Illustrating Our Nation’s History: Teachers Integrating Free Resources from the National

Archives from Seattle to Kansas City to Boston

Teaching American History Project Directors Meeting

New Orleans October 2007

Grant Personnel

• Mr. Jim Rodman – Administrative Director – SEKESC, Greenbush

• Mrs. Julie Sneed – Logistics Director – SEKESC, Greenbush

• Dr. Kelly A. Woestman – Program Director – Pittsburg (KS) State University & H-TAH Co-editor

SEKESC – Greenbush

• School Improvement Services• Background of Outreach Efforts

NARA Education Focus

• NARA Staff Education Efforts• Renewed by Dr. Allen Weinstein

• NARA Divisions & Facilities• DC & Maryland• Presidential Libraries• Regional Branches

• What’s Next?• Partnerships

NARA Staff Education Efforts

• History• Nature of the institution

• Variety• 34 institutions

• Limitations• Physical• Labor

NARA Staff Education Efforts

• Distance Learning

• http://www.archives.gov/locations/

NARA “Publics”

• Traditional Researchers

• Lawyers and Legal Teams

• Genealogists• Ancestry.com

• Citizens

NARA Civic Literacy Mission

• “If the American people do not maintain a solid and respectable measure of civic literacy, however, they will not be able to understand or use these records effectively. For that reason alone, NARA considers civic education essential and an important element of our overall mission and goals.”

- Dr. Allen Weinstein, 2007

National Archives in DC & MD

• Central repositories

• National Archives Experience

• Public Vaults

• Boeing Learning Center

Primarily Teaching 2007

• Washington, DC• Presidential Libraries

• Eisenhower• Johnson• Ford• Bush

• Regional• Waltham• Laguna Nigel• Fort Worth

Our Experiences

• Teaching American History Grants• Project Mine – 2002-2005• Project eHIKES – 2003-2006• Project Primary Sources – 2004-2007• Teaching American History with Primary

Sources – 2006-2009

TAH Grants

• Project Mine – 2002-2005• Elementary focus• Education and history tension• Classroom realities

• elementary

TAH Grants

TAH Grants

• Project eHIKES – 2003-2006• enhancing History Instruction for Kansas

Educators and Students• Delivered MA degree

• Modeled on another TAH grant in KS

TAH Grants

• Project eHIKES cont’d• Research emphasis

• Graduate coursework

• Continuity• Unlike previous grant

• National Archives - Kansas City • Washington DC

• Boeing Learning Center

TAH Grants

• Project Primary Sources• Overview• Dealing with a Larger Group

• National Archives - Kansas City

• Follow-up• National Archives - Chicago• National Archives - Denver• National Archives – Seattle• National Archives – Kansas City

TAH Grants

• TAHPS – 2006-2009• Teaching American History with Primary

Sources• Year 1

• National Archives – Kansas City• Eisenhower Library – Abilene, KS

Lessons Learned

• Changes in Regional Facilities

• Education Emphasis• Change in thinking

• Vs. academics and genealogists

Teacher Needs and Expectations

• Teachers doing research

• How to incorporate that research into the classroom.

Technology Integration

• Digital copies versus print copies

• Laptops

• Scanners versus cameras

Technology Distribution

• Blackboard Content Management System• CD transfer issues

• Online – public• Web Albums (Typepad)

Technology Distribution

• Blogging• tahps.wikispaces.com/blogaddresses

Technology Distribution

• TAHPS• tahps.wikispaces.com• Google docs

• Picassa

Viewpoints

• Nature of teacher research• Versus lesson plan development• Individual initiative• One-on-one time with archivists

• Archival research experience • Compared to other graduate level degrees

Future Considerations

• Classroom Facilities

• Build on existing distance learning workshops

• Teachers & Archives v. Libraries

Other Outreach Efforts

• Mini Page• Syndicated in 400 newspapers

• Reaches millions

• Social Education Articles

• Cobblestone

Presidential Libraries

• Role of library foundations

• Presidential Timeline• 1929 to present• http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/

• C-Span series• 2-hour specials on each – Friday nights

Archives.gov

• Organization of a massive institution

• User-friendly?

• Online tour• Sections • Lessons• Other resources

Conclusion

• “The only thing new in the world is the history you don’t know.”

- Harry Truman