Grades 9-12 American Government/Civics
SSCG4 The student will demonstrate knowledge of the organization and powers of the national government.
Annotated List of Wikis
105 Wiki [Online] Available URL http://105.wikispaces.com
Wendy Wolfe developed this wiki for her US Government classes. In addition to the teacher’s course assignments, there are some great ideas for student projects. The student pages that I viewed showed some of the best examples of multimedia and technology incorporation I’ve seen. Students developed their own wikis, video and audio files, and worked collaboratively using Google Docs. The students’ work product showed a great deal of creative thought.
Civic Literacy [Online] Available URL http://civic-literacy.wikispaces.com
This is a civic literacy resource site for teachers and students. Information is grouped by topics including civics education, interactive learning modules, government and legislative websites, and primary sources. I think teachers would find the interactive learning modules topic to be especially helpful when planning lessons and activities.
Mr. Bruce’s History Wiki [Online] Available URL http://mrbruceshistory.wikispaces.com
I did not find the instructor created course content to be extraordinary, but the student created pages were excellent examples of how to infuse technology in the curriculum.
There are six pages created collaboratively by groups of students. The student page topics include separation of powers, checks and balances, key players, the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. The instructor also provided a wiki rubric that could be a useful resource for other teachers.
Mr. Driscoll’s Class [Online] Available URL http://driscoll-class.wikispaces.com
This wiki is an online learning community for AP History and American Government classes. Besides the expected course resources and links to other sites, there are study skill guides, student work portfolios, and plug ins or widgets you can add to your wiki. I especially liked the plug in that allows you to enter your zip code to find your senator or representative, and the national debt clock widget.
Mr. Shulman’s Wiki [Online] Available URL http://mr-shulman.wikispaces.com
This wiki is designed for the teacher’s American Government students. In three different units he covers content on the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of the United States government. The site incorporates some excellent multimedia presentations, flash cards, quizzes, Jeopardy style games, and group activities.
Incorporating these active learning and collaborative projects should engage students.
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Mrs. Lynde’s Social Studies Site [Online] Available URL http://mlynde.wikispaces.com
This is a wiki for AP Government and Politics courses. The wiki does a nice job of offering information in a variety of delivery methods. The site incorporates videos,
Word documents, and PowerPoints for course information delivery. The tips and tricks section for teachers was especially informative. Instructions were provided on how to use technologies such as VoiceThread, Simply Box, and Wordle. Links were also provided to open source media and digital files.
Resources for History Teachers [Online] Available URL https://resourcesforhistoryteachers.wikispaces.com
This wiki was started by an education professor at the University of Massachusetts
Amherst, but has had content added by K-12 teachers across the country. While the wiki ties content to Massachusetts education standards, educators from other states will find the content ties to national standards to be helpful. The content is up to date and incorporates pictures, video clips, web links, and primary sources. There are also some useful pages on copyright information and teaching resources.
Twitter for Wiki/US Government [Online] Available URL http://twitter.pbworks.com/USGovernment
This is a very simple, but effective wiki utilizing the social media Twitter. The wiki provides a list of links to every member of the legislative and executive branches, including cabinet members, departments, and agencies, with a Twitter account.
Students can link to the accounts of President Obama, the White House, or their senator. Way cool!
Wiki Books [Online] Available URL http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/United_States_Government
This wiki is an open content textbook collection. It is a good instruction and research resource that can be used by teachers and students. It provides straightforward content with no media files. Topics include the three branches of government, the separation of power, and checks and balances.
Wikiversity American Government [Online] Available URL http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Topic:American_Government
Wikiversity is an online learning community where topics are grouped by subject matter. In addition to the text-based subject matter that can be updated by registered users, there are online learning communities individuals can join. The wiki is a good research tool for students and a content resource for teachers.
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