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Social Studies and the Young LearnerCurrent IssueCurrent IssueSocial Studies for the Young Learner Welcome to the Digital Classroom! The theme of this issue of Social Studies and the Young Learner is “Welcome to the Digital Classroom!” Experiencing a new learning environment can be exciting and fun, but it can also be stressful and frightening if children are not provided with a sense of safety and support. When helping children feel at home in an unfamiliar place, it is important to prepare in advance and provide basic information so that they will know what to expect. Even in digital spaces, children need a sense of belonging and significance. We all want to know what’s going on and what is expected of us in a new situation or environment. This can be facilitated if we orient our students to the roles and responsibilities of digital citizens. In the first article, “Students as Digital Citizens on Web 2.0” the authors—Michelle Nebel, Barbara Jamison, and Linda Bennett— “provide some examples of Internet sites and activities that a teacher can use to incorporate the skills, knowledge, and responsibilities of digital citizenship into an elementary classroom setting.” Preparing in advance also means selecting websites for children to visit that are (1) safe, (2) age appropriate, (3) scholarly and accurate, and (4) pedagogically useful for the lesson. Developmentally appropriate websites make children feel welcome in digital spaces when they provide opportunities for them to take on an active role as learners. Ilene R. Berson focuses on children as participants in a global adventure in her article “Here’s What We Have to Say! Podcasting in the Early Childhood Classroom.” In “Exploring the Explorers Using Internet Resources,” Cheryl Franklin Torrez and Gina Bush guide students in comparing information from different sources—including a website that deliberately misleads the reader with occasional bits of false (and funny) information. In “Revolutionary Movies: Creating Digital Biographies in the Fifth Grade,” a professor-teacher team (Scott M. Waring, Marie Santana, and Kirk Robinson) lead their students in learning course content “as they develop a historical narrative from various sources.” These authors provide classroom handouts, which comprise the Pullout section for this issue. Another professor-teacher team, Judy Britt and Gus La Fontaine, describe using some of the latest imaging technology with first grade students in “Google Earth: A Virtual Globe for Elementary Geography.” Kelly and Lynne Schrum sample a “wide array of resources” that the Internet can bring to the classroom, “from music to political campaign commercials, from handwritten letters to documentary photographs” in their article “Discovering the Past with 21st-Century Tools.” Once teachers facilitate children’s skills and comfort in using digital spaces, the students may be ready to have shared experiences with others outside the classroom. In the article “Panwapa: Global Kids, Global Connections,” Ilene R. Berson and Michael J. Berson focus on an “online social environment” created by PBS that students can explore. With preparation and ongoing guidance, students will discover learning opportunities in digital spaces that are active and engaging. We invite you to try out some of these approaches to welcome children into the digital classroom and celebrate the innovative potential of these 21st-century learners. —Michael J. Berson InviteWrite About Your Classroom LessonHaving your article considered for publication can be an informative and rewarding professional experience. We especially encourage classroom teachers to write up their work and submit a paper. If you are an enthusiastic elementary teacher with great ideas that you have put to use in the classroom, here is an opportunity to share your work. Your paper could even be published in Social Studies and the Young Learner. Do any of these themes spark your interest? (Issue dates and deadlines are listed below each theme.) Planning for a New Year
Contact editor Linda Bennett (ssyl@missouri.edu) with your ideas. Immigration and Citizenship in the Early Grades
Economics and Sustainability
Contact co-editors Linda Bennett (ssyl@missouri.edu) and Count Me In! The United States Census
Contact co-editors Linda Bennett (ssyl@missouri.edu) with your ideas. The "guide" and "tips" tabs above, can help you get started on your way to being a published author. Sincerely yours,Linda Bennett, Ed.D. Social Studies and the Young Learner, Editor Associate Professor, Social Studies Education Department of Learning, Teaching, & Curriculum University of Missouri-Columbia GuideGuidelines for Contributors to SSYLThe goal of Social Studies and the Young Learner is to a) capture and enthuse elementary teachers across the country; and b) provide relevant and useful information about the teaching of social studies to elementary students. The editor especially encourages submission of manuscripts authored by K-5 classroom teachers themselves, or co-authored by professors and classroom teachers. E-Mailing Formatting Images and Examples Peer Review Reprints Please feel free to contact the editor by e-mail if you have a question at any time. Linda Bennettssyl@missouri.edu Social Studies and the Young Learner, Editor Associate Professor, Elementary Social Studies Education 303 Townsend Hall University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO, 65211-2400 USA TipsTips for AuthorsWho May Submit an Article?Anybody may submit an article to Social Studies and the Young Learner. The editors especially look for manuscripts co-authored by classroom teachers and professors, or authored by K-5 classroom teachers alone. What are Good Topics? How Will My Paper Be Judged? This checklist shows the features that editors and reviewers will be watching for. Read your own paper against this checklist.
Proofreading? Who, When, and How? Other Questions? ArchiveConference Archives provide handouts and other materials given out at recent sessons on "best practices in the elementary grades" at NCSS Annual Conferences. (For journal back issues, click the Publications Archive link at right.) 2007 NCSS Annual Conference Best Practice in Elementary GeographyThe World in Spatial Terms: Mapmaking and Map Reading Using “The Great Mail Race” to Learn About Communities (PowerPoint) Developmentally Appropriate Geography (PowerPoint) Le Vieux Carre: A Marketplace Approach to the Standards (PowerPoint) A is for Aerial Maps and Art (PowerPoint) 2006 NCSS Annual Conference Best Practice in Elementary Social StudiesBest Practice in Elementary Social Studies from the SSYL Editorial Board Authenticating Historical Fiction: Rationale & Process—Eric Groce Supporting Struggling Learners in Social Studies—Barb Knighton Project Hometown—Ginger Smit What Makes an Effective S.S. Program Tick?—Kimberly Pearre (PowerPoint) related pages:
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