Independence Mobile App

I am fortunate to live near, arguably the most historical place in the United States of America.  Growing up in the footsteps of the birth place of America has fueled my desire to learn all there is to learn about the history of this great nation.  When you visit Independence Mall those who work for the National Park Service do a wonderful job educating the public on the many historical sites in and around area.  They can answer most questions asked, providing you are willing to ask the question.  Nowadays we live in a society that does not always ask questions.  We would rather look it up on our smart phone or tablet.  The National Park Service created an app for these people.  The Independence Mobile App, available for Apple and Google play.  The Independence Mobile App is an interactive guide to the sites, activities and events that happen in the Independence Mall area of Philadelphia. 

Some of the things you can do on the app are:

1. Tours- You can follow in the footsteps of the founding fathers.  These tours, broken down by theme, are guided audio tours.  They take you to places other than the well-known attractions. 
2. Sites- Site information is available for those who do not want to follow a tour.   Tap the "Sites" button to learn more about a particular point of interest.  You can use the Map option on the app to create your own tour.   
3. Special Events and Programs- The special events and programs section is possible the best option on this app.  The Park Service does not advertise their kids program.  It is almost like a secret available to those who know the password.  They tell you the secrets so you can get involved on the app.  They also include upcoming events and an after dark tour that includes dinner and “tasting” at City Tavern.
4. Postcard- The postcard option allows you to share your trip with a postcard framed picture that you can send to others.  You can take a selfie or not with the Liberty Bell or the other places you visited. 

                I found this site because I am interested in learning history and visit the area often but it can also be used to teach history.  Students and teachers who will never get the chance to tour Independence Mall can use it to learn about the area.  They can take a virtual tour.  For those lucky enough to visit the area they can plan their day and see the sites they are most interested in learning more about before they go.    

 

http://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/app.htm

Do schools have the right to monitor student's digital footprint?

Do schools have the right to punish students for conversations made on social media?  This is a good question that is tough to answer.  An article, Suit: Sterling High School overstepped bounds in girl's tweets penalty (Courier Post, March 18, 2014), deals with this topic.  The argument surrounding this case deals with the use of social media outside of school.  Do school officials have the right to monitor a student’s digital footprint?  New Jersey recently passed legislation requiring public school districts to teach responsible social media etiquette starting in 2015.  New Jersey, required by federal law, has an established anti bullying policy that includes cyberbullying. 

The gist of the article deals with the punishment a student received based on information she tweeted.  The article does not say what the student tweeted about the school official but it does say the school is punishing the student for comments made about smoking before school.  Her lawyer contends that the smoking issue is just a cover-up and the student is being punished for the tweets about school officials.  The student’s tweets stems from a two day suspensions she received after she was caught “using a cellphone in a hallway to engage in an agitated argument with her mother, then was insubordinate to a teacher who intervened.” 

Back to the question, do schools have the right to monitor a student’s digital footprint outside of the school?  Without knowing what the student tweeted it is hard to say if the student should be punished in the manner that she is.  It is also hard to form an opinion without knowing if the school has a written policy pertaining to this matter.  The article does imply that there are other discipline issues that occurred before this infraction and that the school is trying to get a handle on the situation before it involves other students.  That being said the school is between a rock and a hard place.  If they do nothing they get blamed for raising a group of “bad” kids, if they take action the parents sues them for trying to teach students respect.  The school is in a no win situation.  The important lesson we learn from this is that what you put out on social media is public and that you need to be careful as to what you say.    

Link to the article:  http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20140318/NEWS01/303180039/Suit-Sterling-High-School-overstepped-bounds-girl-s-tweets-penalty

Link to NJ bullying laws:  http://www.stopbullying.gov/laws/new-jersey.html   

Link to article about teaching social media:  http://articles.philly.com/2014-03-17/news/48269211_1_richard-guerry-social-media-college-students

Teaching the Civil War interactively

If you have never been to Gettysburg you will have a hard time imagining how the battle unfolded.  Yes you can get a good picture of the battle from maps, correspondences and still photos but… it is not the same as seeing it in person.  Many people will never make the trek to Pennsylvania due to various reasons.  Those who never get the chance can get a better understanding of the battle from websites that combine interactive maps with videos recreating the events that took place.  Sites such as this show how the United States as we know it, was saved by the action that took place over three days in July of 1861.  A good site to visit is civilwar.org.     

I found civilwar.org to be a good site that combines interactive maps with narrative and video recreation of Gettysburg and other major battles of the Civil War.  Civilwar.org is a site run by the Civil War Trust whose mission is the preservation of our nation's endangered Civil War battlefields.  This site is useful for teachers as well.  There are links to lesson plans for grades 3-12, teacher workshops,   field trip suggestion and a student research section.  The goal of the Civil War Trust is to educate.  They believe that “As a history teacher, you can make a big impression in leading young Americans to care about the Civil War and the fate of its battlefields.”

Things you can do:

• 360° views
• In4- 4 minute videos about various aspects of the war
• Photos
• Books
• Maps
• Blogs
• News
• Social media links and Apps

http://www.civilwar.org/

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/gettysburg.html

 

 

University of Texas at Austin’s Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection

     When doing research it is important to use primary sources to back up your opinion.  One primary source that is often overlooked are maps.  Historically, maps have been a key component to validate the times and culture of the people who produced them.  For an educator the use of maps provides a visual aid that adds context to a lesson being taught.  Before the internet it was hard for an educator to have access to a large array of maps to use in the classroom because it was not financially feasible for a school’s budget.  Advances in technology have made it easier with sites like Google for an educator to search the internet for maps.  With a little research you can search for maps of pre-communism Russia or weather maps of Superstorm Sandy posted by others to use in your lesson plan.  The problem is they will need to filter through your results to find what you want, which is not always easy.  You might encounter paid sites, sites that you might have to sign up for or sites full of ads that take forever to load.  If you want faster instant gratification in your map seeking needs than the University of Texas at Austin’s Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection is the place for you. 

     The University of Texas at Austin has digital uploaded many maps from their Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection and made them available to everyone on their site.  A good portion of their maps come from the Central Intelligence Agency.  The CIA maps are public domain and carry no copyright restrictions.  Links to privately owned maps are also available. 

     So how is this site good for educators?  First it is free.  In the past schools might have an outdated map of the World, a map of the United States of America and a globe in each classroom.  Now they have access to detailed maps from all parts of the world.  Being user friendly is another good aspect of this site.  The maps available online are arranged geographically and alphabetically.  A teacher can find a map showing the ethnic diversity of Tajikistan just as easily as finding a map of New Jersey.  The most important reason why this is good for educators/researchers is that it is FREE.  I know I mentioned this already but it is worth repeating.  All too often I have encountered roadblocks in my online research with sites that require you to pay to access the information you seek or the site is full of ads that take forever to load.  This site, much like Wikipedia but reliable, seeks donations but does not charge you to use the site and it loads quickly.  For this reason alone it is a good source to use.          http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/

 

Docsteach.org

     Welcome to my first blog.  My interest is History, a subject many find boring.  I will attempt to provide information on how to make it funny and exciting.  Today's technology allows a person to examine documents, movies, sound recordings, maps and artifacts from around the world without leaving their home or school.  Museums, archives, colleges, etc. have uploaded countless historical documents that can be easily view on electrical devices.  The National Archives is one such institution that students can explore digitally by going to Docs Teach http://docsteach.org/ .  Students will find primary sources to be more interesting if they see it first hand than if it was typed out in a book. 
     Docs Teach tagline is "Bring history to life for your students."  They do so by introducing students to archival documents through interactive learning activities.  The interactive tools/games allows the student to have fun while learning.  The activities teaches the student to develop historical thinking and content skills through exploration and research.  The student learns by exploring not by following a structured plan. 
     Teachers who signup for Docs Teach can create, save and organize activities that are related to their lesson plan.  Teachers can also search and use relevant activities created by others.  Students can interact with teachers who sign up for Docs Teach.   


To learn more about Docs Teach:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3_kQDFqIyQ&list=PL118B3DEBEBA03192&feature=share


 
To learn how sign up for a Docs Teach account: http://youtu.be/u3h_plkWmz4


The two links above will lead you to other useful YouTube Docs Teach videos. 


An Ipad app is available through iTunes. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/national-archives-docsteach/id513465174?mt=8