Digital Discovery: A Model for Integrating Digital Interactives During Social Studies Lessons

The Internet offers a wide array of resources for social studies teachers. Digital interactives, in particular, offer promise. They combine images, sounds, videos, and animation and are organized around specific themes or historical subjects. Verizon’s Thinkfinity and the Public Broadcasting Service’s Learning Media websites are two leading collections of this style of resource. With an efficient search and thoughtful planning, teachers can use digital interactives to create more engaging and exciting learning experiences for their students. This article proposes a four-step model that can be used to assist teachers in finding these resources and integrating them into social studies lessons. The model invites teachers to determine curricular needs, search the digital landscape, establish entry points, then build the digital interactive-enhanced lesson.