TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE 21 ST CENTURY: Challenges for Lecturers and Teachers 211 Integrating Internet Technology into Social Studies Education For Developing the 21 st -Century Skills Mohammad Imam Farisi, FKIP-UT, Jurusan Pendidikan IPS, imamfarisi@ut.ac.id Abstract Recently, information and communication technology, especially the Internet has become a necessity in education. Facing these phenomena social studies education (SSE) should be innovated based on the 21 st -century skills and learning paradigm, which is characterized by the principles of disclosure of information, computing, automation, communication. Integrating Internet technology into learning of SSE is one form of innovation in the global-digital era, and powerfully supports the NCSS visions of SSE are meaningful, powerful, value-based, challenging, and active. Integrating Internet technology into learning SSE also strongly supports the development of three core skills of the 21 st -century, namely learning and innovation, information, media and technology, life and career skills. This paper examines and describes theoretical and practical foundations of SSE, evolution and affirmation of academic positions of SSE community about the Integrating Internet technology into learning SSE; empirical study results of the integration into learning SSE in the 21st-century skills development; constraints and limitations, and its implications for teacher competences and teacher education design. Keywords: Integration, Internet technology, Teaching social studies, Innovation, The 21st social studies skills. Introduction The progress of information and communication technology (ICT) and openness in its utilization are two important phenomena predicted will be the main characteristics and will have implications for learning paradigm shift of the 21st century. The Internet, as most creative and innovative work of the 21 st century has become a key issue and a central theme in many innovations and new vision of education, including Social Studies Education (SSE). To maximize the impact of the role of technology in the context of education and the development of 21st-century skills, the Partnership for 21st (P21) Century Skills forum confirms, today ”no organization can achieve results without incorporating technology into every aspect of its everyday practices. It’s time for schools to maximize the impact of technology as well” (P21, 2008c:2). In an educational context, the Internet has also provided a social and human infrastructure for teachers and students to improve collaboration, interaction, and participation in learning activities, and support the creation of a social constructivist learning activity (Chen, 2011). This is because it has advantages over other ICTs, such as audio / video tapes, radio, and television in terms of: (1) flexibility in the time and place; (2) the coverage; (3) computer requirements and operating systems; (4) velocity in development; (5) easily in updating content and archiving capabilities; and (6) funding (Kerka, 1997). In other words, effectiveness, cost, equity, sustainability, accessibility, interactivity, user-familiarity, and velocity in obtaining the necessary learning resources, are central issues addressed in the use of the Internet in education, including in SSE (Tinio, 2007). In Indonesia, although the cost of Internet connection is the ”highest" in the world, but the numbers of Internet users are the 3 rd rank in the world, after China and India (UNDP-APDIP, 2011). A survey of Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII) in 2013 has revealed that the number of Internet users in Indonesia increased of 30% since 2012, and in a year 2015 predicted to reach 139 millions or 50% of the total population (Joseph, 2013); and 64% of them are young people aged 15-19 years (Manado-Micom, 2011). The social networking media is the most widely used as a predominant platform (89%), and is the 2 nd rank in the world (Yono, 2011; Wahyudi, 2012). The above facts indicate that the use of the Internet in Indonesia is highly prospective for education, especially for the development of a creative and innovative learning of the SSE.