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Teachers of the twenty-first century have the unique opportunity to tap into an enormous wealth of information through cutting edge technology that has made primary resources readily available. The internet, cellular transmissions and satellite communications have made it easier than ever before to sit in virtual classrooms, speak with eye witnesses around the world, and watch international events via satellite uplinks.

Primary sources are first person accounts or records of a historical event that are documents, raw materials, artifacts, or verbal communications. Speeches, interviews, diaries, photographs, memorabilia, newspapers, magazines, and memoirs are all examples of primary sources.

Teachers have an almost endless array of possibilities for using primary sources within the classroom. With just a click of the mouse, students can visit up-to-the-minute newsrooms via the World Wide Web, view live video feed of a historical moment in the making, or listen to the President of the United States address children right in their own classrooms. Government classes can take virtual tours of both houses of congress while they are in session, and U.S. History students can hear an eye witness account of the bombing of Pearl Harbor given by one of World War II's remaining survivors.

While primary sources can still be tainted with human perspectives and biases, they generally contain fewer margins for error. They can also bring to life many of the academic disciplines by getting students out of the texts and into vicarious learning experiences.

Many online resources exist to provide teachers with ideas and information on how to implement primary sources into the classroom. The Smithsonian Institute provides online lesson plans on a variety of topics ranging from science and history to art and music, using wartime documents, curator exhibits, and pictures.

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has preserved congressional and fiduciary documents that have been created during the course of America's history for business purposes. Copies of these documents are available to educators, along with suggested outlines for implementing them into the classroom. NARA offers an online Archival Research Catalog (ARC) that contains detailed instructions on how to locate, upload, and print digital copies of any archived material.

The Library of Congress offers an online program which includes access to copies of its historical documents along with video-conferencing

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