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Blog Post 6 - Integrating Gaming and Simulations Into My Classroom

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  This game is designed for social studies and civics. It aims to help students understand the importance of government and how the United States functions. https://ed.icivics.org/node/42/resource Picture: Illustrating icivics glossary imbedded  I would use this game or simulation during the Civics and Participation unit or during Civics Week in the spring. I would also include it in Unit 3: The Constitution, part of the 7th grade social studies curriculum. In this unit, students learn about the Bill of Rights and the key rights guaranteed by the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 26th Amendments. They also learn how to tell the difference between constitutional and non-constitutional complaints, figure out which amendments apply to legal issues, and explain constitutional rights in their own words. To introduce the game or simulation, I would start with a quick review of the Bill of Rights and key amendments like the 13th, 14th, 15th, 19th, and 26th, so students understand the righ...
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M6: Blog Post 5

PADLET Padlet is a platform that enables students to engage digitally by allowing them to communicate through images, text, audio, or video recordings. Padlet is also helpful for providing feedback to students by allowing us educators to leave feedback in the form of  hearts  on their posts. Students use Padlet to get creative and express themselves through text, images, videos, and audio. According to Padlet (2019) it states, "It can also be used for collective research projects, collecting feedback after a specific lesson or event, asking open-ended questions, brainstorming, noticeboards, news and current events pages, and much more." I use Padlet to have my students begin research with a group, where they can share their thoughts, ideas, and media on their research process. Padlet is a great alternative to Google Classroom because it’s more interactive and lets people share and communicate in a creative way. Unlike Google Classroom, Padlet makes it easy for everyone to sh...
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M5 Blog Post 4 - Annotated Bibliography

 My research focuses on using media, such as video documentaries, to enhance literacy skills in my social studies classroom. By incorporating visual and multimedia resources, I aim to help students better understand complex concepts and improve their reading, writing, and critical thinking abilities. This approach allows students to engage with the material in different ways, making learning more interactive and relevant to their lives. Through this, I hope to foster a deeper understanding of social studies topics while supporting literacy development across multiple modes of communication. Cardillo, S. (2022). Short-form Documentary: A Scaffolding Approach Using Challenges. Teaching Journalism & Mass Communication, 12 (2), 81-85. https://sunyempire.idm.oclc.org/login?qurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.proquest.com%2Fscholarly-journals%2Fshort-form-documentary-scaffolding-approach-using%2Fdocview%2F2760580363%2Fse-2%3Faccountid%3D8067   The article analyzes how documentaries are a po...
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M3 Blog Post #3: Leveraging Tools, Texts, and Talk in My Teaching Context

          In this module's readings, I have learned the importance of using blended learning to enhance literacy, student engagement, and creativity. While there are both possibilities and tensions in using technology to improve literacy, a key focus was also on digital literacy itself. The emphasis wasn't just on whether students understood the content of the lesson, but rather on whether they grasped the essence of the learning experience, with a focus on the learning process. As a social studies teacher, I'm always teaching my students how to analyze primary and secondary sources using different methods. Blended learning is a great way to help with this. By mixing digital tools with traditional activities, I can give my students a richer experience. It helps them engage more deeply with the material, think critically about history, and build stronger literacy skills. The combination of both online and offline learning lets them explore history in more wa...
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Blog Post #2 - How New Literacies Are Relevant to Us

Upon reflecting on Vanek (2019), I was impressed by the helpful suggestions for teaching students digital literacy. For example, Vanek (2019) states, "if teaching Microsoft Word, it would be important to not only teach basic formatting, but also how to search for and select templates for different communication purposes." I find this particularly useful because, while educators often give students computers to read digital texts and type their responses, students can also demonstrate their understanding by using creative digital tools to express what they've learned. Additionally, reflecting on Sang (2017), I find the use of multiple multimedia outlets challenging. While I recognize their benefits in enhancing learning and engagement, teaching students how to effectively use these platforms can be very time-consuming. With only 45 minutes once a week for social studies, it doesn’t give me enough time to teach students how to properly use digital platforms and ensure they’...
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Blog Post #1 - Defining New Literacies and Why They Matter

As a middle school teacher, new literacy practices are highly relevant to my professional life, especially since I teach social studies to 7th-grade English Language Learners. In addition to my ENL classroom, I also work with two students with Interrupted Formal Education (SIFE). Given the wide range of language proficiencies, ranging from Entering, Emerging, Transitioning, and Commanding students require diverse supports to strengthen their literacy skills. According to Sang (2017), "while 'old technologies' mainly involved simple forms of production, the new 'technical stuff' refers to a "hybridization of multimodal media" that includes texts, images, music, and videos, all of which combine to create interactive and interconnected forms of production that can be conveniently accessed”(p.16). Since the height of the pandemic, multimedia outlets have become essential to learning. Platforms such as Padlet, Edpuzzle, and Nearpod provide students with self-p...
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