Unit Three: The Multi-Talented Blog

Multi-Talented Blog?  Not feeling very talented with this particular blog.  Being on the other side of the computer screen has given me a new perspective and definitely a new respect for those who are regularly producing content and designing sites.  I have a long way to go!

This week in Intro to Digital History we are looking at blogs.  I have friends who blog regularly – they’re doing everything from sharing recipes, finding humor in everyday life and chronicling their days of sobriety.  I subscribe to a number of blogs and each day I’m looking through a few to see what’s new.

The “talented” part we’re talking about this week isn’t referring to my talents as blogger (thank goodness) but rather to the technology of the blog itself.  A blog can be a device for interactivity among readers and user, the posts can simply be a method of content delivery or it can be some combination of the two.  When looking for examples of blogs, I selected the Civil War (a topic covered in middle school U.S. History and one popular enough among both professional and amateur historians alike to elicit a lot of options) and started searching.  The sheer number of results (59,300,000 results from the search “civil war blogs top ten”) raises the recurring theme of Internet searches – “where to even begin?”  Once we start, weeding through the results, how do we know if a particular site is any good?  Who is the author?  Do they have any authority on the topic?  I read a lot of education blogs, looking for ideas and tips for my classroom, but in most cases I’m just brainstorming and not looking for specific information to share with my students.

I approached this search as if I was looking for resources to supplement my Civil War unit.  The first site listed in the results was The Civil War Trust, a large, nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Civil War battlegrounds.  The CWT does not host it’s own blog, but keeps a listing of Civil War blogs.  Most of the blogs listed on this site were merely tools for content delivery.  Some were outdated and incomplete while for others it was impossible to determine who and what the sources of material were. Some were online journals or musings of National Park Service volunteers and employees (not representing the views of the NPS itself) but providing a unique perspective of someone who is clearly passionate about the Civil War, but who also has a close more “official” connection to established historic sites and information.  At only a quick glance, I particularly enjoyed Walking in the West Woods hosted by Jim Buchanan, a volunteer at Antietam National Battlefield Park.

My favorite of the blogs recommended was Teaching the Civil War with Technology by Pennsylvania teacher, Jim Beeghley.  He recently completed is doctorate of education in instructional technology from Duquesne University and is an adjunct professor in the Graduate Education department for Waynesburg University.  He has presented on numerous topics including technology planning, copyright, network security, technology audits, and most recently uses of technology to teach the Civil War. His blog included entries on Using Google Earth to Tour the Lincoln Assassination, how to colorize Civil War photos and introductions to historic newspaper archives.

For the two blogs I listed above, the hosts provide clear information as to who they are, what their credentials are, and the purpose of the blog.  Understanding who is providing the material on the blog allows me as a teacher to determine how to use the material in class.  When looking for factual information and lesson planning assistance, Beeghley’s site provides a multitude of sited and verifiable resources.   Buchanan’s site provides factual information, but of even more interest to me, the personal anecdotal stories from the Battlefield Park that a traditional text is not going to provide.  Both could have a place in my classroom.