How are web-based resources different and similar to print-based versions of the same materials?
- Web-based resources are readily accessible to anyone that has a computer, a subscription, or is a member of a journal. They may only need a log-in name and password. The key difference between print and web-based resources is simply time and location. Potential researchers or those simply curious for more information do not have to leave their desktop. In contrast, in order to research or “check out” a print material, the individual has to travel to a library and there may be considerable travel time to a library that actually has a wealth of research materials. One may have to drive all the way to the nearest university in order to access materials and resources they may need. The similarity of both print and web-based resources is that both offer the same content. However, that is about the similarities you are going to get when comparing the two.
- Digital history brings the content directly into the hands of the potential researcher/historian. Along with easy access, travel-free searching, and click-at-the-button access to a wealth of information, digital history usually provides additional links to resources other than the one the researcher was trying to find. References are easily available and easily accessible. For students, digital history brings history into the classroom.
- Digital History sometimes creates instances where students take the content at face value and do not perform any additional research. Sometimes, the information can get bogged down with outside content or links that can be meddlesome for the researcher to look through. Also, as opposed to asking a librarian for help with print resources, it is hard to get help if one is stuck in on a topic. People who are not as tech savvy, especially in the field of research, can be bogged down in searching for items.
- I really like the DocSouth document. It allows for an easy, one-page scroll reading. That is essential when I’m quick-reading a scholarly article or resource in order to find the topic/subject that I am looking for. Also, the National Humanities Center website was useful in that it had subject headings and tabs for quick access to sections and the individual maps. Compared to the others that only had text, this was essential. I also enjoyed the nps.gov website. This site was also a one-page scroll that allowed the reader to quickly scroll and also had heading for particular sections. It was nicely formatted and laid out in a succinct manner.
- I believe American Memory does provide a viable structure for accessing digital history resources. It provides a large breadth of headings and highlighted links. Also, there are embedded topics with additional tags and links that link the reader/researcher to further information. I like the thematic layout of the site and its ease to the eye. I like how you can search via subject, creator, and place.
- I strongly disagree with this statement. From experience, I have certainly gotten lost wading through websites that are presented in a savage manner. From clicking on ghost links to treading through pages upon pages of text getting foggy eyed, the presentation of a website certainly makes the difference. Also, when someone is performing research through digital history applications, coming upon a site that is meager at best, one tends to brush it aside. If a presentation is appealing and catches the eye, the researcher will automatically begin to scroll its pages.
You are in charge of a new initiative at the National Archives. You've been charged with developing an innovative web-based presentation of the United States Constitution. Given what you know about how digital historical resources are presented on the web, describe your ideal design for the presentation of the Constitution.
- In my innovative design for the Constitution, I would have the document in its truest form, a “living” document. Each clause would have relevant historical figures that are linked to the clause. Important eras such as the Civil Rights Movement that used the 14th Amendment to climb the ladder of equality would be linked to specific clauses within the Constitution. The writers of the Constitution would have embedded links with biographies. The Constitution would not be a simple piece of rich parchment. When someone with interest scrolled over words, lines of possible connections would lead to figures, places, and events. Also, past and current controversial issues would be linked to the clauses that were used to create the laws or decisions that spark the controversy. Students would be able to learn why some view the document through a strict interpretation or a loose interpretation and read some important landmark decisions by Supreme Court judges. The web-based presentation would be manageable, succinct, and presented with a good flow and not too choppy. For, the Constitution really is a “living” document.
Addendum
http://docsteach.org/activities/6900
For my DocsTeach Activity, I created an activity using the SCIM-C heuristic for a student investigation group project entitled "Examining Child Labor." Student will have background knowledge on the Industrial Revolution, and be able to define the economic term of capitalism. Students will have a general knowledge on the division of labor and separation of classes.
Students will open the activity and take a quick "snapshot" of all the pictures within the activity. Students will be placed into groups of three. Each student would pick a task from "researcher", to "scribe" to "formatter." Each group will pick a picture that they want to be become "experts" on. The analysis using SCIM-C would take at least two to four class periods, especially during the corroboration, which will lead students to the final element of the activity, creating connections from what they learned using child labor in the US during the early 1900's to present-day countries who use child workers and soldiers for economic profiteering. Once the SCIM-C analysis is complete, students will come together and present their analysis is a presentation format. Then, the students will take part in whole-class discussion focusing on child labor, why and how it occurs and why child labor is a human rights' issue. Students will use their gained knowledge from the Child Labor activity and subsequent SCIM-C analysis to foster understanding of present-day child labor. Finally, students could create a blog, video, poem, song, or persuasive letter as pertaining to child labor and why it should be outlawed all over the world.
Essentially, students will learn how and why child labor occurs using historical references (pictures) from the past. They will be able to compare and contrast their lives with children of the past and connect with children who suffer the misfortune of being embroiled in child labor throughout the world. This will hopefully foster a democratic mindset and allow students to want to initiate change in society as full and participatory citizens.
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