Completing this assignment was not as difficult as I thought it would be, though it was not without its challenges. Even though I had never used it before last class, I went to google images to find all my pictures. This is an invaluable website for this type of assignment, and within mere seconds I had the bulk of pictures for my assignment. Writing the captions was also relatively easy since I have studied D-Day for a long time and know a lot about it. Also, most of the pictures came from websites that had information that accompanied the picture, making my job even easier. Putting the pictures on my blog was a little bit more problematic than I would have expected. Forgetting the advice from the class syllabus, I cleverly posted the pictures in the wrong order and had to delete my post and start over.
What I thought was most difficult was trying to tell the story through pictures only. When you are using words, you can say exactly what you want to say. When you are using pictures you find from the internet, you are trying to tell the story using other people’s pieces of a puzzle, which makes it a little trickier. For example, I was looking for a picture of a battlefield celebration after the Battle of Normandy was over, but could not find one. Had I been writing this with words, however, I simply could have described the celebration. This made the assignment a little awkward.
It is important to do this kind of assignment from time to time. It reminds historians that visuals are important, something many of them have forgotten. As the cliché goes, a picture is worth a thousand words, and by using these pictures and visuals, historians have another great tool to recreate history for students, readers, and other interested historians.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Assignment #5 - Photo essay of the American invasion of Normandy, June 6, 1944
These are the peaceful beaches of Normandy, France. While this is a contemporary picture, these peaceful beaches could not have known the carnage they would soon witness in the summer of 1944.
www.schoolshistory.org.uk/ddaybeaches.htm
Soviet Premier Josef Stalin had wanted an Allied cross-channel invasion of Nazi-occupied France since 1941, but it was not until 1944 that the plans were finalized. Here, this map shows the planned areas of attack.
http://france-for-visitors.com/france-maps/normandy/invasion-beaches-france-map.html
The beaches at Normandy were to be bombed before a massive, all out land invasion. Here, the commander of the operation, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, gives the orders to the paratroopers. The order: “Full victory – nothing else”
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/dday.htm
Many of the American soldiers were not even 21, those of age were not very far past it. This illustrates the harrowing journey these soldiers had to take before landing at Normandy.
www.mikelavella.com/.../Dreamweaver/invasion.htm
The battle begins…
http://users.breathe.com/martin.reeve/Dday5.jpg
Thousands of American soldiers were either killed or were missing in action as a result of this battle, an American victory. This simple photograph represents the carnage and the human cost of the Battle of Normandy.
http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/ww2-pix/d-day05.jpg
The successful invasion of Normandy was a major turning point in World War II. Many world leaders, both American and foreign, have paid their respects to the men who fought at Normandy beach. Here, President Ronald Reagan speaks on the fortieth anniversary of the event.
http://www.medaloffreedom.com/RonaldReaganDDayTribute.htm
The National D-Day Memorial
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nationald-daymemorial.jpg
Today, D – Day has become a part of our popular culture.
www.remaltd.com/images/oyun/pc/D%20Day.JPG
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Assignment #4 - St. Valentine's Day
History of Valentine’s Day
As every American knows, February 14th is the day set aside for romance and for lovers to express their feelings for each other (or, for single guys like me, it is an excuse to find a bar and commiserate with other single guys). The holiday known as Valentine’s Day has evolved from a rather confusing legend with roots in ancient Rome and the early Catholic Church to a mainstream part of American culture.
There were at least three men whom the Catholic Church anointed the title of Saint Valentine. Valentine of Rome, the man historians know the most about, was martyred around 270 and his remains are interred between Rome and Dublin. The date early martyrdom records give for his death is February 14, as it is with all other Saint Valentines. Apparently, his crime was defiance of the Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius II outlawed marriage in the Roman army because he believed single men would make better, less distracted soldiers. Valentine of Rome married these men and their sweethearts in secret. He may have even sent the first valentine himself, a love note to the daughter of the prison keeper.
It is also important to note that many pagan celebrations occurred around the middle of February. According to ancient Greek legend, February was the month when the great god Zeus married Hera. Juno Februa was a pagan celebration between February 13 and February 14. However, the pagan festival that Valentine’s Day is probably derived from is the Roman festival of Lupercalia. Lupercalia, an event that partially included women being slapped with goatskin to improve fertility, happened annually on February 15. This festival was carried over to France and England when the Romans invaded those areas. This was declared illegal by Pope Gelasius in the late fifth century, and, not coincidentally, Gelasius also declared February 14 St. Valentine’s Day. Old pagan traditions were remade into Christian ones, and the holiday was set.
History notes that the first ever Valentine’s Day with romantic implications was in a poem by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382 for the anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England. The oldest valentine that is still in existence was written by the Duke of Orleans to his wife. The Duke was imprisoned in the Tower of London after the Battle of Agincourt in 1415. As the years passed, the tradition grew. King Henry V wrote a valentine to Catherine of Valois several years later. William Shakespeare had one of his characters mourn the arrival of St. Valentine’s Day in Hamlet. By the eighteenth century, many English men were giving valentines to their wives or women they were courting. The thirteen American colonies, who wanted to do everything the way the British did, imported the holiday. The holiday really took off with Esther A. Howland, who began to mass-produce valentines in the 1850’s. She was so successful that the Greeting Card Association has named their annual award after her! The rest, to borrow the cliché, is history.
When I was given this assignment, I thought that it was going to be extremely difficult. JSTOR has the answers to everything, how could we not even verify our answers through it? In reality, though, it didn’t turn out to be so bad. I simply googled “History of Valentine’s Day” and ran with it (I didn’t put the search in quotes, I just wanted to let the reader know what my exact search was). Lots of sites popped up, many more than I would have expected. I started reading, and went from there.
My only fear of doing research this way is the credibility issue. Many of these websites do not cite anything; how can I know the information I am getting is accurate? One was to semi-circumvent this was to go to many websites. I probably read twelve websites before I wrote anything down. When the sites continually mentioned the same information, I went with it. Anything I only came across once in research I decided was unreliable, and did not use. I also tried to steer away from sites that looked like they had a second agenda. For example, I came across several sites with counters to the next Valentine’s Day, which is 362 days away at the time of this writing. Other sites wanted to sell me flowers, or were done in pink and red with a cutesy type font. While these sites obviously serve their purpose, I didn’t feel that they were appropriate for doing professional research, so I didn’t use them.
All in all, this was certainly a different way to do research. I think that this style has its merits, but in writing serious historical papers I think that the main usage of the internet is to use more credible sites.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Assignment #3
As a middle school teacher, I am always looking for new tactics, techniques, and anything else that can help my students. Because of this, I was excited to review the website http://wps.ablongman.com/long_carnes_an_11/3/979/250668.cw/index.html. This site, which accompanies the textbook The American Nation, eleventh edition, provides support for the text and a nice, but not ample, array of tools to assist both the student and teacher.
This site is exceptionally easy to use and find things on. It has a search function so anyone using it can easily find what they are looking for. The layout also makes it easy to find things. The home page identifies three sections: About the Book, Student Resources, and Instructor Resources. The Student Resources section has all the chapters in the book labeled so you can quickly find where you need to go. Clicking on a chapter will give you a summary of the events, practice tests and quizzes, primary sources to read, and most impressively, flashcards. These resources would greatly increase a struggling students’ chances of passing, and would serve as a good review for others as well. Instructor Resources include pre-made Powerpoint presentations for lecture notes, blank maps to use for quizzes, and graphs and tables.
The content of this website is astounding. The history presented is extremely complete and detailed. While taking some of the practice quizzes, I missed a question on Jacksonian Democracy, an era I have done considerable research on. While reviewing the flashcards on Jeffersonian Democracy, I came across the term Essex Junto, which I had never even heard of before. The charts visually make their point, even though there could be more of them. In spite of all of this, there are some drawbacks to this site. A major drawback to the content on this site, and the accompanying book, is that it focuses almost solely on political history. While political history is important (and I would consider myself a political historian), it should not and cannot exclusively be what is discussed in a history class, textbook, or website. Further, the reading level of the site is exceptionally high, clocking in at least an eleventh grade level. Struggling readers, who are the ones who would be needing more help and this website, would have a difficult time simply understanding the words. I don’t know whether or not this book would be for advanced students, but I know that many secondary students would not understand the written words. I would also like to see some more visuals on this site, whether they are political cartoons, charts, or pictures. Without removing anything that is already there, a few more visuals would tremendously add to this site.
The layout and presentation of this site is very straightforward and simplistic. As I said in a previous review of a different site, this may be a negative for other but I appreciate it. Too many colors, ads, and other miscellaneous items can distract students and instructors from the reason they came to the site in the first place. I will say that I am rare in this, though; other people would criticize the plainness. A major criticism is that it does not use a lot of new media, the Powerpoint presentations notwithstanding. This aspect of the site was disappointing. The site appears to be and older one, having an original copyright date in 1995. However, it also has a copyright through 2008, so newer media was available, but not used. Other websites that accompany other textbooks have more and better interactive features. The site that accompanies the middle school textbook I use, Creating America, has features that let students see how the cotton gin works or visually see the route the Cherokee Indians took on the Trail of Tears. http://wps.ablongman.com/long_carnes_an_11/3/979/250668.cw/index.html has none of this.
Still, any secondary teacher would understand the value of this website. For students that are absent (a frequent problem at my school, as well as many low income schools) they can review the Powerpoint presentations and summaries of chapters to get the information that they missed. Preparing for assessments would be where this site really would help students, though. Practice quizzes, complete with hints and an answer key, are a great way to study. Ditto the pre-made flashcards, which could be printed out or copied down. Teachers needing a brief review of the content can find it, or they could assign extension assignments with the primary sources.
In closing, this website is definitely helpful, and certainly is an acceptable add-on to the book The American Nation. However, it does have features that are rather mundane and it could employ some newer digital resources.
This site is exceptionally easy to use and find things on. It has a search function so anyone using it can easily find what they are looking for. The layout also makes it easy to find things. The home page identifies three sections: About the Book, Student Resources, and Instructor Resources. The Student Resources section has all the chapters in the book labeled so you can quickly find where you need to go. Clicking on a chapter will give you a summary of the events, practice tests and quizzes, primary sources to read, and most impressively, flashcards. These resources would greatly increase a struggling students’ chances of passing, and would serve as a good review for others as well. Instructor Resources include pre-made Powerpoint presentations for lecture notes, blank maps to use for quizzes, and graphs and tables.
The content of this website is astounding. The history presented is extremely complete and detailed. While taking some of the practice quizzes, I missed a question on Jacksonian Democracy, an era I have done considerable research on. While reviewing the flashcards on Jeffersonian Democracy, I came across the term Essex Junto, which I had never even heard of before. The charts visually make their point, even though there could be more of them. In spite of all of this, there are some drawbacks to this site. A major drawback to the content on this site, and the accompanying book, is that it focuses almost solely on political history. While political history is important (and I would consider myself a political historian), it should not and cannot exclusively be what is discussed in a history class, textbook, or website. Further, the reading level of the site is exceptionally high, clocking in at least an eleventh grade level. Struggling readers, who are the ones who would be needing more help and this website, would have a difficult time simply understanding the words. I don’t know whether or not this book would be for advanced students, but I know that many secondary students would not understand the written words. I would also like to see some more visuals on this site, whether they are political cartoons, charts, or pictures. Without removing anything that is already there, a few more visuals would tremendously add to this site.
The layout and presentation of this site is very straightforward and simplistic. As I said in a previous review of a different site, this may be a negative for other but I appreciate it. Too many colors, ads, and other miscellaneous items can distract students and instructors from the reason they came to the site in the first place. I will say that I am rare in this, though; other people would criticize the plainness. A major criticism is that it does not use a lot of new media, the Powerpoint presentations notwithstanding. This aspect of the site was disappointing. The site appears to be and older one, having an original copyright date in 1995. However, it also has a copyright through 2008, so newer media was available, but not used. Other websites that accompany other textbooks have more and better interactive features. The site that accompanies the middle school textbook I use, Creating America, has features that let students see how the cotton gin works or visually see the route the Cherokee Indians took on the Trail of Tears. http://wps.ablongman.com/long_carnes_an_11/3/979/250668.cw/index.html has none of this.
Still, any secondary teacher would understand the value of this website. For students that are absent (a frequent problem at my school, as well as many low income schools) they can review the Powerpoint presentations and summaries of chapters to get the information that they missed. Preparing for assessments would be where this site really would help students, though. Practice quizzes, complete with hints and an answer key, are a great way to study. Ditto the pre-made flashcards, which could be printed out or copied down. Teachers needing a brief review of the content can find it, or they could assign extension assignments with the primary sources.
In closing, this website is definitely helpful, and certainly is an acceptable add-on to the book The American Nation. However, it does have features that are rather mundane and it could employ some newer digital resources.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
How do these four websites represent different approaches to history on the internet?
Assignment #2
For assignment #2, four websites will be reviewed. All four of these websites take a different approach to history on the internet. As such, all four of these have pros and cons with them.
Valley of the Shadow – This is the website for Edward Ayers’ Valley of the Shadow project and the accompanying book, In the Presence of Mine Enemies. This website, which very austere, has valuable links to newspapers, letters and diaries, census records, images and maps, and many more primary documents from a Virginia and Pennsylvania county during the Civil War. It is split into three sections, one before, one during, and one after the war. Its approach to history is straightforward and raw; it offers easy access to primary sources from the Civil War without any interpretation. This website is excellent for anyone doing research on the Civil War or a true Civil War buff, and the search function eases research. The content of this website would excite any historian doing research on the Civil War (including me, who will be doing a thesis on the causes of secession and will need this website!) However, the casual person interested in history could very easily get bogged down in the primary material.
History Channel – The History Channel website exists to promote the History Channel. As such, it is way more commercialized than the other three sites. It has links for upcoming shows and for their products for purchase, such as videos. Its approach to history retains the commercial and entertainment theme. The variety of topics (among which are Science and Technology, U.S. and World History, biographies, and military history) will attract almost everyone who has any interest in history, and other links, such as history games, will attract newcomers to history. It has a link providing visitors the history of their birthday as well as the current day. It is very user friendly, interactive, and visually attractive. The numerous visuals would hold and keep the attention of many people who otherwise would pass on a history website. A drawback to this is that it would be difficult to use this site for serious research. Further, the commercialization of the topic detracts from the serious nature of history. While entertaining for the sole purpose of entertaining is not a problem, the History Channel website goes too far.
Do History – www.dohistory.com is a website that offers people a chance to do the work of a historian. As the site correctly claims, it is “A site that shows you how to piece together the past from the fragments that have survived.” The site walks you through the case of Martha Ballard, a Massachusetts midwife, and how her life fits into the larger picture of American history. This would be a great website as an introduction to what historians do, perhaps as something to show children before they visit a museum. It has primary documents (including a diary, which is something most women did not keep in the late 18th century). It also has ads for a book about the life of Martha Ballard, and an elementary section on doing history on your own, showing that it is also lacking a very serious side to it.
NMAH – The Smithsonian’s website, much like the actual museum itself, represents serious history. Real artifacts are kept and preserved (my personal favorite is the flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812). The website represents all this, and unlike the Smithsonian, is actually available to view before this summer. Unfortunately, it bears another similarity to the Smithsonian in that the website has so much that it appears cluttered. Items and artifacts (exhibits in the Smithsonian) are thrown together with no real sense of organization. It has links for children and educators, which are good, and the links actually lead to legitimate material not necessary for sale (unlike other websites listed above)
Conclusion – In Mike Wallace’s book Mickey Mouse History, he argues that many museums and other sources of history are commercializing history to the detriment of the subject. Historians and those taking the opposing viewpoint would argue that history has to be made interesting in order for people to begin to pay attention to it. The websites above present both sides to this quandary. Should historians worry about attracting people to history or simply reconstruct the past and let it speak for itself? The debate will go on as long as the subject itself is being taught.
Assignment #2
For assignment #2, four websites will be reviewed. All four of these websites take a different approach to history on the internet. As such, all four of these have pros and cons with them.
Valley of the Shadow – This is the website for Edward Ayers’ Valley of the Shadow project and the accompanying book, In the Presence of Mine Enemies. This website, which very austere, has valuable links to newspapers, letters and diaries, census records, images and maps, and many more primary documents from a Virginia and Pennsylvania county during the Civil War. It is split into three sections, one before, one during, and one after the war. Its approach to history is straightforward and raw; it offers easy access to primary sources from the Civil War without any interpretation. This website is excellent for anyone doing research on the Civil War or a true Civil War buff, and the search function eases research. The content of this website would excite any historian doing research on the Civil War (including me, who will be doing a thesis on the causes of secession and will need this website!) However, the casual person interested in history could very easily get bogged down in the primary material.
History Channel – The History Channel website exists to promote the History Channel. As such, it is way more commercialized than the other three sites. It has links for upcoming shows and for their products for purchase, such as videos. Its approach to history retains the commercial and entertainment theme. The variety of topics (among which are Science and Technology, U.S. and World History, biographies, and military history) will attract almost everyone who has any interest in history, and other links, such as history games, will attract newcomers to history. It has a link providing visitors the history of their birthday as well as the current day. It is very user friendly, interactive, and visually attractive. The numerous visuals would hold and keep the attention of many people who otherwise would pass on a history website. A drawback to this is that it would be difficult to use this site for serious research. Further, the commercialization of the topic detracts from the serious nature of history. While entertaining for the sole purpose of entertaining is not a problem, the History Channel website goes too far.
Do History – www.dohistory.com is a website that offers people a chance to do the work of a historian. As the site correctly claims, it is “A site that shows you how to piece together the past from the fragments that have survived.” The site walks you through the case of Martha Ballard, a Massachusetts midwife, and how her life fits into the larger picture of American history. This would be a great website as an introduction to what historians do, perhaps as something to show children before they visit a museum. It has primary documents (including a diary, which is something most women did not keep in the late 18th century). It also has ads for a book about the life of Martha Ballard, and an elementary section on doing history on your own, showing that it is also lacking a very serious side to it.
NMAH – The Smithsonian’s website, much like the actual museum itself, represents serious history. Real artifacts are kept and preserved (my personal favorite is the flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the War of 1812). The website represents all this, and unlike the Smithsonian, is actually available to view before this summer. Unfortunately, it bears another similarity to the Smithsonian in that the website has so much that it appears cluttered. Items and artifacts (exhibits in the Smithsonian) are thrown together with no real sense of organization. It has links for children and educators, which are good, and the links actually lead to legitimate material not necessary for sale (unlike other websites listed above)
Conclusion – In Mike Wallace’s book Mickey Mouse History, he argues that many museums and other sources of history are commercializing history to the detriment of the subject. Historians and those taking the opposing viewpoint would argue that history has to be made interesting in order for people to begin to pay attention to it. The websites above present both sides to this quandary. Should historians worry about attracting people to history or simply reconstruct the past and let it speak for itself? The debate will go on as long as the subject itself is being taught.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Assignment #1
Steve Yeisley
History in the Digital Age
January 23, 2008
Review of a Red Sox blog, http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/
For the first assignment, I followed a Red Sox blog from the Boston Globe. As a Red Sox fan, I regularly read the Boston newspapers to get an in depth picture of how the team is doing and what is going on daily with them. I have never read a Red Sox blog. While I know things around the team would be slower in the winter, baseball’s offseason, I was still very optimistic and happy to do this assignment.
Format of the blog
The layout of the blog was very simple, straightforward, and easy to figure out. It was not colorful, which I liked, because it did not let me get distracted and helped me to focus on the information. It had the feel of reading an online newspaper, which of course it is part of. The posts were titled, and the blog was below them, nothing fancy. There were no pictures, and the only links it contained linked to older Red Sox articles which highlight the blogger’s point. It did not contain many ads, which was nice. The few ads it did have mainly centered on getting people to subscribe to the Boston Globe. Finally, the blog is intended to be very objective; it is not the place to go if you want to post an opinion about the Red Sox. In fact, it does not even allow for reader posts, which is good because it keeps many of the crazy, radical fans from ranting for hours on it. While many people might find the austerity boring, it was a refreshing change for me.
Content of the blog
The blog content was outstanding; it was exactly what I expected. Posts were frequent, sometimes two a day, although rarely were posts on consecutive days. Its purpose is to inform Red Sox fans about the state of their team, which it fulfills. Earlier posts include information on Jim Rice, a Red Sox legend who did not make Hall of Fame (voting for the Hall of Fame was released the previous day) and information about recent signings. Posts from the week that I followed include reasons why a recent Red Sox autograph charity event was postponed, more offseason signings, and ticket information for next season. The detail of the blog, however, is what really made it interesting for me. Rather than a newspaper article, or a brief mention on SportsCenter, this blog went more in depth with the information. A good example of this is the recent signing of Doug Mirabelli, a backup catcher for the Red Sox. While most major media outlets would not have even reported the signing of a player who does not start, the blog gives lots of detail about it. An excerpt states “Mirabelli has served as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher for his tenure with the Red Sox, which has bolstered his value, especially given his declining offensive numbers. Mirabelli, who was signed to a one-year deal last season, hit just .202 in 114 at bats last season. He had five home runs and 16 RBI.” This information is in-depth, concise, and exactly what I am looking for when following my team.
Would I recommend this blog?
This blog is obviously not for everybody. If you are not a sports fan, this is clearly not for you. Even the casual baseball fan would consider this blog too in-depth and would prefer more general coverage of the sport, like you would find on ESPN’s SportsCenter. However, if you are a die-hard member of Red Sox Nation, this blog is worth checking out.
I would also recommend it to New York Yankee fans, who should move away from the Evil Empire and join the winning team. :)
History in the Digital Age
January 23, 2008
Review of a Red Sox blog, http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/
For the first assignment, I followed a Red Sox blog from the Boston Globe. As a Red Sox fan, I regularly read the Boston newspapers to get an in depth picture of how the team is doing and what is going on daily with them. I have never read a Red Sox blog. While I know things around the team would be slower in the winter, baseball’s offseason, I was still very optimistic and happy to do this assignment.
Format of the blog
The layout of the blog was very simple, straightforward, and easy to figure out. It was not colorful, which I liked, because it did not let me get distracted and helped me to focus on the information. It had the feel of reading an online newspaper, which of course it is part of. The posts were titled, and the blog was below them, nothing fancy. There were no pictures, and the only links it contained linked to older Red Sox articles which highlight the blogger’s point. It did not contain many ads, which was nice. The few ads it did have mainly centered on getting people to subscribe to the Boston Globe. Finally, the blog is intended to be very objective; it is not the place to go if you want to post an opinion about the Red Sox. In fact, it does not even allow for reader posts, which is good because it keeps many of the crazy, radical fans from ranting for hours on it. While many people might find the austerity boring, it was a refreshing change for me.
Content of the blog
The blog content was outstanding; it was exactly what I expected. Posts were frequent, sometimes two a day, although rarely were posts on consecutive days. Its purpose is to inform Red Sox fans about the state of their team, which it fulfills. Earlier posts include information on Jim Rice, a Red Sox legend who did not make Hall of Fame (voting for the Hall of Fame was released the previous day) and information about recent signings. Posts from the week that I followed include reasons why a recent Red Sox autograph charity event was postponed, more offseason signings, and ticket information for next season. The detail of the blog, however, is what really made it interesting for me. Rather than a newspaper article, or a brief mention on SportsCenter, this blog went more in depth with the information. A good example of this is the recent signing of Doug Mirabelli, a backup catcher for the Red Sox. While most major media outlets would not have even reported the signing of a player who does not start, the blog gives lots of detail about it. An excerpt states “Mirabelli has served as Tim Wakefield's personal catcher for his tenure with the Red Sox, which has bolstered his value, especially given his declining offensive numbers. Mirabelli, who was signed to a one-year deal last season, hit just .202 in 114 at bats last season. He had five home runs and 16 RBI.” This information is in-depth, concise, and exactly what I am looking for when following my team.
Would I recommend this blog?
This blog is obviously not for everybody. If you are not a sports fan, this is clearly not for you. Even the casual baseball fan would consider this blog too in-depth and would prefer more general coverage of the sport, like you would find on ESPN’s SportsCenter. However, if you are a die-hard member of Red Sox Nation, this blog is worth checking out.
I would also recommend it to New York Yankee fans, who should move away from the Evil Empire and join the winning team. :)
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