technology (Glenn, 1990) and must consider
the critical thought required for processing
information generated by technology (Parker,
1991)

34. Conclusion

35. Conclusion
- To summarize it all, what I have shared is not how
to rely on the internet to make the students know
about social studies but on how the technology
was utilized to supplement and improve learning.
- I believe therefore that technology in Social Studies
instruction is on how we can maximize technology
to improve and supplement learning which includes
(and is not limited to) the internet, websites,
electronic programs, and so on.

36. Resources

37. Resources
- Mason, C., Berson, M., Diem, R., Hicks, D., Lee, J., &
Dralle, T.(2000). Guidelines for using technology to
prepare social studies teachers. Contemporary Issues
in Technology and Teacher Education [Online
serial], 1 (1).
Available:http://www.citejournal.org/vol1/iss1/curre
ntissues/socialstudies/article1.htm