What Dewey Can Teach Us about a Quality Technological Experience in a High School Social Studies Classroom
Abstract: This paper examines the integration of technology in a secondary, social studies classroom through the lens of Deweyan philosophy, sometimes called American pragmatism. Specifically, the authors apply the Deweyan concepts of first-hand experiences, social occupations, and quality experiences to two, distinct inquiry tasks using technology. In the first task, students blogged“cultural consultants,” who challenged the student’s perspectives of rainforest inhabitants. The experts are former Peace Corps volunteers who served in the rainforest of Suriname. In the second lesson, students engaged in human geography, where they analyzed a population pyramid, and subsequently, manipulated a demographic transition model of India. The authors contend that, when examined through Dewey’s system of ideas, these technological experiences promoted the education of the whole student and may offer criteria for technology best practices.
Presider: kathryn Penrod, South Dakota State University