Using Digital Content
We believe students should be creators with technology and not just consumers, so FCIT provides a wide range of digital assets for students to build their projects and, consequently, their understanding. But with well over 100,000 pieces of free digital content for the classroom, FCIT’s collections can be a bit overwhelming. The purpose of this blog is to highlight important areas of digital content and provide suggestions for using these digital “building blocks” in the classroom. Expect to find posts featuring FCIT’s clipart, photo, audiobook, and map collections among others. Your guide for this blog is Dr. Roy Winkelman.
Once Upon a Dime: Jack and the Beanstalk
In this new series, Little Books Solve Big Problems, we will use classic children’s tales to introduce problems and have students come up with solutions. For example, in these activities, we are learning about trade and the characteristics of money, using...
Photo of the Month: Fresnel Lens
This beautiful glass object from the National Museum of American History in Washington, DC, is an example of an important optical invention that saved countless lives in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. From its first use in a lighthouse in 1823...
Trace-Based Case: The Mystery of the Mounds
This trace-based case is focused on the mysterious mounds that have been found in Florida In this case, we are beginning with artifacts—mounds—to piece together the everyday lives of the early inhabitants of the state. Then, after examining the past, we...
Photo of the Month: Chupadero Black-on-White Jar
This is another example in the Photo of the Month series. Each month, I select one photo from the ClipPix ETC website and give a few examples of how teachers can make connections to various subject areas or use the photo a springboard for class discussion...
Florida Goes to War
An often-overlooked FCIT website is Florida Goes to War: The Sunshine State in WWII. This website was a joint project of the Florida Humanities Council and the Florida Center for Instructional Technology. We realize that only a small fraction of our subscribers are...
Photo of the Month: Reichstag Dome
This is the fourth in the Photo of the Month series. Each month, I select one photo from the ClipPix ETC website and give a few examples of how teachers can make connections to various subject areas or use the photo a springboard for class...
Using Political Cartoons in the Classroom
I had some wonderful high school teachers who made history come alive. In addition to learning the facts, dates, and figures, we got a feel for the times we were studying by activities such as reading Civil War poetry or singing our way through a couple of...
Photo of the Month: Everglades Shark Valley
The third post in the Photo of the Month series is from the Shark Valley Loop Road in the Florida Everglades. Each month, I select one photo from the ClipPix ETC website and suggest discussion questions and connections to other FCIT resources. Nate...
Paper People for Your Preso
If you make presentations and want to avoid "Death by PowerPoint," here's a collection of unusual nineteenth century illustrations of people, animals, and word balloons that might just be what your presentation needs. They probably won't be appropriate for...
Trace-Based Case: From Boom to Zoom
How Conditions in Florida Led to an Economic Boom in the Past and Continue to Help Florida Zoom Toward Future Prosperity This trace-based case is focused on the following question: What are the conditions that contribute to economic development in Florida?...
Using Digital Content
Teaching and Learning with Technology