This was a tough weekend. I usually find time on Friday and Saturday to do the study and reading for this class. But this past Friday and Saturday I was fixing the server that this website lives on.
It just brings home one more point. Books will be used forever. Long after the last plug on a server is pulled, long after the data on a hard drive becomes unreadable due to incompatible hardware, the book will be there. Just like it always has. It can’t be turned off, it can’t be hacked. Anyhow, despite that bit of anti-technical rant, I’ll endeavor to expound on the qualities of a few websites.
Historical Thinking Matters, Do History, and Morning Sun.
Historical Thinking Matters
It’s probably not quite fair, in some way I’m sure, for me to critique any of these sites, because I’ve helped create them in some way. Despite this, I found that I didn’t know much about this site at all. I was brought onto this project towards its end, and was given one specific thing to do. Build the flash movie for ‘Why historical thinking matters.’ I did so, and only now am I looking at the bigger picture that small piece falls into.
This site is a treasure trove of ideas and resources for teachers, students, and best of all, teachers of teachers. The whole essence of a historian is well laid out and defined in this site. The skills needed to become a historian are clearly and effectively described, and modeled, and the viewer has ample opportunities to practice these skills. The interactive media makes this site a great place to learn my historical thinking matters, what it is, and how to do it.
The only thing I didn’t like, was how much stuff there was to do. Sometimes it got a bit overwhelming, and the navigation was at first a bit hard to follow. It didn’t take long, though, to figure my way around it. I especially liked that Flash movie under why historical thinking matters. Well done!
Do History
This site is a favorite since I first became aware of it last year in Clio I. This site also has lots of multi-media and interactive sections. I think what makes this site and HTM great for students is that they have a theme or outline to follow. There’s a little bit of structure in there, but also enough room for the interested to seek and find new things.
The only negative aspect of this site is regarding the design. It uses images for navigation, and has a late 90’s feel to it. But you can’t have everything, eh?
Morning Sun
I wish I had known about this site many years ago as I was doing my undergraduate studies. For some reason most of my classes (even though I was declared a European major, and was getting a BA in German) were about China and other parts of Asia. I didn’t know much about Asia back then, and learning new things is what really got me interested in studying history. This site is AWESOME! It has everything it needs to help the casual learner and the serious student of the Cultural Revolution in Chinese history. There are primary sources, images, movies, and text.
The only thing lacking, from a student/teacher perspective, is a formal teaching outline or structure. It can easily be used, though in all levels of classes to broaden the understanding of the Cultural Revolution.
Hi Ammon:
First off, I would like to thank you for working so diligently over the weekend in getting the blog up and running. I’m sure the culprit(s) who “hacked” into our blog have nothing instrumental to do with their time.
I would like to comment on your first point: “Books will be used forever.” I think that you are right in your assessment, as I believe that books will be used forever, as well. The incident that happened over the weekend brings to light the challenges of working in a digital environment. With that being said, there is something both very pure and noble about accessing information from books; I think we even discussed in class during the early part of the semester. Thank you for bringing this up this in light of the infringement that occured over the weekend.
Comment by Matthew — October 17, 2006 @ 3:53 pm
Morning Sun is fascinating. The reproduced documents that have the roll-over translation feature are both snazzy and educational, which is always a nice combination. What is really interesting is to read the 1960 social studies text about the black boy living in America, and his life. It is amazing how those lines were likely closer to the truth at the time than most American writing about the lives of African-Americans. Very nice use of digital media to engage the reader and simulate thought.
Comment by Ken — October 17, 2006 @ 7:07 pm