Using technology in history

      As someone who will be teaching both history and citizenship, using technology will come in handy. One of the ways I will be using technology is to break down the classroom walls by connecting the students directly to a current event. The way I plan on doing this is by using several Skype conversations with experts and have the classroom connect with authors or other authority figures. This is a perfect example of SAMR strategy of redefinition since this would not be possible without the internet. Another SAMR strategy I intend to use is substitution. Through this, I would substitute some of the reading and writing assignments to some more fun projects. The way I think this would play out is through a mixture of Jigsawing and using technology. I would assign student groups to read a section and teach the class about it. This will NOT be the typical boring PowerPoint presentation. Instead, students will come up with creative videos to highlight their understanding and creativity. I believe this is a good technique because not only will they have fun in the process, but they will also employ critical thinking.
     I think that history and technology can go hand in hand, and if I link the two more often I think students would enjoy learning history a lot more than from reading the textbook.