Thoughts on the reading
Thought Number One:
In the Digital History book (specifically, the section entitled Mapping the Web) the authors make a great point about categorizing websites. Clearly, it’s not easy to attain a level of organization. However, the authors argue that this process forces web creators and authors to think about genres, or as Agre defines them in his article, “a particular sort of audience and a particular sort of activity”. Keeping in mind the genre is a great way to stay on track…historical information is only helpful if it is given with the proper audience in mind. In a way, it’s ironic that a medium intended to increase speed and efficiency of information gathering also causes an increase in deliberate actions and thought in some ways.
Thought Number Two:
I was really impressed with the web examples that we had to check out. First of all, they helped clarify what the authors of the Digital History book meant by dividing information into five main genres of history sites, which follow certain patterns. Clearly, it seems that these are broad categories, as many of the sites are used for multiple reasons. I also really wish that I would have had access to these sites when I was in grade school and high school. The Pearl Harbor site and the Valley of the Shadow are incredible resources for students. I don’t think I’ve ever really given much thought to how much potential the web has to revolutionize teaching methods. I wonder how extensively these sites are really used in the classroom however. Am I right in assuming that although the information is available, schools and teachers are often lagging far behind? And that many still find the web to be an unreliable source?
Thought Number Three:
Another great benefit to the web is that it allows access to many museum objects that just can’t fit in the building itself. For example, the Smithsonian site showcases a ton of artifacts, most of which are not available for public viewing. When we took a field trip to the Smithsonian last semester for our Public History class, we learned how much “stuff” the Smithsonian has in their possession, and how little of that is able to be contained within the museum. Websites provide a great way for the public to access these extra objects.
January 23rd, 2006 at 8:46 pm
One of the most signifigant contributions of the web is that it allows individuals to view documents or artifacts that they would never had access to otherwise. I know this is cliche to say but the web has made the world much smaller in ways.
January 23rd, 2006 at 9:53 pm
Good point about how extensively historic websites may or may not be used in the classroom. It probably depends a lot on the school’s resources (which vary by type of school and school district) and the teacher. My town is building a new high school right now, which will hopefully have multimedia in each classroom. The old high school was right out of the 1970’s and had changed very little since. The primitive computer labs and handful of computers in the library were not very conducive to using the web for research. Meanwhile, one of the middle schools in town, which was renovated a few years ago, has computers and multimedia in every classroom. So it made no sense for kids in middle school to have all these resources and then have to go back in time when they got to high school. Of course, whether or not teachers with access to modern technology as a tool to educate actually use it is another question? I would hope so. Though, I think we are seeing a new generation of teachers, who grew up using things such as the internet. So I think that will help bring online resources into the classroom.
January 24th, 2006 at 12:40 am
I feel that while teachers may not be lagging behind more and more schools are. Technology is advancing at a pace with which most schools cannot possibly keep up. This would not be as big an issue if schools were at least at a level of competency. I fear, however, that many schools are still far behind even the most generous definition of up-to-date.
January 24th, 2006 at 1:11 am
I can only speak from my experience, which is that when I was in high school, one of my history teachers, who was pretty young, had us use the internet a lot. His favorite site to send us to was hyperhistory.com. He was also the most willing to use primary sources in class, which is another area that seems to be difficult to get teachers to accept. I think the problem with using the internet and other “new” things in the classroom has a lot to do with age(many people who didn’t have the internet at a younger age are not comfortable with it), and education, as more and more teachers are taught to use these resources in the classroom.
January 24th, 2006 at 9:05 am
Your point about education is interesting and I simply cannot imagine how elementary, middle and high schools have changed because of technology. When I was in elementary school we thought it was revolutionary to go to the computer lab to work on the Apple IIes! But I agree with the other postings that using multimedia tools in elementary and secondary education will still remain uneven across the country in the near term. Some teachers are more comfortable with it, some districts have more funding to provide these types of innovative tools to students…
January 24th, 2006 at 3:46 pm
Another problem with education use of the internet is the question of reliability and accountability. Some sites are excellent while others are worthless and sometimes, it can be hard to tell the difference unless someone has specialized knowledge or training. Many sites purporting to be historical do not tell their readers anything about the site’s creators and contributers (not to suggest that academic credentials are required) and often do not cite the sources of their information. That a well-made site may offer untrue and/or malicious “facts” (goodle “protocols of the Elders of Zion” for an example) may make many educators, myself included, reluctant to encourage internet research *too* enthusiastically.
December 23rd, 2006 at 2:31 am
good blog is dead blog:-)…
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December 24th, 2006 at 11:48 am
hello, good idea…
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January 15th, 2007 at 6:50 am
good blog is dead blog:-) long live!…
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