www.rcetj.org
ISSN 1948-075X
Volume 9, Number 1
Spring 2013
Edited by:
Alicia Crowe, Ph.D.
Kent State University
Guest Editor
Candice McDonald, M.A.
Kent State University
Editor
Special Issue: Using Technology in Social Studies
Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (RCET)
Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2013
Guest Editor
Editor
Alicia Crowe, Ph.D.
Kent State University
Candice McDonald, M.A.
Kent State University
Reviewers
Bryan Ashkettle, Solon High School
Elizabeth W. Brooks, Kent State University
Jeffery Drake, Kent State University
Todd S. Hawley, Kent State University
Andrew L. Hostetler, Peabody College of
Vanderbilt University
Andrew R. Pifel, Kent State University
Evan Mooney, Kent State University
Michael Levicky, Kent State University
Published by RCET (http://www.rcet.org), The Journal for the Research Center for Educational
Technology provides a multimedia forum for the advancement of scholarly work on the effects of
technology on teaching and learning. It is distributed free of charge over the World Wide Web under the
Creative Commons License (Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States) to
promote dialogue, research, and grounded practice.
Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (RCET)
Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2013
Volume 9, Number 1
Spring 2013
Introduction to the Issue
Candice McDonald
1
Developing Civic Agency in an International Videoconference:
Reflecting on Audience and Public Voice in Participatory Media
J. Spencer Clark and James Scott Brown
2
“Wouldn't you like to talk it over before having your people die?"
Engaging Middle School Students in Interschool Online Synchronous Discussions
24
Joe O’Brien, Tom Barker, and Tina Ellsworth
The Lincoln Telegrams Project: A Design-Based Research Approach to
Simplifying Digital History
Philip E. Molebash, John K. Lee, and Adam Friedman
49
Shifting Neo-Narratives: Online Participatory Media & Historical Narrative
Whitney Gordon Blankenship and Cinthia S. Salinas
74
Using Podcasts to Express Counter-Narratives in Elementary Social Studies
Melissa Walker Beeson
94
The Pad-agogy of Historical Thinking: Using Digital Tablets in a Social Studies
Teaching Methods Course
Grant R. Miller and Serina Cinnamon
112
Cross-culture and Technology Integration: Examining the Impact of a
TPACK-focused Collaborative Project on Pre-service Teachers and
Teacher Education Faculty
Janie Daniel Hubbard and Geoff Price
131
Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (RCET)
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Spring 2013
From “Community Helpers” to “Community Service”: Using a WebQuest
with Second Graders
Mary Beth Henning
156
Planning with Technology in Mind: Preparing Pre-Service Social Studies
Teachers to Integrate Technology in the Classroom
Kristen Shand, Patrick Guggino, and Victoria Costa
174
Social Networking and the Social Studies for Citizenship Education
Brad M. Maguth and Jason R. Harshman
192
Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (RCET)
Vol. 9, No. 1, Spring 2013
RCETJ 9 (1), 192-201
Social Networking and the Social Studies for Citizenship Education
Brad M. Maguth
The University of Akron
Jason R. Harshman
The Ohio State University
Author’s Note
Brad M. Maguth, Department of Curricular & Instructional Studies, The
University of Akron; Jason R. Harshman, Social Studies & Global Education, The Ohio State
University.
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Dr. Brad Maguth,
Department of Curricular & Instructional Studies, The University of Akron, 032 Zook Hall,
Akron, OH 4325
Contact: bmaguth@uakron.edu
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Abstract
An increasing number of youth are using social networking sites to access information,
communicate and even advocate. Yet, these 21st century tools are often misunderstood by
teachers and/or disallowed in the social studies classroom. We argue that by teaching students
how to harness the potential of social networking websites in the social studies they will be
prepared to transfer these understandings and engage in real world civic discussions; many of
which are increasingly occurring in cyberspace. The social studies class is an ideal venue to
teach students ways in which they can meaningfully and appropriately harness the potential of
social media to learn about and advocate on civic issues.
Keywords: civics, citizenship education, social networking, social media, social studies
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Social Networking and the Social Studies for Citizenship Education
Young people today have grown accustomed to shopping, socializing, and learning through
online, interactive technologies. According to a 2005 survey by the Pew Internet and American
Life Project, over 87% of young Americans between the ages of 12 and 17 are online (Lenhard,
Hitlin, & Madden, 2005). Increased access and use of the Internet by today’s youth creates an
ideal opportunity for civic educators to help students use the tools they are most familiar with to
learn about and advocate for civic causes. Traditionalists often dismiss youth civic efforts in
cyberspace despite growing evidence that youth conduct research, organize, collaborate, and
even protest issues via online technologies (Bennett, 2008; Putnam, 2000). As Earl and
Schusssman (2008) assert, “One must question whether existing (traditional) notions of what
encompasses civic engagement tend to ignore, devalue, and otherwise marginalize ways in which
young people are connecting with one another to collectively make a difference in their worlds.”
More recent scholarship suggests youth are using the Internet and electronic technologies to
learn about and advocate for civic causes (Bennett, 2008; Maguth, Yamaguchi, & Elliott, 2010).
Social studies educators can play a role in helping students participate and engage in the real
world civic discussions that are increasingly occurring in cyberspace. By teaching students how
to harness the potential of social networking websites they are better prepared to transfer civics
lessons learned in school to lived experiences outside of school. The instructional approaches
presented below are grounded in the belief that social networking platforms are emerging as
important civic tools familiar to many social studies students and integral to the future of
citizenship education.
Social Networking and Civic Organizations
Civic organizations such as the White House and local governments and police departments are
relying upon social networking tools to inform and learn from citizens (Scherer, 2009). Local
civic organizations often use social media platforms to broadcast notices and important news
updates. Such examples include police departments posting Amber Alerts and severe weather
advisories via Facebook. While it is true that citizens are becoming increasingly dependent upon
‘pull’ technologies, they are also ‘pushing’ alerts and civic information into cyberspace. As the
recent Occupy Wall Street and Arab Spring protests demonstrate, an increasing number of
citizens, especially Millennials, are using social networking tools to serve as real time eReporters
and citizen journalists. In fact, traditional media sources often vet social networks like YouTube,
Twitter, and Facebook to stay abreast of what is happening in the world. The 2006 Technology
Position Statement by The National Council of the Social Studies reinforces this position:
Emerging information and communication technologies have the potential to reshape
how the National Council for the Social Studies and its members seek to fulfill the
mission to prepare young people "to fulfill the duties of citizenship in a participatory
democracy” (NCSS, 2006).
Today’s social studies educators and students stand at the intersection of democracy, social
media, and technology. If students are to become the engaged, literate citizens we want them to
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be, social studies educators must account for technological gains when they conceptualize and
teach about citizenship (NCSS, 2009; VanFossen & Berson, 2008).
Social Networking in an Interconnected World
Recent events in the Middle East speak to how social networking sites can empower civically
engaged youth. When protests erupted after the 2009 Iranian Presidential elections and
mainstream international journalists were banned from the streets, digital-savvy citizens inside
Iran uploaded information to social networking sites to inform the world about governmental
instability and human rights violations. In fact, U.S. officials claimed that social networking
websites like Facebook and Twitter provided the United States government with critical, realtime information (Labott, 2006). The Iranian protest, however, was not an isolated incident and
proved to be a catalyst for how citizens use social networking sites to inform other citizens and
the world of the current political climate in a particular place.
Protestors in Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, and more have uploaded images, videos, and accounts of
civic protests concerning human rights abuses and governmental suppression of individual
political rights. In 2011, video footage of a Tunisian shopkeeper who set himself on fire to
protest authoritarian rule was posted to multiple social media platforms and quickly viewed by
people across the world. The video has been credited with inspiring people in North Africa and
the Middle East to take to the streets in protest against government repression and became what
many in the west known as the Arab Spring Revolution (Howard, Duffy, Freelon, Hussain, &
Mari, 2011).
Thousands of Americans have employed social networking technologies to organize against
corporate greed and inequality. The “Occupy” protests ushered in what The Economist magazine
coined “America’s first genuine social networking uprising” (G.L., 2011). On November 11,
2011, hoards of images and video flooded social networking websites to document incidents of
police crackdowns on U.S. protestors in New York, Oakland, Tuscan, and Seattle. Although
footage of these events was not as well received on traditional U.S. news outlets, an “Occupy
TVNY” channel was created on YouTube. These examples make it clear that citizens can
leverage social networking sites to generate civic dialogue and collective action at local,
national, and international levels.
Social networking sites also improve civic communication between citizens and elected officials.
The White House has turned to social networking technologies to foster greater transparency and
to inform citizens. In addition to becoming the first President to video record the weekly address
for online viewing, the Obama Administration has asked citizens to submit their concerns to the
White House directly via the Internet to improve the efficiency of government. Consequently,
citizens can now participate in a discourse regarding public policy issues with members of the
White House staff and fellow citizens. In April of 2011, President Obama conducted a virtual
town hall debate on Facebook in an attempt to engage an increasingly connected electorate. On
May 1, 2009, the Obama Administration sent out its first tweet, warning American citizens about
the H1N1 flu (a.k.a. ‘Swine Flu’). With more than two million followers on Twitter, the White
House and the President routinely update citizens about new developments in domestic and
international policies. During the 2012 State of the Union Address, members of the Cabinet,
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Senate and Congress used Twitter to post their reactions (Bendery, 2012). More than 175 federal
agencies, including each Cabinet level office, have Facebook and Twitter accounts, and utilize
other forms of social media to communicate with the world (Scherer, 2009).
As the U.S. federal government has turned to the Internet to connect with citizens, one would
assume a field predicated on citizenship education, the social studies, would do so as well.
However, as indicated by research in this area, many educators still rely upon textbooks, lecture,
and rote memorization, meaning the use of social media technology in the social studies for civic
education has been ‘lackluster’ at best (Friedman & Hicks, 2005; VanFossen & Berson, 2008).
Despite increases in Internet connectivity in schools and homes, and the mounting evidence that
social networking sites can be leveraged to promote an active citizenry, a great number of social
studies teachers have opted to maintain a traditional approach to teaching. As a result, many
young citizens currently enrolled in a social studies course have few opportunities to use social
networking tools to contribute to their community and world (Collins & Halverson, 2009). In
order for the social studies to stay relevant in a digital and global age, social studies educators
must reexamine the ways in which citizens are educated. The remainder of this article offers
ideas for how teachers can harness the potential of social networking websites to engage students
in civic discussions in and out of the social studies classroom.
Social Networking in Schools
Research on social media usage by teens age 12-17 found that 93% spend over 14 hours a week
studying and socializing online (Lenhard, Hitlin, & Madden, 2005). Additionally, a recent survey
by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that almost three-fourths of 7th through 12th graders have
at least one social media profile and spend more time on social networking sites than playing
games or watching online videos (Rideout, Foehr, & Roberts, 2010). Based on this data, we
argue that the social studies classroom is an ideal venue to teach students how to meaningfully
and appropriately harness the potential of social media to learn about and contribute to ongoing
discourses regarding civic issues. Allowing students to use the digital tools they are familiar
with in school, however, is not without challenges. Fears of online bullying, Internet predators,
and the possibility of explicit language and advertising often make administrators, teachers, and
parents wary of using social networking, with some going so far as to completely bar their usage
in schools. Additionally, many schools block websites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube due
to the Children’s Internet Protection Act, which states schools are not allowed to expose students
to harm on the Internet (Federal Communications Commission, 2011). While these obstacles to
fostering a technologically relevant citizenship education are real, there is potential in every safe
and structured classroom to ready citizens to participate in our increasingly digital age.
Social studies educators should follow the lead of The National Education Technology Plan,
Transforming American Education: Learning Powered by Technology (2010), which calls for
applying the advanced technologies used in our daily personal and professional lives to our entire
education system to improve student learning. This means that rather than banning and
disqualifying technologies and resources that are transforming business, communication, and
society, schools and teachers are encouraged to use social networking technologies meaningfully
to promote student learning and citizenship education.
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Like many teachers, seventh grade teacher Elizabeth Delmatoff uses social media as a space for:
posting classroom assignments; students to communicate and collaborate with peers; extending
classroom activities by asking students to further apply what they learn in school. In addition to
using social media to teach content and concepts related to social studies, Mrs. Delmatoff also
teaches students how to protect themselves when using social networks and how to use these
technologies appropriately. Mrs. Delmatoff found that by using technological tools that students
are familiar with, student learning, student grades, test scores, and attendance rates increased
(Kessler, 2010).
Social Networking in the Social Studies with Edmodo
In this article, we have argued that civic discourse and information is increasingly exchanged
online through social networks. We have also argued that social studies teachers and students,
though faced with challenges, can still use social networking tools for citizenship education.
Those teachers and students with greater freedoms in using social networking sites should tap
their full civic potential. This may include using social networking tools to connect and
communicate with elected representatives, creating and sharing political images and
commentary, and championing and advocating for causes using social networks. However, some
teachers may be unable to leverage the full civic potential of social networks in their classroom
due to sensitive Internet filters and/or school policies forbidding such activity. We recommend
to teachers facing such challenges to not give-up, and instead consider having students use social
network platforms designed especially for use in schools.
Edmodo is an on-line platform that caters to PK-12 teachers and therefore is not likely to be
blocked by school filters. With an interface similar to Facebook and more than 2.5 million users,
Edmodo is becoming an increasingly popular way for teachers and students to expand their
learning community. Security features include Edmodo administrators who monitor user
activities to prevent inappropriate behavior and teachers can enable and disable features like
private messaging and friend suggestions. Most importantly, teachers and students can take
advantage of the social networking features by creating profiles, sharing videos and images, and
communicating and collaborating on issues in the social studies as part of a safe and structured
on-line learning community.
After registering for a free account, teachers are invited to create a “class” and add students to
the virtual classroom. Teachers can post assignments, messages, reminders, share resources, and
foster student-to-student discussions on issues in the social studies. Students can send their
classmates instant messages while also participating in whole class discussions inside and
outside of school. In addition to serving as a “social” space that fosters communication and
collaboration between students, Edmodo houses a collection of documents, images, and videos in
a “library” that teachers can share with students. Other features include: the capability to
securely post student grades, providing parents with access codes to view/monitor student
comments and grades, and an interactive polling feature. Edmodo’s business model does not
include charging schools, teachers, or students for use of the site, but currently depends on
revenue via paid advertisements from publishers of textbooks and educational service
organizations. Teachers who want to use social networking but are concerned about or
prohibited from using popular sites such as Facebook and Twitter will find Edmodo to be an
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effective tool for developing the skills, understandings, and attitudes necessary for online civic
participation.
Social Networking and Citizenship Education: A Virtual Debate
Debate, the consideration of multiple perspectives, the analysis of governmental documents and
sources, and deliberation are important elements of citizenship education (Bennett, 2008). The
following activity is designed for use with students in a secondary civics course and incorporates
the social networking features of Edmodo to engage students in civic discussions and
deliberations online. In this activity, students participate in a digitally mediated debate on a
controversial issue: Is the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act of 2011 in the best
interest of the United States of America?
Prior to the start of the lesson(s) on this topic, the teacher should create a discussion forum in
Edmodo that requires students to respond to the following prompt: Should health care be a right
for every citizen in the United States? All students should be asked to reply to this inquiry and
comment on the postings of their classmates. After reading over student comments and
allowing them time to interact with their classmates, the teacher should provide students with a
short overview of the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act of 2011. Edmodo
provides a space for teachers and/or students to post websites, videos, and other resources that
can help develop a stronger understanding of this or any public policy issue. Alternatively,
teachers can also upload a Prezi, PowerPoint presentation, or video on the topic for students to
gather information from to establish a foundational understanding. After developing an
understanding of this legislation, students are asked to join a group supporting the legislation, a
group opposed to the legislation, or a group of undecided citizens who want to explore other
options.
Once all students select a group, teachers should inform learners they will be participating in a
virtual discussion on the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act. Before students
begin the activity, teachers are encouraged to review the expectations and procedures followed
when participating in discussions with students in school, why they need to transfer the same
level of respect and decorum to the Edmodo platform, and to be mindful of on-line
communication issues (i.e. using emoticons to help readers interpret one’s tone).
Each student is required to create an Edmodo profile that explains his or her stance on this issue.
In their profile, students need to:
1. Provide an overview of where they stand on this issue and what experiences have led
them to this conclusion.
2. Use web-based resources (articles, documents, blogs, press releases, videos, etc.) to
support their position. Not only should the resources be integrated into the written portion
of their profile, but students need to post the sources to help build a class database or eportfolio.
After students complete their Edmodo profiles (based on their position), they are required to read
profiles created by members of the two other groups before posting comments on their
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classmates’ profiles. Students should upload articles, websites, and resources to their
classmates’ profiles that support or oppose their position.
When students return to class the teacher should discuss evaluating source quality, fact checking,
and persuasive writing since one of the objectives of this lesson is for students to convince
undecided classmates to support their position. When students are given an opportunity to
reflect on the resources they choose and think more critically about biases within sources, they
are engaging in a critical literacy skill that is integral to being an informed, literate citizen.
Following the lesson on source analysis and evaluation, students will return to Edmodo to apply
what they learned regarding source analysis to messages posted by their peers. Students should
read and/or re-read what students opposed to their position posted and post questions and
comments regarding the accuracy of claims and/or counter-points.
After each student has completed the above requirements, the teacher will use the poll function
in Edmodo to determine if anyone changed their mind regarding the Patient Protection and
Affordable Health Care Act of 2011. A list of government agencies and officials associated with
the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act should also be posted in Edmodo so
students can contact them individually, either through Facebook, Twitter, or e-mail. The
following class period can be used to discuss the students’ experiences on-line, identify examples
of good discussions that took place in Edmodo as models for future use, and review social
platforms that students can access outside of school so they can continue to discuss this and other
issues with citizens across the country and beyond.
Conclusion
It is increasingly necessary for citizens to be digitally literate. One’s ability to access and
productively use social networking sites has become a common component of how customers,
constituents, and students communicate with businesses, government agencies, and institutions
of higher learning. As the television, VCR, DVD player, computer, and Internet changed what
was required to keep citizenship education relevant in the 20th century, social networking
platforms are changing how we think about, conceptualize, and teach about citizenship in the 21st
century. The ubiquity of social networking platforms requires new approaches to citizenship
education, and the social studies can help students develop the skills necessary for participating
in the real world civic discussions that are increasingly occurring in cyberspace.
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