Using Primary Sources on the Internet To Teach and Learn History. The Internet enables teachers to enhance the teaching and learning of history through quick and extensive access to primary sources. Primary sources are the building blocks of history. Primary sources are not limited to printed documents such as letters, newspapers, diaries, and poems. A commonly overlooked type of primary source is historic places, the sites of significant events, which communicate the past to students in numerous ways.
Primary sources are keys to reconstructing and interpreting the past.
Primary sources enhance the learning process by allowing students to construct their own understandings of people, events, and ideas. Students may be exposed to inappropriate Web sites. Therefore, teachers may wish to take precautionary measures to maintain safe learning environments, such as searching the Web to locate and screen the primary source material for appropriateness and validity prior to using it in class. This conserves classroom time, overcomes the limitations of the one-computer classroom, and reduces the need to purchase Internet filtering software. When you have time to explore, surfing can be fun.