Chapter 10: An Examination of Technology Use in Middle School Social Studies Classrooms During The 2008 U.S. Presidential Election Cycle: A Case Study

As new information technologies have evolved many school districts across the United States, fearing they would be left behind in the tech race, have endeavored to integrate these tools into their school curriculum. While some educators still cringe at the mere mention of the words (technology or computer), social studies teachers are among the myriad educators who have found significance in daily technology use in their classrooms (Bennett, 2005; Buchholtz & Helming, 2005; Stang & Street, 2007). One reason may be that the ability to connect easily with diverse individuals and obtain information regarding other cultures through technology has the power to dispel stereotypical perspectives regarding various cultural groups (Baek & Schwen, 2006; Carano & Berson, 2007); one of the precepts that is at the heart of the social studies.