Integration of Technology in Social Classroom

Integrating Technology in My High School Social Studies Classroom The utilization of technology in education has gained a lot of popularity in the recent years. Great enhancements in computer software and hardware in the past decades have been noted and this has resulted to the increase of computer integration in education. The employment of computers in education unlocks a fresh area of knowledge in addition to providing a means which has the capability to change some of the inefficient and traditional educational techniques (Asan, 2003).

Currently, the modernization of educational systems on the basis of data and communication technologies is thought of as very essential (ICT), in terms of literacy for the information society (Orhun, 2003, p.1; Acikalin & Duru, 2005). The environment of the modern schools provides students with plenty of chances to conduct conversations. The students have the chance to debate, converse, tackle issues, and make certain bargains concerning their daily lives in the cafeteria, hallways, and even on the bus, frequently under minimum adult supervision.

In the classrooms, however, the students are generally provided with very minimal opportunities to sharpen their discussion skills in an academic environment, frequently referred to as "classroom discourse." Cazden (1988) analyzed classroom discourse and established that this advancement in learning methods provides students with the chance to take part in the classroom conversations which they rarely conduct on their own. Through the utilization of classroom discourse, students can, and frequently do, learn more fully by conversing with their colleagues in class than being just addressed to by the teacher (Roberts, 2013).

The NCCS standards encourages the utilization of technology in social studies as a way of teaching civic participation in addition to affording chances for meaningful critical thinking activities (NCCS, 1999). Both national and state proposals concentrate on training of teachers as a way of conquering the shortages from simple technological exposure and to support the employment of technology in the classrooms.

Constant attempts are made to further amend and enhance national technology standards and certification for teacher educational programs, as demonstrated in The National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) Project of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, 2000). The proposals yielded standards for the teacher education programs on formative preparation of the prospective teachers in the utilization of technology in the classroom (ISTE, 2000). The NETS project is a combined effort between the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and between the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

The outcome is the NCATE endorsed National Standards for Technology in Teacher Preparation and National Accreditation intended for programs featuring in technology teacher training and educational computing (NCATE, 2001). This extra certification stresses that teacher training programs should offer sufficient admission to computers and other kinds of technology, and anticipate students and faculty to be capable of successfully utilizing it (NCATE, 2001; Whitworth & Berson, 2003).

The drive for the addition of technology in the social studies and the attempts made in coming up with standards for technology in the same may instigate an increase in numerous kinds of technology use in the syllabus. The outcomes of this symbolize small movements towards including numerous technological developments across the field. The results, however, disclose that the most common uses of technology in social studies are internet utilization and obtaining of data on the web (Whitworth & Berson, 2003).

Classroom technology integration strategy Technology has played dual roles within social studies: as both essential instructional devices, and as entities that have considerable influence on the social, economic and political performance of the American community (Berson, 1996, p. 486). Social studies teachers should hence be more informed of the transformations brought by technology today and attempt to manifest this transformation in their own classrooms.

The social studies curriculum, unluckily, has not been greatly influenced by this technology transformation and technology's special task in the development of social studies is not extensively appreciated (Martorella, 1997; Whitworth & Berson, 2003). Like Becker's discovery, other studies have illustrated that social studies teachers drop behind other content area teachers in the implementation of novel teaching techniques offered by technology (Robyler, Edwards & Havriluk, 1997). Currently, there has been a slight emergence of innovative and modern uses of technology in social studies.

The majority of the social studies teachers have began to employ technology, particularly the internet. A literature review of computer technology, however, suggests that computers continue to perform the main task of easing the student's access to the subject matter and remain somehow consigned to being an addition to the usual classroom materials (Whitworth & Berson, 2003, p. 483; ZHAO, 2007). One of the features of social studies education entails the knowledge of facts, essential historic dates, geographical names, and so on.

Hence, drill-and-practice, lessons, and study guides are among the most often utilized programs in the social studies classroom (Rice & Wilson, 1999; Berson, 1996). A national survey in the United States on social studies teachers' computer usage illustrated considerable utilization of lessons and drill-and-practice amidst the teachers. The data that was obtained from randomly chosen affiliates of the National Council for Social Studies revealed that about 24% of the social studies teachers put down these applications as primary teaching techniques.

Similarly, Pye and Sullivan (2001) in an analysis of middle school social studies teachers discovered that about 22% of the teachers employed lessons and drill-and-practice. Even though the survey displayed that alternative internet and computer software were also often utilized as teaching devices in social studies, lessons and drill- and -- practice still had a lot of significance. The study revealed that these applications are the most essential teaching tools for the social studies teachers (Acikalin & Duru, 2005).

While such computer applications display suitability to be utilized in the social studies classroom, there isn't a lot of investigation on the efficiency of these applications. In accordance with Acikalin and Duru (2005), drill-and-practice programs, and tutorials appeared to possess a positive influence on attitude results and student learning (p. 520). Similar outcomes were given by Berson (1996) who discovered slight, but positive benefits in secondary student's attitudes towards the issue and performance when hypermedia study guides or computer drill-and-practice programs were applied.

It appears that the information gathered on the efficiency of lessons, study plans, and drill-and-practice displayed encouraging impacts on the performance of the learners. In accordance to Berson (1996), however, more study is needed to tackle the questions concerning the consequences of these applications on the taxonomic level of students (Acikalin & Duru, 2005). Strategy 1: Software, games, and simulations Recently, there have been tremendous modifications in the computer-supported technology. More powerful computers and complicated programs are utilized in the schools.

In accordance with Whitworth and Berson, (2003), these modifications in technology have increased the ability of utilizing more visual aids in the classrooms which lure young users. Hence, there is a lot of social studies software now present to aid teaching techniques in the social studies classrooms. According to Rice and Wilson (1996), those programs permit the students to participate in activities that support them in the construction of their own knowledge and carrying out their own research (p. 2).

Similarly, Berson (1996) shows how games and recreations are capable of strengthening constructivist learning in the classroom. In accordance with Berson (1996), recreational activities assist in the improvement of students' problem-solving ability and allow them to make decisions. He also shows the realism of recreational activities that permit the students to take part in activities that would be costly, impractical, or unsafe to perform in the classroom (Berson, 1996; Acikalin & Duru, 2005). Games and simulations are amid the most often utilized computer applications.

Quite a number of educational institutions have adopted the use of games and simulations in the teaching procedures. Social studies teachers utilize these two as a means of luring the young learners and also as a means of way of breaking away from the routine tutorials. A national study in the U.S. revealed that 23.7% of social studies teachers utilized simulations as an instructional approach; this was the second greatest section.

A recent research study performed by Pye and Sullivan (2001) revealed that simulations and games are amid the very common computer-based approaches after the internet. The information illustrated that 22.5% of American social studies teachers who took part in the study utilized simulations in their classes, and 28.4% of these utilized games (Acikalin & Duru, 2005). Though it appears as if simulations and games are amid the most common instructional approaches utilized in the social studies classroom, studies on the efficiency of these approaches yield varying outcomes.

According to Ehman and Glenn (1991), though simulations possess constructive influence on the student's results, there is minimal evidence that they encourage or influence students' cognitive development. Research conducted on college students pursuing an economic course revealed that the investigational group, which acquired instructions via computer simulations, demonstrated greater enhancement in content knowledge and critical thinking abilities (Berson, 1996). These results are also backed up by recent research concentrating on the efficiency of computer-based simulation in history teaching.

The research performed on college level students revealed that there is a major distinction between those students who obtained computer-based simulation(s) and those who did not. The data revealed that investigational groups had more improved comprehension of the historical content than the control group (Acikalin & Duru, 2005; Parush, Hamm, & Shtub, 2002). Strategy 2: Developing database Data base development is another regular instructional technique employed by social studies teachers.

In accordance to Berson (1996), databases are particularly helpful for the management of broad knowledge base(s) in social studies; they also promote students' growth in investigation techniques via the examination and manipulation of data. Similarly, Rice and Wilson (1996) affirm that database growth assists constructivism through supporting cooperation in problem solving, the utilization of higher order thinking abilities to enhance and examine hypotheses, the building of knowledge by the students who link learning to their personal experience (p. 4).

Garcia & Michaekis (2001) state that construction of databases assists to develop expertise in tracing, arranging, indexing, recovering, and assessing data. Databases can be created to arrange data on students and their families, states, careers, and any other significant topic. For instance, students in primary grades can establish mini databases that comprise pictures, charts, and local maps linked to the topic of study. Likewise, students in the middle grades can develop more comprehensive databases with cross-reference and card file systems (Garcia & Michaekis, 2001; Robyleret al., 1997).

Though teachers are now more competent in utilizing database software programs, it is, however, not sufficient for teachers to incorporate these programs into their classroom (Vanfossen, 2001). A national survey conducted in the U.S. revealed that just 11.3% of social studies teachers mentioned databases as a primary teaching technique amidst computer-based approaches. Similarly, Pye and Sullivan (2001) did not discover a considerable increase concerning social studies teacher's database utilization.

Even if considerable development has been realized in technology in the previous decades, the collected information revealed that there is only a small raise in database utilization by the social studies teachers; the increase is approximately 3.5%. The study revealed that just 14.7% of the social studies teachers utilized database in their classrooms (Pye & Sullivan, 2001). Hence it appears like teachers are still not skillful enough, or lack understanding of potential advantages, to fully implement these programs into their classrooms.

As Acikalin & Duru (2005) show, there is a need to incorporate computer programs like spreadsheets, databases, and data processing into the teacher training curriculum. Strategy 3: Multimedia / Hypermedia Multimedia/hypermedia provides students with visual aids so as to build mental replicas of the issues they are trying to tackle. Multimedia/hypermedia is the mixture of graphics, sounds, images, and texts with one information delivery system. The source of the word hypermedia is from the phrase "hypertext" that was first used by Ted Nelson in the early 1960s.

He later described the phrase and started using it (Acikalin & Duru, 2005). With Multimedia/hypermedia, students are capable of creating group or personal presentations to enhance expertise in data recovery and communication. Alternatively, they may be capable of creating presentations that encourage evidence of comprehension of social studies content in addition to their own point-of-view (Rice and Wilson, 1999). There are various multimedia programs like Hyperstudio, Authorware, Linkway, or Hypercard which assist students to come up with productions that include audio and video clips of certain social studies subjects.

The productions by the students (that is the audio and the video clips) offer deeper insights to various thoughts in certain subjects of social studies. Similarly, mind maps, concept mapping, clustering, and other kinds of graphic organizers can be efficiently utilized in social studies classes now. These visual learning representations, pictures, and other symbolic methods permit the students to dive deeper into concepts and thoughts (Chandler, 2003).

The incorporation of multimedia technologies in social studies has made it probable for students to be more engaged in their studied and develop multimedia applications as a segment of their project requisites. Kocoglu and Koymen (2003) show that those students who utilize multimedia technology as designers possess greater creative thinking abilities, when compared to those who do not. It appears that employing multimedia in the learning process results in a positive outcome on students' creative thinking abilities (Pye & Sullivan, 2001).

The recent study clearly illustrates that multimedia technologies considerably affect student learning through expanding their extent of knowledge and learning. With reference to the above, it is stated that multimedia technology is capable of offering a substitute to the conventional teacher-focused learning and it allows students to enjoy a better-off constructivist learning setting.

It can encourage students to become dynamic learners instead of cramming knowledge; it exhibits their information and thoughts in expressions through the multimedia design and utilizes their higher order thinking abilities such as assessment, analysis, and production (Mai Neo & Ken Neo, 2003; Acikalin & Duru, 2005). Strategy 4: The internet The remarkable development in telecommunication has produced web-pages, emails, online services, specialized electronic networks, software and global information supplies to our homes and schools (Rose & Fernlund, 1997).

The internet offers a setting in which millions of individuals take part in the building and exchange of data (Rose & Fernlund, 1997). In recent years, internet employment has become quite common in several regions including education. In schools, internet access has raised in the last 20 years (Berson, 2006). In the United States, for instance, several learning institutions have adopted the utilization of the internet into their classrooms. A national survey performed in the United States revealed that more than 90% of learning institutions currently have some kind of access to the internet.

However, when in comparison to the other developed nations, the educational employment of internet in Turkey seems like a good example of how technology in the classroom is being implemented on a global basis (Usun, 2004). However, it appears like there are more attempts to incorporate the internet into the Turkish higher educational framework than in the secondary and primary education.

Ever since the incorporation of the internet and computers into the Turkish educational system, educational research in Turkey mainly concentrates on the extent of internet utilization amidst students, teachers, and school administrators. It addresses their thoughts towards computer incorporation into education, instead of concentrating on the usefulness of computer technologies in the teaching and learning procedures. Usun (2004) assessed the thoughts of undergraduate students towards the utilization of computers in education. According to the outcomes of the study, it appears that undergraduate students are anxious to employ computers in their education.

Likewise, Heafner (2004) discovered that a large number of students possess positive thoughts towards computers. The integration of computers and consequently the internet for the Turkish students was after all effective. The students could now have access to additional information regarding social studies that was not presented to them by their teachers during their lessons. Hence, it appears as if Turkish students from various grade levels possess positive mind-sets towards computer incorporation into education.

Similarly, other research analyzed the degree of information technology utilized and the degree of reading comprehension; this work yields positive outcomes concerning the efficiency of the internet (Crowe, 2004). The study was performed on 1,150 eight graders both from 25 private and 21 public schools of urban cities located in Turkey. The outcomes of this survey disclosed that those students who had access to the internet attained higher marks on reading comprehension when compared to those students who did not.

Similarly, studies imply that Turkish teachers have positive mind-sets towards internet and computer utilization in education. Usun (2004) analyzed the computer mind-sets of 265 pre-service teachers majoring in social science and science education. The results of study revealed that pre-service teachers possessed positive mind-sets towards computers in addition to being at ease with the computers.

However, though it appears as if there are positive ideas concerning the computer and the incorporation amid the Turkish teachers, it is essential to be cognizant of their internet and computer utilization skills including those of administrators (Acikalin & Duru, 2005). Strategy 5: Telecollaboration Telecollaboration permits students from one classroom to interact with the students in another far-away class and has the likelihood to provide citizenship expertise. Students in levels K-12 can acquire a range of educational experience from Telecollaboration.

Rice and Wilson (1999) emphasized how Tele-collaboration can profit worldwide education through exposing the students to varying thoughts, viewpoints, beliefs, thinking processes and experiences. Telecollaboration offers a chance for the students to compare, contrast, or merge identical data gathered in different regions, and can offer a platform where the students can converse with an actual audience via imagery and text. In addition, it also provides teachers and students chances to develop computer proficiency as well as lessons in e-mailing/computer usage and/or manners.

Telecommunications in the classroom setting are designed either as problem solving, interpersonal exchange, or data gathering and assessment (Vanfossen, 2001). Instances of usage in the past few years are two or more schools linking for online congressional discussions and coming up with multimedia presentations to share with other schools. Eventually, a lot of information is shared amidst the students who take part in telecommunication. This method is not only effective in sharing information among students in the same class and school, but also effective between students in different schools or nations.

Some students have started to work together on global concerns and research subjects of interest assembling them into multimedia presentations and taking part in online international summit gatherings with classrooms round the globe (Whitworth & Berson, 2003). Telecollaboration can be effectively used in communication procedures amidst teachers, students, and faculty members in a far-away location. Telecollaboration permits students from one classroom to interact with students from another far-away class and has the probability of providing useful educational and communication experiences for the students.

In accordance with Crowe (2004), collaborative technologies are currently discovering their way into instruction so as to encourage the learning of students taking part in educational tasks as members of a group. Such technologies could be structured for utilization within a classroom, outside a classroom, or across classrooms. This way, students are able to converse with others outside and within the immediate learning environment.

According to Whitworth & Berson (2003), telecollaboration can not only encourage worldwide education through exposure of the students' different thoughts, viewpoints, thinking procedures, and experiences but also supports students to compare, contrast, and/or merge identical data gathered in identical sites. Students have started to work together with each other on global matters and research subjects of interest, merging them into multimedia presentations and taking part in online international and national summit gatherings with classrooms round the globe (Whitworth & Berson, 2003, p. 481).

In accordance with Vanfossen (2001), telecollaboration appears to encourage social constructivist learning surrounding. As Lee states, Vygotsky's individually controlled learning technique can be utilized for assessing and teaching creative, analytical, and creative thinking through e-mail projects. With reference to Vygotsky's social constructivist analysis, students build knowledge through taking part in social frameworks such as interaction with peers, professionals, and others. In a telecollaborative learning surrounding, students can have a chance to come up with individual skills via the interactions conducted between teachers and peers.

That appears to be a depiction of Vygotsky's social constructivist learning ambiance (Acikalin & Duru, 2005). Strategy 6: Webquest Another common kind of internet application in the classrooms is Webquests. They surfaced in 1995 and are described as inquiry oriented actions whereby most if not all of the data utilized by learners is obtained from the web. It is structured to utilize the learners' time appropriately, to concentrate on utilizing data instead of searching for it, and to encourage learners' thoughts about the analytical degrees, assessment, and synthesis (Teclehaimanot & Lamb, 2004; Zukas, 2000).

Access in webquests can be achieved through certain websites that provide lists of webquests on different subjects. Different issues of discussion have their own separate webquests. Various teachers are starting to establish personal webquests which necessitates students to develop webquests. Development of webquests challenges the learners to survey a subject, summarize the most essential data in the subject, and compile the questions and links for other students to go by (Zukas, 2000). The web is now a device that provides more interactive involvement by the student (Whitworth & Berson, 2003).

Bernie Dodge, at San Diego State University, developed webquests, and they are currently among the most popular kind of internet application in classrooms. Hence, it is logical to conclude that a webquest is basically an inquisition and problem solving designed teaching technique in which the learners have an opportunity to build their own knowledge and realities (Zukas, 2000).

March (2003) states that webquests inspire the learners to view richer theoretical and thematic relationships, to offer real world experiences, and to reflect on their personal meta-cognitive proficiencies which are quite essential to assess at the higher-order thinking level. In accordance with Crowe (2004), scaffolding is at the core of the webquest style and can be utilized to operate advances like differentiated learning, situated learning and constructivist techniques (Acikalin & Duru, 2005).

Strategy 7: Google Docs As stated by Google website, Google Docs refers to a free online word processor, spread sheet, and presentation editor which permits one to develop, accumulate, share and work together on documents with others. One of the advantages to Google Docs is that rather than eradicating files to and fro amidst the collaborators, Google Docs permit individuals to function on one style of a document together (Google, 2011).

The proposition of utilizing online sequential debates in the social studies classroom is not a foreign one, and it has been documented before (Roberts, 2013). Although proposed by others in various fields as a free device that can be utilized for these kinds of debates, "Google Docs" has attained minimal assessment in the literature of social studies.

I strongly trust that this Web 2.0 program should assist in accomplishing the aims of the Chalk Talk (for instance safe learning surroundings, reflection, and attaining more comprehension of the subject) while making the technique more suitable to the classroom and applicable to the current technological knowledgeable learners. Although it is free and easily accessible to the students and teachers, Google Docs possesses various initial restrictions that the teachers must be aware of. First, there are various matters that one should maintain when utilizing this program.

Firstly, they ought to employ a wireless laptop cart or a computer laboratory and have entry to the internet to utilize this program. Moreover, previous studies have revealed that teachers have found it quite simple for learners to broadcast unsuitable material on the internet; as well, Google Docs does not operate on older Web browsers (McPherson 2007).

Those teachers who utilized this program with their classes for this survey ("Frank") stated that Google Docs did not function appropriately with the iPads that they were offered and were obliged to carry out the debate in the computer lab (Roberts, 2013). The primary limitation, however, of utilizing this program is that though it is free, learners must have a "Gmail" account so as to access it. Various parents, particularly those of the younger students, might be worried about their kids possessing an email account.

Although Google contains privacy settings, there still might be some parents/guardians who will not permit their kids to participate in the silent debate. It might be highly useful and appropriate to send a permission slip home to every parent, allowing them know your motivation in employing the program and making sure that each and every student has their permission form signed and returned. Lastly, the teacher's privacy is as essential as that of the learners.

In order to employ this application, teachers shall have to possess a Gmail account to which the learners will have access. The teacher should develop an account particularly for utilization in the classroom and not use their individual/personal Gmail accounts. The username should be clear and particularly inform the parents, students and the administration the purpose of the account for instance Mrs. [email protected] (Roberts, 2013).

Many college classrooms already send assignments and discuss homework via email; this has been proven to be a useful pedagogical tool in various respects. Web resources ACOT. (2007). Apple classroom of tomorrow. Retrieved October, 2007, from www.apple.com/education/k12/leadership/acot / This is the origin of the revolutionary 10-year research and development project funded by Apple Inc. A library store offers easy entry access to associated project articles and reports. ALTEC. (2003). Exhibit: ALTEC learning interchange.

Retrieved October, 2007, from http://ali.apple.com/ali_sites/hpli/exhibits/1000097/Introduction.html The PT3 program was the only greatest drive for the advancement of technology-based professional development. This site is the finest remaining store of the subsidy model, prominent and lasting projects, and associated resources and examination devices. Lamb, A., & Johnson, L. (2007). Teacher tap: Professional development resources for educators & librarians.

Retrieved October, 2007, from http://eduscapes.com/tap / Offering simple access to realistic, online sources and actions, the Teacher Tap is a free expert-development resource that assists librarians and teachers tackle common questions concerning the application of technology in learning and teaching. NSDC. (2007). Welcome to NSDC. Retrieved October, 2007, from www.nsdc.org The National Staff Development Council (NSDC) has the duty of making sure that all teachers participate in efficient professional learning daily so that all students are successful.

The website stresses publications, online communities, projects, and the "Professional Development IQ Test" that help district heads in discovering the relationship between student learning and professional growth. Partnership for 21st Century Skills. (2008). Retrieved April 6, 2008 from www.21stcenturyskills.org Enlightened district and school heads can utilize the Framework for 21st Century Learning to re-describe what it actually means to be educated.

The framework incorporates primary students' results of learning, with inclusion of the major subjects: professional and life expertise; learning and advancement skills; media, information and technology expertise with relevant support systems of learning surroundings; career development; syllabus and instruction; and analysis and standards. The framework motivates teachers at all extents to think about the utilization of 21st century knowledge to assist in various changes required in education.

Cted.org http://www.cted.org / Internet content connected to CT curriculum frameworks (MarcoPolo) Ideas for integrating the Connecticut PK-12 Student Connecticut PK-12 Student Technology Competencies into your lessons http://www.state.ct.us/sde/dtl/curriculum/index.htm Directed Teaching with Technology http://edtechinct.org/integrate/directed.asp A quick look at using a computer as a tool for teaching.

Technology Leadership Institute http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs / Pathways is a detailed source, guideline, and classroom practice jointly in a suitable critical issue design put down for administrators, educators and other practitioners. Etips.info http://www.etips.info/About/about.html Educational Technology Integration and Implementation Principles offer the basis for eTip Cases, online, multimedia technology incorporation decision-making situations that present pre-service educators a chance to conduct meaningful instructional decision-making concerning technology incorporation.

WebQuests Professor Bernie Dodge (http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/) of San Diego State University sustains a site which has some examples of employed learning activities. Planning for AT in School Tasks: Addition to SETT Framework (Zabala, 2001 http://sweb.uky.edu/~jszaba0/SETTFORMS2003.PDF) This chart helps school founded teams in recognizing particular alterations and accommodations and the subsequent technology devices that will be utilized to encourage certain activities in the content areas.

TEKS (Region IV Education Service Center) (http://www.texasat.net/docs/deboer.lesson.plan.diamond.pdf) This graphic manager sketches a lesson with adaptations for the talented, accommodated, enhanced, and adapted learners. The manager also possesses areas for helpful technology devices. Lesson Plan (SET-BC) This is a common design for lesson planning and comprises of columns for adapting or altering the lesson and also a third column for learners who need helpful technology for lesson completion.

Best Practices in Technology Integration Plan (MAISA and the REMC Association of Michigan -- Dan Betts http://www.remc11.k12.mi.us/bstpract/bstpract/148/148.pdf) This lesson design offers a suitable illustration of one that has been put down particularly for a demanding student group- learners who have multiple impairments. The lesson plan illustrates how to write lesson goals, come up with activities and explains plans for examining technology application.

Integrated Technology Lesson Plans (Internet for Classrooms) (http://www.internet4classrooms.com/integ_tech_lessons.htm) This site is a detailed compilation of links to websites with lesson plans that incorporate technology. Technology Professional Development Plan In my first year teaching at a new school, I discovered that few of my social studies colleagues were incorporating technology into their teaching. Moreover, none of them utilized discussion pages presented to communicate throughout teaching.

Though applying technology in teaching had been an issue for a single lesson and the learners were needed to come up with a PowerPoint presentation as a segment of the building of a unit plan, it seemed as though these experiences with technology were insufficient to support them to make technology an essential component of their teaching. Rather, a more comprehensive technique was required.

This included constantly developing the application of technology in teaching and often including learners in the utilization of technology in class (other teachers) so that they would be more biased to utilize it in their teaching. Technology incorporation took place in all the courses I taught in the undergraduate Integrated Social Studies program. In the program's last year, learners undertake their very first social studies education course together with a 96-hour workshop in the fall.

They then take two courses in the spring, a seminar-type course, and a second education course in social studies. In addition, they teach students for ten weeks. I had the opportunity of teaching two courses in social studies education and the Inquiry course all year to the same student group. In the fall semester, I started to incorporate technology in my teaching in a specific and intentional manner, and continued to design the application of technology to develop student learning in the two final spring courses (Crowe, 2004).

Firstly, trusting that the acquisition of software and hardware packages will tackle the issue is rejecting the significance of the human mind and ability to choose. Secondly, computers can be utilized as devices for facilitation of the teaching and learning processes. On the other hand, the computer/machine does not have the capability of choosing the academic technique to be employed. The choice of approach to be utilized relies on the teacher, who should be quite familiar with the specific lesson goals, the anticipated outcomes, and the learners themselves.

In both of the advances given above, the directed constructivism and instruction could be otherwise employed provided teachers know why they have chosen them. Technology incorporation will concentrate on improving future social studies educators' skills, knowledge, and character to suitably, regularly, and steadily employ technology into their teaching. In connection with teaching of social studies, technology incorporation is structured to provide the future teachers with an experience of teaching social studies while utilizing the relevant technology. In addition, it supports them to incorporate this technology into their classroom teaching.

So as to satisfy these particular goals, technology incorporation happened in two major ways: via establishment and execution of a technology project that students finished, and via the instructors' designing of various techniques for applying technology in classroom instruction (Crowe, 2004). This particular venture, nevertheless, was just a single means of improving the skills and knowledge of the potential teachers. On its own, chances are that it would not be enough to completely alter the views of the students or even raise confidence levels.

For this reasons, a technique which was more significant and sustained had to be developed. So as to really improve their skills and raise their desire to integrate technology to their teaching, it was essential that these future social studies teachers not only become enlightened about technology but also directly experience how it could be applied in the classroom, and how it affects learning. To accomplish this, my teaching had to integrate technology and do this in various means.

The first two techniques of teaching social studies will integrate teaching that encourages the future students' learning concerning technology in three ways. First, the lessons contained designing activities and then debates concerning particular actions in social studies that were suitable for 7th-12th grade teaching, allowing the learners to come across content-specific examples related to technology and hence motivate the process of learning. Secondly, lessons had designing of common teaching methods which could be altered for their teaching requirements.

Finally, lessons contained the application of technology in several environments, such as a computer lab, a classroom with a mobile laptop, and one with one computer to represent how various resources could be utilized. Direct modeling of lessons for social studies classes is the most appropriate type of modeling for the secondary school level.

Students will have to participate in small group assignments on the topic of teaching social studies; the students will have to be issued with a minimum of two laptops and guides on how to use them for the project.

For the first day, for example, students will make use of one laptop and word program to record their entire group assignment which will then later be uploaded to the group's server or sent in the form of an email to all members of the group; the other laptop should be used to access online data while doing research on the assignment. In the entire class period, each group was able to access and view a sample creation. The sample was developed as an entry to a Vietnam-issue-based unit.

The sample was made up of a PowerPoint slideshow with quite a number of images of the Vietnam war and Marvin Gaye's "What's going on" song playing in the background. The sample will then be utilized as part of the project as well as an example of ways to use technology to create and build students interest in a unit. Another method of modeling general teaching strategies is the utilization of WebQuests as a teaching/learning tool.

For example, in the spring methods course, three WebQuests were built and integrated into lessons for two purposes: the first was to introduce students to different structures and uses; and the second was to teach them a bit of content regarding the day's lesson. Of the three WebQuests, one focused on cooperative learning, another on teaching social studies with technology, and the other on service learning. Each WebQuest was of different complexity and length to offer a variety of examples.

Apart from integrating technology into day-to-day classroom teaching, it was also crucial to.