by How will digital media and/or digital tools be important to teaching your target audience about history and historical thinking?
My final project will be an extension of my existing digital project that will be a teacher’s resource page which will include a lesson plan. The lesson plan will lay out how to use the interactive digital map and digital exhibit in a lesson about 1930s America. The basis of the project is focused around the digital aspects on the website. The interactive map is a digital element that allows for teachers and students to interact with the ideas about what media outlets during the 1930s thought about the ‘mountain people’ that resided in the Shenandoah Valley. This digital map will allow for students to dial in on each individual aspect on this very complex map, while the map provides context about the elements. The interactive map also correlates with the digital exhibits that display primary sources that pertain to the mountain families and the creation of Shenandoah National Park.
What, specifically, about the digital environment will influence what you do and why?
The digital environment allows me to do more with this project. Digitally I can add as many primary sources and exhibits as I would like and it can be updated at any time, making the resource better every time a teacher goes back to this resource. This resource can be an evolving resource due to the digital nature. It also allows for accessibility as someone can use this interactive map in a way that is different than if someone was looking at a physical map. In the digital environment, a user can zoom in and out of the map with ease, making it possible to fully analyze the map. The user can also directly click between the digital exhibits and the interactive map to analyze each element on the map.
How does this change or shape your final project pitch?
When I created this project last semester I had always envisioned including a teacher’s resource section. This has solidified the need to create a digital lesson plan that teachers can easily adapt to their classrooms and has made me think about accessibly in the digital environment.
