Game-based learning not only contributes to a learning environment that is interesting and engaging for students but also fosters collaboration while meeting educational goals. Recognizing the potential of digital games to promote primary-source use for discovery and problem-solving, the Library of Congress established funding to advance the…

This article focuses on the use of digital primary sources to teach historical perspective to preservice teachers. Discussed here are the experiences of 90 elementary education majors during their inquiry-based elementary social studies methods course. A variety of digital primary sources were used to teach historical perspective and to model…

This article describes a study in which eighth grade students in one school learned to create multimedia mini-documentaries in a six-week history unit on early 19th-century U.S. history. The authors examined content knowledge tests, group projects, and attitude and opinion surveys to determine relative benefits for students who participated in a…

The momentum gathering behind authentic learning/critical skills raises fundamental issues concerning teaching and learning. This article discusses some of the more general arguments surrounding authentic learning with particular reference to an in-depth evaluation of its impact on schools in one part of Great Britain. It then moves on to describe…

This paper, written for a National Archives staff training course discusses the use of computers in the classroom as reflective of the larger social trend toward an increasing dependency on automated systems to assist business and government in their efforts to more effectively manage and retrieve information. The paper also demonstrates the…

Urges use of hypermedia or integration of text, graphics, animation, video, and sound in teaching social studies. Compares the cost of hypermedia programs with traditional teaching methods. Describes various programs on the market, their costs, advantages, and areas covered. Emphasizes benefits to students in research, participation, and…

Explains the development of an instructional software package and accompanying workbook which teaches students to apply computerized statistical analysis to historical data, improving the study of social history. Concludes that the use of microcomputers and supercomputers to manipulate historical data enhances critical thinking skills and the use…

Describes a course project in which students used computers to analyze census data to learn social history. Outlines the research project from the beginning when students drew samples from the census data to the final paper written by students. Argues that the analysis of historical data by computers has many potential applications. (DB)

Describes the addition of a microcomputer component to a Tulane University (Louisiana) undergraduate history course on the Salem witchcraft trials. Discusses the use of a statistical package and a data set to analyze and display data and the enhancement of the active learning approach by introducing students to quantitative methods of historical…

Intended to be equally useful to high school and college instructors, this book contains studies in history pedagogy, among them the first three published essays measuring qualitatively and quantitatively the successes and failures of "e-teaching" and distance learning. Collectively, the essays urge instructors to take the next step with…

Discusses results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. History and what may have influenced them, including use of computers and use of primary source materials. Includes an annotated bibliography of Web sites regarding the concept of peace as an alternative to perpetuating the historical realities of war. (LRW)

Described is the Man in a Changing Society (MIS) project in which K-12 Swedish children use parish records to study and research local history. Church records in Sweden contain detailed information about individuals living during the 18th and 19th centuries. To make this information accessible to researchers, the Swedish church records are being…

Appraises several databases devoted to classical literature. Thesaurus Linguae Graecae (TLG) contains the entire extant corpus of ancient Greek literature, including works on lexicography and historiography, extending into the 15th century. Other works awaiting completion are the Database of Classical Bibliography and a CD-ROM pictorial dictionary…

Reviews and summarizes some of the most influential articles concerning history instruction and computers. Articles appeared in various social studies journals over the last five years. Most included specific guidelines and software reviews. Includes information on the journals reviewed. (MJP)

This journal on writing instruction focusses on writing as a way of teaching social science. History, like science, needs to be taught as an evolving base of knowledge, rather than reverence for the way the story was told in the past. Integrating primary source materials with literature, both in language arts and social science, will help students…