Technology and Social Studies

Multimedia Authoring and Presentation Tools

Need. Although passing the next test is the goal of typical history instruction, historians study history to produce products that can communicate new ideas and information to others. Historians create books, articles, websites, exhibits, and other artifacts that can be studied, critiqued, debated, and enjoyed by those who view them.

Addressing the Need in SSPBL. In SSPBL, students’ inquiry projects culminate in a product that demonstrates what they have learned in their investigations. Student groups become the classroom experts in different topics, and they are expected to share their expertise for the benefit of others. Typically, our students make presentations to their classmates, and when possible, to parents.

Technology-Based Option. Authoring and presentation tools support the process of documenting and communicating what a group has learned. The multimedia capabilities of these tools enable students to integrate pictures, sounds, movies, and music with text. Research has shown that the construction of multimedia projects offers unique benefits including increased knowledge of a topic that is maintained over time and enhanced interest, motivation, and engagement (Lehrer, Erickson, & Connell, 1998).

We have used a variety of authoring and presentation tools over the years, from Digital Chisel (Pierian Spring Software) to HyperStudio (Roger Wagner) to PowerPoint (Microsoft). Our participants have been excited by the opportunity to express themselves in multimedia and students with disabilities often find more avenues for success in the group when their contributions are not limited to print. Furthermore, students are proud of their professional-looking finished products (Ferretti & Okolo, 1996).

Time has been our biggest challenge in attempts to make fuller use of authoring and presentation tools. Students’ lack of proficient keyboarding skills, the time needed to learn a new software program, and limited classroom computer resources have reduced the extent to which we can integrate authoring and presentation tools into SSPBL. To address some of these constraints, we have found it helpful to provide explicit guidelines about the information that students should include in their projects and to use paper templates on which students can draft their projects prior to working on the computer. Although we find pedagogical advantages to the degree to which students can create nonlinear links, and we prefer the more extensive text-generation tools of program such as Digital Chisel and HyperStudio, we have found it more feasible to use oral presentations, supported by a tool such as PowerPoint, as a culminating activity.

Summary
The Strategy-Supported Project-Based Learning approach is designed to develop historical understanding in middle-grade inclusive classrooms. Multiple media and technology tools are key features of SSPBL, and we have discussed the ways in which we have used these as alternatives to textbook-based information and activities. The possibilities that technology offers for enriching history instruction and promoting students’ historical understanding and motivation are exciting and extensive.