Technology Portfolio Instructions

General Overview

For this assignment, you will identify forms and applications of technology for use in an elementary school social studies classroom. You will be required to describe the general applications of these technologies, specific applied activities in the general social studies arena, and provide an evaluation.

Learning Objective

You will develop a portfolio of technologies that could be used in an elementary school social studies classroom, identifying general uses, aligned appropriate national social studies standards, potential activities, and good and bad points to that technology's use.

Assignment Process

1. Select 10 technologies (defined below) that can be used in an educational setting environment for each of the categories listed below. Notice that I did not say educational or instructional technologies. This is to not restrict you to that search parameter, but rather to allow you to critically explore any technology that might have a pedagogical use. Select technologies representing:

1. Hardware devices

2. Business/productivity software (i.e., Microsoft Office)

3. Web-based technologies (delivered via the Internet)

4. Multimedia software (audio, video, graphical) Games/entertainment

Then, review each technology, answering the following questions (best recorded in a word-processing program like Microsoft Word as a multi-page document):

5. What are the general functions and purposes of this technology (a paragraph or 2 for description)

6. What types of social studies objectives/ goals could be met by this technology and how? Please relate to a NCSS main theme (or more than one if appropriate).

What, in your opinion, are the good and bad points of using this technology in a pedagogical setting? Consider this a risk analysis.