Anne Elizabeth Murphy
SLM 521
Article Critique
Risinger, Fedrick C. “Teaching Social Studies with the
Internet.” ERIC Digest. 1999.
http://ericir.syr.edu/plweb-cgi/fastweb?getdoc+ericdb-adv+ericdb+987804+0+wAAA+%28Risinger%29%26AND%26%28073%29%26%3Apublication_type
ERIC # ED435582
Visited on April 2, 2002.
In 1994, the federal government mandated
that all public school be linked to the Internet by the year 2000.
When the article was written in 1999, 89% of public schools were connected
to the Internet. The majority of schools are now connected throug dedicated
lines rather than through the use of dial up connections. The benefits
of using the Internet are plentiful. The Internet allows students to
have immediate access to primary documents. Teachers can take their
students to far off places--Ancient Greece, China or the pyramids of Egypt.
The article provided a great wealth of information
on the many uses and resources that can be found on the Internet. I
especially enjoyed reading about making portals (areas where classes can
enter the web, with listings of many sites. The portals can also encourage
more parental involvement. The article also provided sites that I will
use in future as a Social Studies educator. The article supports my
belief that the Internet is a valuable asset to the Social Studies teacher.
The use of the web will motivate the students to learn and explore history
by captivating their attention. It will also be motivational and education
for myself, as well, because I can find numerous strategies, activities and
lesson plans to put to use in my classroom. The Internet brings the
world of thousands of years ago out of the text book for the student and
provides visuals, audio clips and other examples to encourage learning.
