| A colleague recently described to me the ways she is | | | | their countries.o Geographical discovery and |
| incorporating technology into her Social Studies lessons. | | | | techniques - The Five Themes of Geography DVD - |
| Although I was impressed with the powerful strategies | | | | Students learn from their peers (other students) in the |
| she devised, I was distressed to see she had not | | | | video as they learn about the five themes of |
| included any educational DVDs or videos into the mix. | | | | geography and how geographers study the earth.o |
| Quite frankly, even though computer software and the | | | | Current events and politics - 8th Amendment: The |
| Internet can provide some very stimulating and | | | | Death Penalty - Students virtually travel to the |
| motivating activities involving Social Studies, educational | | | | execution capital of the world (Huntsville, TX) to learn |
| DVDs and videos provide a way to more closely | | | | about one of our most controversial political issues--the |
| control the visual images to which students are | | | | death penalty.o Earth Science - A Closer Look at |
| exposed. As they learn, students build concepts and | | | | Earth DVD - Because images are included both from |
| understanding on top of the visual stimulation they | | | | above and below the surface of the earth, students |
| receive. By previewing and selecting appropriate | | | | learn what makes our third planet from the sun so |
| DVDs and videos, we can better control how this | | | | special.o Economics - Economy in and between |
| occurs, rather than any site that might haphazardly be | | | | Communities - Students learn the difference between |
| accessed via an Internet search. | | | | goods and services in both the public and private |
| My Friend's Ideas for Technology-Centered Social | | | | sector. |
| Studies Lessonso Other lands and ways of life - virtual | | | | I'm happy to report that my colleague has since |
| field trips via the Interneto Geographical discovery and | | | | introduced several educational DVDs into her lesson |
| techniques - GPS treasure hunto Current events and | | | | plans and has also told me that teaching some of the |
| politics - webquests to examine current issues and | | | | lessons is easier because a lot of the cross-discipline |
| their historical rootso Earth Science - Geospatial sites | | | | learning activities have already been mapped out for |
| (e.g., Google Earth)o Economics - Stock market | | | | you. Clearly DVDs do not belong on the shelf as "old" |
| simulations using the Internet to show how quickly the | | | | technology. |
| market changes | | | | If you'd like to start experiencing the benefits of using |
| Suggestions for Incorporating Educational DVDs under | | | | video effectively in your classroom and avoid making |
| the Same Topicso Other lands and ways of life - | | | | "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Teachers Make Using Video |
| Fighting 20th Century Tyranny - Video that shows | | | | in the Classroom", your next step is to download a |
| how people in India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and other | | | | FREE copy of "The 7 Biggest Mistakes Teachers |
| countries must take great risks to improve conditions in | | | | Make Using Video in the Classroom" right now. |