Chapter 12

Three new things I learned from reading Chapter 12 in our text:
1. I was not aware of the fact that social studies themes and topics are not usually among those included in statewide assessments.  I feel like there are multiple different social studies topics that are essential for students to know in order to be successful in their future years of education.
2. I learned what Adventure Learning is and how it can be successfully integrated into the classroom.  It is actually a hybrid distance education approach that gives students the opportunity to explore real-world issues.
3. I learned that there are some fairly legitimate concerns for social studies teachers as far as the use of technology goes in a social studies classroom.  Teachers need to very carefully choose what websites they let their students use and how the students are monitored while using them. 

Two new integration strategies from Chapter 12:
1. Once again, virtual field trips are brought up in the text.  I really do love the idea of integrating this into the classroom, particularly in a social studies lesson.  The students could go to different museums and explore different events throughout history without having to leave the classroom.
2. Graphic representations of certain concepts would also be a really great idea for the students.  A teacher could easily understand a timeline if they actually saw one that the teacher has already made as an example.

One question I had from the chapter is:
I know there are many downsides when students are allowed to use the internet for research.  What are the downsides for the use of Geospatial technologies in the classroom?