The article “Linking Technology with Social Studies Learning Standards” describes a program that brought nine school districts in central Massachusetts together to create a social studies curriculum that integrated technology and secondly to create a virtual museum of the Blackstone Valley.  With the help of a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education these districts in the Blackstone Valley set up an organization called the Learning Network to help oversee and organize the project.  Six teams of fifteen teachers were set up to develop the various units.  All of the teachers participating in the project were given training through full day in-service workshops and after school meetings.  According to the author, Anita Danker, teachers were supported by two consultants, teachers on sabbatical, who helped create the various units.  A part-time director, two assistant directors and an administrative assistant also worked on the project.

 

In addition to the support staff, participating school districts received software, digital cameras, and scanners which were items necessary to finalize the task.  The units included “technology based activities” such as internet research, creating diagrams with Inspiration, taking virtual tours, and using word processing programs(Danker 2000). 

 

The virtual museum component of the project was more difficult to put together than the curriculum units (Danker 2000).  A few of the exhibits that were described in the article included a virtual tour of a local hat factory, a historical tour of the town Millville, and an activity that compares the Blackstone River to the Nile.  A goal that made this aspect of the project so difficult, according the author, was trying to share the information through the Museum website.

 

The author notes in the conclusion that many of the lessons, units and the museum sites are still being produces.  She feels that the one-year grant was not enough to achieve as much as they had planned.  Danker states that the project shows how technology integration can help boost student achievement and meet the goals of the content area standards (Danker 2000). 

 

This article directly relates to Standard 3, Teaching, Learning and the Curriculum.  The focus of the article was on how this project worked to integrate technology and the social studies content area to help create authentic learning experiences for the students of the Blackstone Valley.  In the early stages of technology integration the use can be clumsy, which can be more of a distraction.  With the lessons and the units that were created here, technology was an integral part of each lesson and not an add-on.  Students would be able to construct more of their own learning.

 

This article did a good job describing the types of activities, lessons, and units that were created.  It also showed how many people are needed to make such a drastic change.  I liked the way Danker was honest in saying that there were many difficulties, glitches and that their time frame was insufficient.  I think that their framework and model could be used in other districts to help integrate more curriculums with technology.  I tried to go the site bvlearnnet.org (the organizations website) but was unable to reach it.  I guess the site is still under construction or did not come to fruition.

Danker, A. (2000) Linking Technology with Social Studies Learning Standards.  Social Studies, 91, 6.