CCS: Reading Standards for Literacy in History/Social Studies 6–12
Key Idea and details
Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/khan-academy
Khan academy teaches students through articles, quizzes and interactive activities. I like this app because it uses different tools to catch the students attention. Also, it helps with the standard above by providing articles for students to read and decipher what type of source they are reading. This app is free for students and is usable grades 2-12. The review published by common sense is something I always look at before integrating apps or technology in my classroom. They are always in depth and tell how well the app engages learners.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/google-arts-culture
Google Arts and Culture app is a great teaching tool because it provides students with an interactive view of history. It also provides documents for the students to look over as well as, interactive tours and activities. I think this is an important technique in todays classroom, we must engage our learners. I included the common sense review due to their thoroughness and objectivity. The app is for grades 6-12 and is free for students.
https://www.commonsense.org/education/reviews/civilisations-ar
Civilizations AR is a great app because it speaks to every learner, from the lowest class to your AP class. It is strait forward and applies simple, yet informative information paired with the content. The simpleness if this app really makes it appealing to me to use because all my classes can be involved in this app. Common sense is a great review tool for teachers because of how thorough it is and lays out pro's and con's. The app is applicable to grades 3-12 and it is free to students.
If I had to pick one app I would pick Khan. Khan is a tool I have used for years and I am well versed in the app. It provides content to all my students in a strait forward manner and its simple. It also gives the teacher the opportunity to test knowledge and mastery of the content. For me, this is paramount. I want students to enjoy my class, but I also want them to be knowledgeable and well informed historians. This is one app I could see myself using for the rest of my teaching career.
Zach, I love that you use the Khan Academy to review resources for your classroom. I have not personally used it within my classroom, but I have spoken to many people that have and they all speak highly of it. Google Arts and Culture seems like a very interesting app as well. Have you thoought about using this app for your students to take an interactive field trip of some kind?
ReplyDeleteZach, I haven't taught history since 2006, but reading your review made me somewhat excited about all of the teaching tools now at your disposal. I can certainly see why Khan would be your choice for practical reasons and seems like many classroom teachers feel the same, based on the popularity of the app. I was personally intrigued by the augmented reality piece, in Civilizations AR. The fact that students can interactively research and investigate historical artifacts, such as artwork or weaponry, seems like a great way to introduce a new topic or unit. Kids today have access to so much information, but how often are they able to actually see historical artifacts in 3D or use Xray technology to view the internal workings of an Egyptian mummy!?
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