Chapter 16: Social Studies and Technology 2009-2034

The preceding chapters have traced the contours of the use of technology in the social studies over the past 25 years, a period marked by unprecedented technological change. Together, our collaborators have shown us compelling exemplars and illustrative failures; they have provided detailed maps of well-studied terrain and sketches of frontiers yet to be explored; and they have provided a clear portrait of the present and the cutting edge. Our task now, is to project further into the future. What will learning and teaching with digital technologies in the social studies look like in the next 25 years?

We approach this chapter with the belief that we must not let the future simply evolve. To reach a point where technology cannot be described as “oversold and underused” (Cuban, 2001), we must learn from our past to enhance the learning and educational experiences of future generations of social studies students. In this final chapter, we provide a hopeful vision of how, over the next 25 years, social studies educators might integrate emerging technologies into their learning environments. We offer this vision as a starting point for a larger conversation among social studies educators about what the future of learning in the social studies ought to look like, what role technology will play, and what we need to do in classrooms, teacher education programs, publishing houses, and public policy to bring about the best possible environments for nurturing young citizens.