Smithsonian Channel App
The Smithsonian Channel App is an app designed to bring Smithsonian channel content to the mobile user. It has both full length episodes of its shows and documentaries, and snippets of some of the most popular shows on the channel. Users can also test their historical knowledge by taking a history quiz which provides photos accompanied by multiple choice questions. There is also channel information about upcoming shows and There is also a feature which allows you to enter your personal historical interests and then provides five clips from shows that might interest you.
The app is free and is available at the Apple apps store.
My subject is Social Studies, and while I enjoy learning about historical events, I understand that for some people, history can be dry and lack engagement. For younger kids, who are used to interactive games and tablets, this is especially true. The Smithsonian Channel App is interactive and visual. It gives the user the control to cater their viewing to reenactments and documentaries that they are studying. As a Social Studies teacher, it would be my job to teach my students how to analyze the visual historical images they see when studying a particular event. As an example, the images of the holocaust that many students are shown need context and explanation. By using this app, I could provide my students with instant access to short, pertinent content about WWII and how the concentration camps came to be.
The only major problem I can foresee when using this app is that the interactive component may not be enough to keep the interest of older students. A more game-heavy application, designed to teach history, might be better.
Sample graphics:
Wow this is really cool! No need to visit the museum when you can bring it to life in your classroom! I chaperoned an 8th grade field trip to Washington D.C. and I noticed that in every museum we visited the students had little interest in the actual exhibits. These videos are thus a great tool for delivering the content behind the "cool looking statue."
ReplyDeleteI would love this app! I don't find social studies to be the most interesting subject and I can totally understand the appeal of making history more fun and engaging through this app. Using this app briefly in a lesson could help make history more fun and interesting to students before you enter the more meaty historical information.
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