Teach Social Studies Create a Better Citizen

Technology has increased the transparency of government. Students can now follow politicians from campaign donation to bill signing.

MetaVid is a video search for Congress. Using closed captions students can search House and Senate speeches by keyword, bill number, politician, etc. You don't have to sit through hours of video, MetaVid cues the video to the part you are searching for.

http://metavid.org/wiki/

Open Congress gives students a one stop shop to study Congress. All information is available on House members - committees, bills introduced, voting record, campaign donations, even who they vote most often with or against. Open Congress aggregates new and blogs onto its website as well as offers widgets to compare members or follow bills right on your own website.

http://www.opencongress.org/

I can't leave out OpenSecrets.org which makes it very easy to follow the money each politician is given.


We need to teach students how to better use technology to become better citizens.

Collaborate with a Rock Star

Attention Music Teachers!

Students can collaborate with Rivers Cuomo, frontman for the rock band Weezer on his latest songs. Rivers has a You Tube channel where he posts videos with specific instructions for collaborating with him.

Online University at the Forefront of Education?

It seems fitting that an online university points out the 21st Century deficiency of our current educational system.

An Academic View of You Tube

Lately I have caught myself relying very heavily on videos for information. If I go to a new website and want to figure out what it is all about I don't go to the About section but look for a video that previews the website. The same happens when I look up how to do something. I used to go to howsuffworks.com for written tutorials but now I just search You Tube for a video tutorial. It is amazing how You Tube is influencing our behavior. Michael Wesch is a Professor at Kansas State University. He presented "An Anthropological Introduction to You Tube" at the Library of Congress. The video looks at the phenomenon of You Tube and its videos while becoming a phenomenon itself. The video explains that we are becoming more isolated while at the same time forming communities. A value system has developed within You Tube with views acting as a currency. Hint at any "fakeness" in your video and risk losing all currency. Next time you are at the office or a party and someone starts passing around a laptop to show a You Tube video think how this one site has become a social glue.

There is a talent in developing a good You Tube Video. The best videos have a narrative. Search 30 Second Movies on You Tube and you will find 2 hour movies shrunk down to 30 seconds with an intact narrative. This narrative voice is changing in the digital age but why not use it to teach in English classes. Have a Refilm Contest where students recreate their favorite movie in no longer than five minutes.

Are Viral Videos a Marketing Skill?

It seems every month a video goes viral getting millions of views. Is this a skill that can or should be taught? Is it lightning in a bottle like a great song? Does this skill have a place in a marketing class or business school? Does it show a superior form of digital literacy if you can create a viral video?