TECH EDGE: Mobile Learning in the Classroom Podcasts
Episode 10: History Apps
This week I watched one of Guy Trainin’s Tech Edge Podcasts. There are over 240 videos that are made to “create a generation of teachers who are effective and confident using new technologies.” While scrolling through the podcasts, I found that Trainin covers a variety of topics, and explores multiple resources that teachers should become familiar with. I chose to watch Episode 10 “History Apps,” where he reviews different history apps that can be used in a Social Studies classroom. I liked this video because it focused mostly on middle school and high school classrooms, which is what grade level I will be teaching someday. He talked about the website called "Big History Project," which I will definitely use as resource in the future. It has everything about history you will need to know, and ideas on how to teach a specific period or event effectively in your classroom. Trainin also reviewed three other apps that I downloaded myself, and I have shared my thoughts on them below. |
Tech Edge Podcast, Episode 10: History Apps
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CrashCourse
The CrashCourse Video Series is the first app that I downloaded and am so happy that I did. I really enjoyed this app because it was super easy to navigate. It has “crash courses” on every subject that would be taught in the classroom. Each crash course covers a specific section or what would be covered in a lesson plan. It includes a brief summary from John Green who narrates the subject matter in a simple, quick, and funny way. As I have approached my third year at Kansas State University, I sometimes cannot understand certain things in my classes. I have found that you tubing the topic and listening to a fresh perspective is usually all I need. That is essentially what CrashCourse offers.
Guy Trainin talked about how he uses this app on his iPad. With the growth of technology, iPads are being integrated in to a lot of classrooms. So this is definitely an app that could be used by both teachers and their students. Since I have started going in to classrooms to start observing, lesson planning, and learning what it takes to become a teacher, I have actually seen Social Studies teachers use John Green’s videos in class. I think this is a way I can bring the Crash Course App to the classroom. I think if I played this at the introduction before a lesson, the students would know what to expect and also get a background understanding of what I am teaching. I could also use it instead at the end of my lesson as a way to reflect and review everything that we talked about in class. The videos are all very short, about 7-12 minutes in length, so my students would get the perfect amount of information without losing focus or interest. . One of the downfalls I found in this app was that there is a lot of ads that you have to watch in order to get to the actual video, and to remove them you have to pay $4.99. The ads are only about 30 seconds each, so I personally still think it is worth the download. But, for some people it might be annoying enough to not use the app if they do not want to pay the $4.99.
The CrashCourse Video Series is the first app that I downloaded and am so happy that I did. I really enjoyed this app because it was super easy to navigate. It has “crash courses” on every subject that would be taught in the classroom. Each crash course covers a specific section or what would be covered in a lesson plan. It includes a brief summary from John Green who narrates the subject matter in a simple, quick, and funny way. As I have approached my third year at Kansas State University, I sometimes cannot understand certain things in my classes. I have found that you tubing the topic and listening to a fresh perspective is usually all I need. That is essentially what CrashCourse offers.
Guy Trainin talked about how he uses this app on his iPad. With the growth of technology, iPads are being integrated in to a lot of classrooms. So this is definitely an app that could be used by both teachers and their students. Since I have started going in to classrooms to start observing, lesson planning, and learning what it takes to become a teacher, I have actually seen Social Studies teachers use John Green’s videos in class. I think this is a way I can bring the Crash Course App to the classroom. I think if I played this at the introduction before a lesson, the students would know what to expect and also get a background understanding of what I am teaching. I could also use it instead at the end of my lesson as a way to reflect and review everything that we talked about in class. The videos are all very short, about 7-12 minutes in length, so my students would get the perfect amount of information without losing focus or interest. . One of the downfalls I found in this app was that there is a lot of ads that you have to watch in order to get to the actual video, and to remove them you have to pay $4.99. The ads are only about 30 seconds each, so I personally still think it is worth the download. But, for some people it might be annoying enough to not use the app if they do not want to pay the $4.99.
Kahn Academy
The second app I downloaded is very similar to the Crash Course App I just talked about. Kahn Academy is a non-profit, online academy that was created with goal of creating an accessible place for people to be educated. The Kahn Academy app is great because it also covers every subject that a student would face in his or her education in middle school or high school. Like the Crash Course App, each subject is taught with a series of interactive and engaging videos. You simply pick a subject, and are taken to a series of links that will provide the information you need to know. I clicked on US History and was provided with 12 links that covered history from 1491 to the present, as well as information on how to think like a historian. Under US History, the Kahn Academy App also provided information about American civics to teach about American politics, the economy, and more. I found that the Kahn Academy app teaches the information more in depth; it really could substitute a teacher in the classroom. In contrast, the Crash Course app contains more summaries, so a way to connect all of the information that the teacher would teach in their lesson. The Kahn Academy also has a lot of other cool resources including test preps, college admission information, information about schools using Kahn Academy, and other resources a teacher or student might need to succeed.
I think that I could use this as app in a lot of different ways in my classroom. I have always liked the idea of a flipped classroom. This is something that is starting to get used more in classrooms, and has gotten researched quite a bit. The idea is to have students watch videos outside of the classroom to get taught the information of the lesson. Then class time would be spent reviewing, working on homework, and teaching the things that the students did not get. The goal is to help students move at their own pace, but still following the curriculum guidelines set by the school. It also allows more individual attention of the teacher because the teacher can focus on where each student is at personally. I do not think that a fully “flipped” classroom would work for me as a Social Studies teacher, but I think I could assign students to watch videos as homework. For example, if I wanted students to do a project I could have them access this app in class. They would be responsible for choosing a section that fits my projects criteria, and completing a project that coincides with the video. This could be done as either an intro or summary to a lesson that I teach in class. The projects could be students teaching what they learned to the class, writing an essay, filling out a worksheet, etc. The options are truly endless, and it would be great way for students to learn the information from a different perspective. I like this because sometimes students get bored with the same routine, and this is a great way to switch up the classroom environment while incorporating technology.
The second app I downloaded is very similar to the Crash Course App I just talked about. Kahn Academy is a non-profit, online academy that was created with goal of creating an accessible place for people to be educated. The Kahn Academy app is great because it also covers every subject that a student would face in his or her education in middle school or high school. Like the Crash Course App, each subject is taught with a series of interactive and engaging videos. You simply pick a subject, and are taken to a series of links that will provide the information you need to know. I clicked on US History and was provided with 12 links that covered history from 1491 to the present, as well as information on how to think like a historian. Under US History, the Kahn Academy App also provided information about American civics to teach about American politics, the economy, and more. I found that the Kahn Academy app teaches the information more in depth; it really could substitute a teacher in the classroom. In contrast, the Crash Course app contains more summaries, so a way to connect all of the information that the teacher would teach in their lesson. The Kahn Academy also has a lot of other cool resources including test preps, college admission information, information about schools using Kahn Academy, and other resources a teacher or student might need to succeed.
I think that I could use this as app in a lot of different ways in my classroom. I have always liked the idea of a flipped classroom. This is something that is starting to get used more in classrooms, and has gotten researched quite a bit. The idea is to have students watch videos outside of the classroom to get taught the information of the lesson. Then class time would be spent reviewing, working on homework, and teaching the things that the students did not get. The goal is to help students move at their own pace, but still following the curriculum guidelines set by the school. It also allows more individual attention of the teacher because the teacher can focus on where each student is at personally. I do not think that a fully “flipped” classroom would work for me as a Social Studies teacher, but I think I could assign students to watch videos as homework. For example, if I wanted students to do a project I could have them access this app in class. They would be responsible for choosing a section that fits my projects criteria, and completing a project that coincides with the video. This could be done as either an intro or summary to a lesson that I teach in class. The projects could be students teaching what they learned to the class, writing an essay, filling out a worksheet, etc. The options are truly endless, and it would be great way for students to learn the information from a different perspective. I like this because sometimes students get bored with the same routine, and this is a great way to switch up the classroom environment while incorporating technology.
World History Atlas:
The World History Atlas HD with 3D app was the third app that Trainin reviewed that I decided to try out for myself. It has the ability to look at different time periods of anywhere in the world. Something I really thought was helpful was that you can look at what is happening in different places during the same time period, all over the world. This app gives you the ability to scroll through a 3D atlas and click on any location to get a small summary of what is happening. I could use this in my classroom by going to a certain area and showing how it changes over time. For example if I was teaching over the different dynasties in China, I could go to China and simply scroll through the time periods at the bottom to show how the area within China and its territories has changed based on the rise and fall of different dynasties. I found this app useful mostly because it is easier to understand the geography of the world because you able to manipulate the atlas to go wherever you would like. It is a more interacting and engaging version of the Atlases that I grew up reading from in the textbooks. Last, I thought this app was cool because it helped me understand what was going on throughout the world and how it was connected. The only downside to this app is that it costs $4.99 to purchase, and it might be too much to expect all students to be willing to purchase it. But, I think paying the $4.99 was definitely worth it, and that all teachers should consider purchasing this app in the app store!
The World History Atlas HD with 3D app was the third app that Trainin reviewed that I decided to try out for myself. It has the ability to look at different time periods of anywhere in the world. Something I really thought was helpful was that you can look at what is happening in different places during the same time period, all over the world. This app gives you the ability to scroll through a 3D atlas and click on any location to get a small summary of what is happening. I could use this in my classroom by going to a certain area and showing how it changes over time. For example if I was teaching over the different dynasties in China, I could go to China and simply scroll through the time periods at the bottom to show how the area within China and its territories has changed based on the rise and fall of different dynasties. I found this app useful mostly because it is easier to understand the geography of the world because you able to manipulate the atlas to go wherever you would like. It is a more interacting and engaging version of the Atlases that I grew up reading from in the textbooks. Last, I thought this app was cool because it helped me understand what was going on throughout the world and how it was connected. The only downside to this app is that it costs $4.99 to purchase, and it might be too much to expect all students to be willing to purchase it. But, I think paying the $4.99 was definitely worth it, and that all teachers should consider purchasing this app in the app store!
My Take Away:
These apps have endless options and are definitely worth downloading. The best part is that most of them are free, and they provide information that could be used in any content area. I think these are all great resources for teachers to spice up their lesson plans, but also great resources for teachers to share with their students who could use them to get a better understanding of information they might not understand. The last helpful tip is that you can download these apps in the app store, or access them through their websites online! So do yourself a favor, and go download or visit them now!
These apps have endless options and are definitely worth downloading. The best part is that most of them are free, and they provide information that could be used in any content area. I think these are all great resources for teachers to spice up their lesson plans, but also great resources for teachers to share with their students who could use them to get a better understanding of information they might not understand. The last helpful tip is that you can download these apps in the app store, or access them through their websites online! So do yourself a favor, and go download or visit them now!