Presents an interview with Ernest L. Boyer. Describes approaches to improving civic education. Identifies student passivity as the primary obstacle. Urges greater scrutiny of the information that teachers present to students. Proposes placing that information in historical, social, and ethical perspectives and integrating and applying it. (DK)

Argues that, because technological change has accelerated greatly, schools must prepare students for forces that will impact their lives and future occupations. Offers 10 precepts of technology for guidance. Includes the nature of technological change, timeliness and cultural fit, irreversible societal change, and slowness of institutions to…

Traces the barrel in history through language, literature, poetry, music, art, and architecture. Includes examples and anecdotes of barrels in movies, television, and recreation. Illustrates the impact of the barrel on U.S. culture. Emphasizes that the importance of such an example of technology cannot be adequately measured. (DK)

Describes the History and Technology Project (HAT) at a model technology school. Offers suggestions of suitable hardware and software, and ideas for funding. Emphasizes the goal of integrating technology into all levels of history and social science. Calls for increasing teacher-student interaction and restructuring teaching methods to reach all…

Describes "Western Gunfighters--Myths and Realities," a database for teaching about the Wild West. Includes a focus on process objectives such as identifying cause and effect, formulating hypotheses, distinguishing between fact and opinion, and arranging information in usable forms. Offers instructions and advice for setting up or expanding such a…

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…

Presents answers to some commonly asked questions about video copyright. Provides hotline phone numbers, costs, and addresses for information packets and magazines. Discusses restrictions on rented videotapes as well as recordings of cable and broadcast television programs, including instructional programs. Includes a brief reference guide to…

Presents a program for teaching social studies through a simulated archaeological dig. Describes an integrated lesson in solving real problems through a variety of disciplines making full use of technology. Discusses objectives, project organization, and the necessary materials. Emphasizes student interest in learning through experience. Includes…

Describes software programs available to social studies teachers. Focuses on FutureFone, a simulation of a telephone system of the year 2000 featuring online services likely to be widely available then, including geography, news, and history of the 1990s. Emphasizes that the program is designed to develop inductive analysis. (DK)

Urges that the teaching of social studies should be integrated with other subjects. Recommends starting out with a story that the teacher has cleared for reading level, elements of literature, and social studies content. Suggests novels combining literary elements with information on different cultures and historical periods. Includes lesson…

Discusses GTV, a computer software program that presents U.S. history from a geographic perspective. Lists resources and equipment necessary to make effective use of the program. Cites the program's possible integration with California's social studies classroom under the state social studies framework. (DK)

Discusses the importance of geographic knowledge and understanding for learning history. Emphasizes five themes of geography: location, place, relationships within places, movement, and regions. Provides specific lesson suggestions. Argues for geography instruction's integration into all areas of social studies with maps and geographic themes. (DK)

Presents a bibliographic listing of ERIC/ChESS citations on the use of technology in social studies. Includes studies on computer use to learn map skills, information on incorporating computer work into the classroom, and surveys of software programs and microcomputer use. Provides details for obtaining additional information. (DK)

Discusses the controversy surrounding the National Standards for World History and the National Standards for United States History. Maintains that people are finding out how unjust the criticism of the History Standards is. Includes supportive quotes about the standards from teachers and historians. (CFR)

Maintains that history is stories of extraordinary and ordinary people confronting problems not unlike today. Presents and discusses five keys to history: (1) time; (2) place; (3) people--achievements and failures; (4) society--contributions and failures; and (5) connections between past, present, and future. (CFR)