Students as Historians: Using Technology to Examine Local History Beyond the Classroom makes a case for using technology to further the research of local history. Part 1 of the book explores the history of Black people in communities across the nation while Part 2 uses census reports, Google Earth, and other materials to investigate. One example includes Western Missouri on the eve of the Civil War. Part 3 involves design-based research in a social studies classroom where students investigated the history of Mobile, AL during the Civil Rights movement using technology. Throughout the book, the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) is emphasized and implemented.
Scott Scheuerell taught high school social studies for nine years and graduated with a PhD in social studies education from the University of Missouri where his research focused on the integration of technology in social studies instruction. In the education program at Loras College (IA), he teaches Multicultural Education and Social Studies Methods.