I Support Hillary Clinton!

I selected Hillary Clinton for this assignment. I looked at her webpage, blog, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, and Flickr. There is so much to learn on these sites. A teacher could use these sites to teach government, politics, current events, geography and so much more. I believe that the candidates have to be careful and make sure that their sites are kept up to date. They also need to have great visual appeal. Due to these new avenues, I think there is a greater chance of having more younger voters in this election.

Campaign Ads Have Multiple Goals

Campaign advertisements are as diverse as the people that create them. In studying the ads from just two different years, the diversity in the perspectives, tactics, and creativity is quite apparent.
I chose "Weapon" as Case #1, from 1964. When Barry Goldwater ran against Lyndon Johnson, Johnson had the advantage of being the incumbent president. His experience was one of his strengths. He used Goldwater's weakness of being blunt, against Goldwater in this ad. Using Goldwater's own words against him the ad shows that Goldwater claimed that the atom bomb was just another weapon. Since the Vietnam war wasn't yet an issue, this ad was effective in criticizing Goldwater. One of Johnson's main weaknesses was that he was not telegenic. Most of the ads that Johnson's campaign produced, did nor include his presence.
I chose "Nearly" as Case #2, from 2004. In this election, George W. Bush was challenged by John Kerry. In this ad, Bush's experience as the incumbent is used to his advantage. His weaknesses in foreign policy and business are not mentioned, and positive economic facts are the focus.

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http://del.icio.us/suzteacher

Field Experience

I propose to interview and work with the computer teacher in my 3rd-5th grade building. I would also like to try to meet with other technology professionals in my school/district. I am also considering sitting down with the Social Studies Curriculum Coordinator, and sharing what I have while finding out what she might think we need.

Social Studies and Technology: Comments

Comments on "Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts."

This article was quite thought-provoking. The concept that we ignore information that contradicts what we believe is very interesting. The idea that history is studied by psychologists is a new concept for me. History is something more complex than dates, facts, and events, however, I never went deeper in my own thinking, to include more than just the reasons for the occuraces in our past. The idea that we learn from our mistakes is what I thought of as studying history more thoroughly.

It sounds very intriguing to study people from the past in so many different lights and from so many different perspectives. I believe that most people like life to be clear-cut and either black or white. The reality is that life falls into the gray area between black and white. We can't compartmentalize events and happenings into neat little packages where everything has a label. Thinking about Abraham Lincoln as being racist is something that I never would have understood. Reading the article made me realize that when we read quotations it is important to understand the context in which the quotes were spoken. It makes me wonder about all events in history, and what we really know for sure.

Social Studies and Technology

First Assignment:

What questions/comments do you have after reading the Spiro & Collins article, and looking at EaseHistory?

I feel that searching and using EaseHistory is an excellent example of the "Cognitive Flexibility Theory." The website affords the user with a "nonlinear and multi-perspectival organization of material." By using visual and auditory information bits, different peoples' learning styles are addressed.Viewing history through photos, video clips, and political cartoons allows our minds to integrate new information into our schema, process the information, and learn from the new perspectives the information offers.