Social studies go high-tech

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Instead of waking up and going to a classroom for

summer school, a group of Huntington Beach High School students just

logged on to the Internet from their various locations to learn from

their teacher, who is in Costa Rica.

History teacher Jinger Wallace taught her social studies class online

in real time, a first for any school in the Huntington Beach Union High

School District.

The 36 students in her class were able to take virtual tours of Costa

Rica, talk online with local environmentalists and read foreign

newspapers.

“Travel expands the individual,” Wallace said. “It makes the world

around them more intense and real and more pertinent in their life.”

That’s why Wallace developed the online class. Because actual travel

can be too costly, she wanted to find a way for students to stay in Surf

City and still reap some of the benefits of going abroad.

During the first two weeks of the summer school session, the students

reported to a classroom where Wallace, in person, taught them the basics

of using the Internet. She showed them how to use e-mail, message boards

and chat rooms, and ensured they were aware of Internet safety.

For the rest of the six-week session, a virtual Wallace taught the

students about the geography, ecotourism sites, people and history of

Costa Rica.

Except for when chat sessions were organized, students could log on at

any time from any computer. Some students took advantage of the

flexibility, turning in some of their work over e-mail at midnight. In

case a student needed help, a teacher’s assistant was available every day

in the library.

“Other than through a book, we learned through [Wallace’s] pictures

and her e-mails,” said student Aaron Flora, 17.

The students read Wallace’s weekly journals and looked at the digital

snapshots she posted on the Web. They analyzed news articles from the

Tico Times, a Costa Rican newspaper, and entered chat rooms where they

communicated with the country’s locals.

“I learn a lot more this way, and it’s [more fun] too,” Aaron said.

Besides the photos and chat rooms, the students had to do three

projects that required online research.

“It’s more exciting. We don’t sit in class and listen to a lecture,”

said Katherine Hoang, 15.

Wallace chose to visit Costa Rica because, like Huntington Beach, it

is going through environmental challenges and experiences a lot of

tourists. Also, she wanted her Spanish-speaking students to feel

comfortable with the Spanish-speaking country.

“I like computers and faraway places, so I thought it was rad,” Aaron

said. “I liked coming home and seeing all the new pictures she sent us

Wallace tried to make the work more challenging, like a college class.

“They don’t get credit for just coming in and sitting in a class or

sitting at a computer. It’s the kind of class that students are rewarded

for what they do,” Wallace said.

Wallace has been a teacher in the district for 20 years. She created

the pilot class as part of her program, HistoryPartners, which is

co-sponsored by UC Irvine. However, since travel expenses come out of

Wallace’s own pocket, with a few outside businesses as sponsors, she

hopes to gain more sponsorships.

Next year, Wallace said she hopes to go to Australia.

“It will be the class of the future because now people are using the

Internet more often,” Katherine said.