Halstead, Blog Post 17

Overview: The importance of geography to history cannot be overstated. Students have a hard time connecting to ideas or stories when they cannot connect them with a "where." Often, it is the charge of history teachers to bring history to a place for students. the image above shows the most accurate world map to date and can be used to demonstrate to students the true scale of the continents.  The screencast below explores the idea of connections between geography and history.

Screencast: Screencast 17

Big Question: Should we attempt to integrate geography into upper-level history courses?

Interactive Site: The interactive site for this blog is Google Earth. This interactive globe is an excellent way to introduce students to continents, nations, and places. The level of detail is incredible, and major cities even have 3-D rendering of the structures, as well as images at street-view. It is an easy and fun to use tool.

Halstead, Blog Post 16

Overview: There are many photos I could have selected that represent the same type of Americana as the one above. This particular photograph shows 11 men seated on a steel girder and enjoying their lunch. We know almost nothing about the identity of these men or what their lives were like. We know the name of the man who's building they were constructing, however. The photograph is commonly misattributed to the construction of the Empire State Building but was actually taken during the construction of the Rockefeller Center. To many, this photograph represents the indomitable spirit of American daring and progress. Viewers rarely stop to think about the men that lost limbs or lives for poor wages, building a skyscraper for a billionaire.

Screencast:  Screencast 16

Big Question: How do we introduce students to the idea that "progress" is unsustainable?

Interactive Site: This interactive site features a world population counter. While increases in  population used to be attributed to American progress, we realize today growth at this rate is unsustainable. This site is ecologically minded and is an excellent way to demonstrate to students that our current conceptualization of growth and progress is unsustainable.

Halstead, Blog Post 15

Overview: The top image shows a protestor in the Black Lives Matter movement, standing in front of a detachment of St. Louis police officers during what would come to be called riots after the death of Micheal Brown at the hands of a police officer. The bottom image shows voters in voting booths. Both could be characterized as civic participation in the United States, and it is important that students understand the various ways they can participate civically. Chapter 9 of Dr. Cantu's book highlights the National Standards for Civics and Government, which are voluntary standards focussed on civics in education.

Screencast: Screencast 15

Big Question: How can we promote civic participation to our students?

Interactive Site: The interactive site for this blog is called The Redistricting Game. This game demonstrates how redistricting works in a way that is fun and engaging. It is a great tool to use when discussing state and local politics, as well as partisan districts and gerrymandering.

Halstead, Blog Post 14

Overview: The picture above shows Bill Nye (center, red bow-tie) leading a march in the "March for Science" movement. Without understanding the events of recent history, the appearance of movements like the March for Science,  Black Lives Matter, and the Women's March might be entirely confusing. At best, a lack of understanding of recent history might leave an average person to ignore or misunderstand the motives of various protests movements. At worst, that same lack of understanding might drive harmful conspiracy theories and foster the creation of radicalized hate groups. The screencast below elaborates on the need for establishing relevance using recent history.

Screencast: Screencast 14

Big Question: How can teachers integrate recent history when it seems like there isn't enough time?

Interactive Site: The interactive site I chose for this blog demonstrates Loewen's point about a curious refusal to touch the recent past. The site is an interactive timeline with primary sources from the World Digital Library and contains a wealth of sources that provide an overview of U.S history. However, the most recent event at the end of the timeline is the 1986 Challenger disaster despite the wealth of events that have happened in the 32 years since and the wealth of primary sources across all media to accompany them. The timeline can be found here.