What are the "history wars," and what are their implications for technology use in history?
The "History Wars" are referring to the numerous debates and criticisms of what exactly should be taught in Social Studies. There is so much to teach as far as history is concerned. Critics believe that schools focus should be teaching history and civics instead of covering a number of topics. It is just impossible teach every single event in history. The amount of content, coupled with the de-emphasis on social studies topics, creates an ongoing challenge for schools to teach in a meaningful way. Unfortunately the content is diluted.
With students' ready access to information on the Internet, what might be the concerns of social studies teachers?
When students are on the internet, teachers need to supervise them at all times. Sites may pop up that may not be appropriate for them to be looking at the site. Plagiarism can also occur because the students may not know how to properly credit the sources they use. Teachers also need to be careful to teach students that not all websites contain accurate information. Making sure tha the site is legitimate is very important especially if they use it for research.
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I agree Cheri that teachers need to supervise students at all times while using the internet. Research is done a lot in social studies, and students need to be taught how to find a credible source of information on the internet. Plagarism is another issue that teachers need to be aware of. Plagarism that students are reading, and plagarism that students may commit to. Either way it is not good.
ReplyDeleteI believe the “history wars” debate will be going on full force well into the next decade especially with the information age becoming so widespread digitally in places where technology availability never existed to allow individuals the chance to read and hear other people’s opinions on history. I believe that critics from both sides have pros an cons for their arguments on this issue and I feel that civilized debates between both sides is probably the only way to reach some sort of compromise in the future on this issue. Although I honestly contemplate that a compromise might never come on this issue to placate both sides.
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