class schedule

Class Discussion Board

Reading Assignments

Portfolio Activities

Class Projects

Portfolio Activity #1 - Teacher Resource Booksmarks
This assignment asks you to find ways of making your job as a social studies teacher easier. Each of the categories lists something for you to search for on the Internet. You need to find several examples of these resources, and post them on the Internet Resources webpage of your Digital Portfolio. For each one, write a brief description (1-2 sentences) describing what the site/page contains and how it is useful. More specific directions are given for each category.

Portfolio Activity #2A - Multimedia Resources
You are going to work with a partner to create a dynamic multimedia PowerPoint presentation. After you decide what kind of project you want to do, you need to do some leg work to gather the media components for the presentation. Follow the directions in the categories to gather your resources. On the Multimedia web page of your Digital Portfolio, post the links to the audio, video and graphic files that you find online (rather than posting the full files, which takes up a lot of space).

Portfolio Activity #2B - Multimedia Presentations Created by Students
On your Multimedia web page, briefly describe a lesson you could create in which your students would be required to work in groups to create a multimedia PowerPoint presentation that integrates primary sources, audio/video files, and pictures.

Portfolio Activity #3A - Finding Digital Archives Online
Use Boolean search engines to find three digital archives for different parts of your curriculum.

[For example, you could report on a digital archive of World War II sources, one of sources for Constitutional Law, and one for 19th Century England.]

Post links to the three sites you found on the class discussion board, along with a brief review of each archive (is it useful, why?; what classes would it be good for?; etc.)

Portfolio Activity #3B - Student Creation of a Digital Archive
On the Digital Archive web page you have created, briefly describe a lesson you could create which would require students in your class to develop a Digital Archive as a group or class project. What would students learn for them experience?

Portfolio Activity #4A - Finding WebQuests Online
Use the Internet to find WebQuests which are appropriate for the classes that you teach.

Find three which you could use in your classes and post the link for each one on the class discussion board. Briefly describe each WebQuest.

From the resources that you and your colleagues gather, create links to five WebQuests in your Digital Portfolio, on your WebQuest page, along with a brief description of each one.

Portfolio Activity #4B - Having Students Create WebQuests
Develop a lesson through which students create their own WebQuest. Be sure to include all learning objectives, content standards addressed, and measures taken to ensure support for students with special needs. Post the lesson plan to the WebQuest page of your Digital Portfolio.

Portfolio Activity #5A - Finding VFT's
Use the Internet to explore a variety of Virtual Fieldtrips online. Identify three fieldtrips which you think would be of use in your classes and post links to them on the Virtual Fieldtrips page of your website. Along with each link, include a description of the fieldtrip and a lesson for which the VFT would be useful for teaching.

Portfolio Activity #5B– Creating a VFT
After exploring Virtual Fieldtrips and VFT template sites, write a critique on the use of Virtual Fieldtrips in secondary education and merits of using VFTs as a tool in your classroom.

If at all possible, actually plan out a lesson which includes the use of a VFT and present it to your students. Add in the results of that lesson to your critique.

Portfolio Activity #6A - Finding Internet Games
Use the Internet to find at least three Internet based games or simulations which you could use in a social studies class.

Post the links to these games, along with a brief explaination of the game, on the class discussion board.

After everyone has posted their links, review the games your class came up with, and post links to at least five games, which you think would be especially useful in your classes, on the Video Games web page in your digital portfolio.

Portfolio Activity #6B - Using Video Games in Your Classes
After playing SimCity, Railroad Tycoon, and Axis & Allies, or other video games, develop a lesson plan for using one of these games, or an Internet based game, in your curriculum. Post this lesson plan on the Video Games page of your Digital Portfolio.