With the proliferation of the internet and technology access to primary historical documents is unprecedented. Hundreds of millions of pages of original source material is digitized every year. The advantages of digitized historical documents are abundant as they are first and foremost vastly more accessible than the hard copy. Digitization also affords the student or researcher a degree of searchability and storability.

Pedagogically speaking the internet, and more specifically digitizing historical documents, has decentralized knowledge and democratized access to information. Utilizing primary source documents focuses instruction and facilitates the application of knowledge. The classroom transitions from teacher-centered to one more driven by student inquiry. As students engage with the digitized documents they are allowed to make their own decisions and construct their own knowledge, the teacher then is left to act as facilitator. When students are allowed to learn in this way they develop a stronger sense of connection to what they are learning and take ownership of their work and effort.

Our work in ECI 727 on digital history in the classroom has really brought this full circle. As I learned in ECI 546, technology has the inherent power to boost student engagement and leaning. Through ECI 525 and other classes I learned of the power of student driven inquiry to engender a more student-centered classroom where students engage the skills of the discipline of history with the C3 Framework. And now with ECI 727 I have learned of the accessibility technology has created in the realm of historical documents. Thanks to online databases and other resources students are able to engage with historical documents in new and exciting ways never before available with printed text. Therefore twenty-first century technology has a tremendous power to create dynamic and engaging learning experiences and afford new opportunities to engage in historical inquiry utilizing a vast array of primary source materials.