Discussion # 7

Discussion # 7


What are the "history wars," and what are their implications for technology use in history?

Roblyer states, “History Wars are discussions centered around the appropriate role of history in the curriculum.”( p 349) Who is to say what really needs to be discussed in Social Studies classes. History as we know has changed in front of our eyes- from an era with no technology to an era where information is at the tip of your fingertips. Applying technology really helps bring the focus to a world wide view instead of one sided views. It brings cultures and information from other countries. The information and even how it looks from a geographical perspective is more accessible. Most of the time the information given is up-to-date and global. We have to teach and be more open minded about other cultures. For example, history books never talked about how the Incas or Aztecs before the settlers came hear. It does not show how Christianity was forced on the “Indians.” It does not go into any minority groups that were enslaved to just come the America. This is stuff that we are now learning and are adding to our history books. I feel they have to do away with history books and have a website approved by TEA to address all history that is changing daily. I think teaching children how to go on-line and showing them how to discern the difference on whether the information is valid or false is best. It is best to allow students to be critical thinkers and show how it compares to their books. I would like to do slide shows because it helps the audio and visual learners.

With students' ready access to information on the Internet, what might be the concerns of social studies teachers?

The concerns if I was a Social Studies teacher would be to have accurate information from the websites. It would have to be discussed which websites not to go into. For example, Wikipedia is a prime example of not to go into because validity of the source. Any one can add information without knowing the facts. Time consuming to view information and reading it to verify the information. Also would it be age appropriate for the children you are teaching is another question that arises. The last reason I would be concerned is the political bias that comes from those websites.