First of all, this article is quite similar to many of the articles I have explored so far this semester regarding technology in the history/social science classroom. It is very rich in the use of technology as a tool to create new and innovative ways to teach history. The project allows students to study and explore primary sources using technology in ways not possible without access to multiple technological tools. The project consists of reading stories of prejudice and intolerance from the SPLC's Us and Them. Work on the project includes scanning images, using video cameras, word processors, and more. As a future history teacher, I would love to be able to incorporate projects similar to this into my curriculum.
Q1: How realistic is actually being able to do something like this when I become a teacher?
A1: Not very likely at all. Unfortunately, most school districts across the nation these days are suffering from the the current economic recession. In the first couple of paragraphs the author states that "... Without this day to focus entirely on developing a new technology rich project, without the structure the district provided for its development, and without the extra quiet time to think about the day-to-day organization of 30 kids on five computers, this project would not have been possible." The problem is that most school districts are not providing structure for developing new technology.
Q2: What can I take from this article?
A2: Even though the reality of having "one Mac PowerBook 520 and one PowerMac5300 with Apple VideoPlayer software... one Performa 580, one LCIII, one Mac Classic, and one black and white Apple OneScanner" is not very likely, there is still a lot of useful information I can pull from this article. For example, creating first person narratives of the people who experienced the events discussed in primary sources can be a very useful way to teach history.
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