Best of the Web and Mobile Apps for Social Studies Teachers

Best of the Web & Mobilefor Teaching Social Studies

Nate Gillespie & Brady Wood

CCSSMar. 5, 2011

Shmoop University, Inc. Confidential 1

What We’ll Cover Today

• 6 Websites: Student Resources

• 8 Websites: Professional Learning Resources

• 6 Mobile Apps

• Using Shmoop in Your Social Studies Classroom– Overview of Shmoop US History, Civics, Biography, Music– Shmoop’s Best of the Web– Shmoop Teacher’s Editions


This Day in History

• http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history

• From The History Channel

• Key events on this date in 13 categories: Crime, Politics, Sports, Music, etc.

• Video review of top stories


Digital History

• http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/

• Free online US History textbook

• Collection of annotated primary documents

• Non-text sources include maps and archive of historical film trailers

• Produced by U of Houston with several other institutions


(World) History Matters

• History Matters– http://historymatters.gmu.edu/– 1000+ annotated primary sources

in US History– Emphasis on how historians

“make sense of evidence”– Annotated guide to 800+ other

websites

• World History Matters– http://worldhistorymatters.org/– New site broadens scope beyond

US History


OurDocuments

• http://www.ourdocuments.gov/

• Produced by National Archives

• High-quality reproductions of 100 milestone documents in US History

• Each document presented with contextual information


Valley of the Shadow Project

• http://valley.lib.virginia.edu/

• Incredible online archive of ALL primary source documentation of Civil War experience in two neighboring counties in Pennsylvania/Virginia

• Includes census records, newspapers, diaries, letters, church records, military records, images

• Teachers’ guide: how to use in classroom


Our Favorite Professional Learning Resources for History Teachers

TeachingHistory.org

• http://teachinghistory.org/

• One-stop shop for online history teaching resources

• Includes online materials, lesson plans, links to recommended sites


Historical Thinking Matters

• http://historicalthinkingmatters.org/

• Emphasis on how to teach students to think like historians

• In-depth lesson plans to teach habits of critical historical thinking


PBS Teachers

• http://www.pbs.org/teachers

• Great lesson plans

• Guide to PBS video

• Educator community

• Widgets for your classroom website


Blogs & Webcasts

• Blog: Free Technology for Teachers– http://www.freetech4teachers.com– Reviews of free instructional resources. – Each review includes suggestions for classroom

applications

• Video Webcast: Palm Breeze CAFE– http://www.youtube.com/user/PalmBreezeCAFE – Podcast: search iTunes Store for “Palm Breeze

Cafe”– Software & website reviews and tutorials

• Twitter, Diigo, Delicious, Facebook, Flickr, Wikimedia Commons…


TRIVIA BREAK!

Mobile Apps

British Library Treasures


• Available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android – $3.99

National Archives: Today’s Document


• Available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android – Free

Constitution for iPhone


• Available for iPhone, iPod Touch – Free

U.S. Historical Documents


• Available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android – $0.99

Google Earth


• Available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Android – Free

History Here


• Available for Windows Phone 7 – $2.99

Say Hi to Shmoop

Experts Say…


“Smart and consistently humorous” – Academy

of American Poets

“Smart and consistently humorous” – Academy

of American Poets

“Best of the Internet”

- PC Magazine

“Best of the Internet”

- PC Magazine

2009 & 2010 Webby Award Honoree

2009 & 2010 Webby Award Honoree

”A nice balance of rigor and fun.” - School Library Journal”A nice balance of rigor and fun.” - School Library Journal

“Makes the learning process fun.”

- San Francisco Chronicle

“Makes the learning process fun.”

- San Francisco Chronicle

Top Tech Pick

- Scholastic Administrator

Top Tech Pick

- Scholastic Administrator

What is Shmoop?

• Fun digital curriculum & Test Prep– 600+ FREE Learning Guides in 10 subjects– ACT, SAT, PSAT, AP Exam Test Prep

• AP US History• AP Micro & AP Macro• AP US Government

• A resource teachers & students use in the classroom & at home

• Written by educators and experts – primarily Ph.D. students from Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley

– >90% of Shmoop writers have taught at the high school or college level

Shmoop (v): to push something forward (Yiddish slang of our founder’s grandmother)


Things You’ll Learn on Shmoop


The Portrait of a Lady (written in 1880) shares a lot in common with TV’s “Gossip Girl”

The Portrait of a Lady (written in 1880) shares a lot in common with TV’s “Gossip Girl”Emily Dickinson was a

packratEmily Dickinson was a packrat

Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce picked bar fights together in Paris

Ernest Hemingway and James Joyce picked bar fights together in Paris

Albert Einstein's 7th-grade teacher told him he "would never get anywhere in life." True story.

Albert Einstein's 7th-grade teacher told him he "would never get anywhere in life." True story.M.I.A.’s 2008 hit “Paper

Planes” borrows its chorus line from the early 90s rap hit “Rump Shaker”

M.I.A.’s 2008 hit “Paper Planes” borrows its chorus line from the early 90s rap hit “Rump Shaker”

Shmoop Test Prep

• FUN, interactive, online Test Prep– SAT– PSAT– ACT– AP US History– AP US Gov’t– AP Macro & AP Micro– AP Psychology– AP English– AP Calculus


Shmoop US HistoryUS History is Not the Story of Millions. It's Millions of Stories.

• “Why Should I Care?”

• Analytic Lenses• Timelines • Quotes, Statistics,

Trivia• Brief bios• Best of the Web


Shmoop CivicsCivics should not be boring

• We frame our lessons with hot issues that students are passionate about

• Key concepts in plain English

• How law and policy have evolved over time

• Section-by-Section summary of the Constitution


Shmoop Economics

• Topics in-depth with charts and examples

• Role-Playing Econ Games

• Music Videos– Substitution: You Can’t Always

Get What You Want


Shmoop BiographyGet to Know the Big Cheeses

• 31 bios and counting

• Authors, poets, political leaders, inventors, …

• Back-stories, fun anecdotes, multimedia, personal letters


Shmoop’s “Best of the Web”

• Links are carefully selected by Shmoop’s writers

• Audio, video, photos, art, primary sources

• TV & Film productions• Books• Websites


Shmoop Teacher’s Editions

• CA Standards-based Activities

• Quizzes• Current Events &

Pop Culture• Discussion &

Essay Questions• Related History &

Literature Readings


Shmoop MusicListen and Learn

• Analyze lyrics like poetry– Rhyme, meter, allusions,

symbolism, themes…

• Historical context and “behind the music” stories

• Technical analysis of rhythm, songwriting, instrumentation

• How have you used music in your classes?


Shmoop on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle, Nook, SonyPut a Ph.D. in Your Pocket

• Shmoop is now– #1 education iPhone App developer– #1 education Android App

developer– #1 HS publisher on Kindle

• Largest multi-platform educational publisher– 600 guides on the Web– 600 eBooks on Kindle– 400 iPhone/iPod Apps– 400 Android Apps– 400 eBooks on B&N nook


Teacher Resource Center


• A tour of Shmoop designed for educators

• Ideas and examples from teachers who use Shmoop in the classroom

• More about Shmoop’s teaching philosophy, our teaching experience, and our academic credentials

• Our tribute to great teachers who inspired us

www.shmoop.com/teachers/

Teacher Resource Center: www.shmoop.com/teachers

On Twitter: @helloshmoop

On Facebook: www.facebook.com/shmoop

© 2009, Shmoop University, Inc.http://www.shmoop.com

Best of the Web and Mobile Apps for Social Studies Teachers

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