How Can Social Studies Teachers Best Use The Internet With Young Learners?

Abstract

The most effective integration of technology for enhancing learning in social studies has been found to engage students in inquiry centered around authentic, complex, real world problems in order to develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills. These technology enhanced learning environments allow for student control over the learning activities, provide opportunities for students to think critically and analytically about information, provide a variety of information resources and tools for constructing knowledge to solve these problems, and engage students in representing and creatively applying the resultant new knowledge. While such learning experiences have been found to be very successful with older students, young children need to begin building an understanding of how to navigate in these student controlled learning environments. A good place to begin developing that understanding with primary children is to use a more structured online learning approach such as a WebQuest.