History Education in the Digital Age

Abstract

New developments in technology and digital communications emerging in recent years have brought about revolutionary changes in the teaching of history. In addition to this, the COVID-19 pandemic has abruptly forced schools, and the field of education in general, to engage in the development of new teaching strategies delivered via digital tools. It is against this backdrop that this book seeks to explore the current centrality of digital learning tools and environments in both formal and informal history learning, and the diverse forms they take, including films, video games and other digital tools. The key promise of digital technologies resides in their ability to communicate historical facts in an engaging manner alongside, in some cases, enabling students to take a virtual role as a protagonist in historical processes. The risk is, however, that it may prove insufficient to simply optimize the available resources within schools and incorporate digital tools into teaching practices. Teachers and educationalists need to develop strategic thinking, awareness of the potential associated with technology, and the ability to envision and reflect on alternative narratives of the past. The editors of this book believe strongly in the crucial importance of creating new teaching resources which can support students in developing critical historical thinking skills. To this end, we have invited researchers from a diverse range of fields, including education, memory studies, historiography, cognitive psychology and computer science, to contribute to this book.