Podcast #191 - Suggestions and Tips for Visiting Washington DC during NECC 2009

Hello. Some of the listeners of this podcast will be heading to Washington DC at the end of June to attend NECC 2009. I have been fortunate to attend several NECC conferences in recent years but will not be attending - in person – this year. The current financial situation along with a desire to spend some time at home means I’ll be attending this year’s NECC virtually through a collection of podcasts, blog posts and tweets. Please post often if you are attending.

I must admit that I’m a little jealous since Washington DC is my favorite city to visit. I’ve been able to visit DC several times in the past couple of years and several listeners have e-mailed me questions about suggestions on what to do, where to stay, etc. I don’t consider myself an expert on DC in any manner but today’s podcast is a collection of suggestions and tips for visiting Washington DC – either for NECC 2009 or another trip.

Crystal City, Virginia Hotels

Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC

National Museum of the American Indian

Newseum

Lincoln Cottage

Ford’s Theatre

Alexandria, Virginia

Gadsby's Tavern in Alexandria

Alexandria Ghost Tour

If you have any suggestions for visiting DC - during NECC 2009 or any other time of year - please leave a comment on this blog for all to see and share. Thanks.

Direct link to Podcast #191 - Suggestions and Tips for Visiting Washington DC during NECC 2009

Podcast #189 - Early Morning Walk to See Lincoln in DC

Hello. While I was in Washington DC earlier this week I took an early morning walk down the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial. It was peaceful and very few people were out yet. In today's podcast I discuss my walk to see Lincoln while sitting on the steps in front of the reflecting pool. I have added some pictures from my walk with this blog entry. If you would like to see more of my pictures please check out my Flickr set from the walk.

If you have any thoughts on this podcast please leave a comment on this blog or you can reach me directly at speakingofhistory@gmail.com Thanks.


Direct link to Podcast #189 - Early Morning Walk to See Lincoln in DC

Podcast #188 - Review of Trip to the Newseum in Washington DC

Hello. Earlier this week I visited the Newseum in Washington DC - a museum devoted to telling the story of how news is gathered and then shared with the public. It is one of the newer museums in DC and I really enjoyed it. This podcast is a review of my visit and I have included some pictures from the Newseum below. This podcast may be of interest to anyone who is planning to attend NECC 2009 this summer in Washington DC and is looking for something to do when not attending sessions.

If you have any comments or would like to add your experiences at the Newseum to the discussion, please post a comment to this blog post or e-mail directly at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #188 - Review of Trip to the Newseum in Washington DC

Podcast #141 - Teacher of the Year Activities in Washington DC

Hello. Today I review the week my family and I spent in Washington DC last week attending national Teacher of the Year activities. My visit to the White House and meeting President Bush was discussed in the previous podcast (Speaking of History Podcast #140) but this podcast will discuss the events which took place during the remainder of the week. I have also included numerous pictures from the week.

As always, if you have any questions or comments you can post a comment to this blog post or you can e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #141 - Teacher of the Year Activities in Washington DC - MP3 Audio File - 16:40 Minutes

Podcast #140 - Meeting President Bush at the Oval Office in the White House

Hello. Today is one of those days that you never forget. One of the amazing opportunities that I've had while serving as the 2007 / 2008 Missouri Teacher of the Year happened today as I met President Bush in the Oval Office of the White House. Of course as a history teacher and political geek that was beyond cool. It also seemed surreal as I had the chance to have my picture taken with the president and then participate in a Teacher of the Year ceremony at the Rose Garden.

I sat down and recorded a podcast before I went to bed for the night - in part so that my 8th grade students back in Liberty could share in the experience in class on Thursday. I have included some pictures that I took during the experience at the White House. I had a great seat on the isle during the ceremony at the White House and can't believe how great the pictures turned out.

Congratulations to our new 2008 National Teacher of the Year - Michael Geisen - a 7th grade science teacher from Oregon. He will be an amazing representative for all teachers across the country and I hope many of you will have the opportunity to see and hear him speak as he travels this year.

Direct link to Podcast #140 - Meeting President Bush at the Oval Office in the White House - MP3 Audio File - 16:30 minutes

Show Notes:

Official White House Press Release on the 2008 National Teacher of the Year Ceremony

Podcast #103 - Gettysburg Day 2 - A Trip to Washington DC and Eating Period Food

Hello. Day 2 at the Gilder Lehrman Institute on Lincoln was a field trip to Washington DC. We loaded up the bus with the 30 or so teachers participating in the workshop and headed off to visit a few specific Lincoln sites in the nation’s capital. Sites included the White House, the Soldiers Home and Lincoln Memorial. The Soldiers Home was basically Lincoln’s summer White House and I plan to do a future podcast on this site, which will open to the public in February of 2008.

I also ate an authentic Civil War era dinner at the Historic Farnsworth Inn in Gettysburg, picked up a few items to bring back to the classroom and walked through the cemetery at sunset. It was a full day to say the least. We also saw President Bush – sort of – and his entourage. Listen to the podcast for more details.

Direct link to Podcast #103 – Gettysburg Day Two – A Trip to Washington DC and Eating Period Food – MP3 Format – 15:17 minutes

You are welcome to leave a comment on the blog in the form of a comment or e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com. You can also register to win a book in the Listener Appreciation Give Away – see episode #100.

You can subscribe to the Speaking of History podcast directly in i-Tunes here

Podcast #103 Show Notes:

- Soldiers Home (Lincoln's Summer White House) - Official Site

- Lincoln's Sanctuary - Abraham Lincoln and the Soldiers' Home - book by Matthew Pinsker

- Lincoln Memorial - Wikipedia

- Farnsworth House Tavern in Gettysburg

Podcast #72 - International Spy Museum and Peter Earnest

Hello. On a recent trip to Washington DC I stopped by the International Spy Museum for a visit. I had never been to this recently opened museum - it has been open for 5 years - but had read many glowing comments about it. It is an amazing museum with numerous educational opportunities for teachers and students. I sat down with Peter Earnest, the International Spy Museum Executive Director, and dicussed the museum and it's educational connections.

I have read several books over the past year about Washington and his use of spies in the American Revolutionary War. The museum has some great learning opportunities in exploring the use of spies in the Revolution. The museum is full of amazing artifacts but my favorite was an original letter from George Washington authorizing a spy in New York during the war. A picture of this artifact can be seen above this paragraph and it is also mentioned by Mr. Earnest in the podcast. This artifact is only on display for 2 months a year because of it's fragile state. It is currently on display at the museum until around the start of April 2007.

If you are brining a group of students to Washington DC I would highly reccommend a trip to the International Spy Museum. If you can't make it in person the museum has some great curriculum guides available on the education portion of their web site with PDF files you can download and use with your students. There is also a SpyCast from the museum with spy related podcasts.

Special thanks to Peter Earnest for taking time from his busy schedule to visit with me and to Amanda Abrell who arranged the interview and in providing additional information about the museum.

If you have any comments or questions you can either post a comment to this blog entry or you can send me an e-mail at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

You can subscribe directly to the Speaking of History Podcast through i-Tunes here.

Direct link to Podcast #72 - International Spy Museum and Interview with Museum Executive Director Peter Earnest - MP3 file - 20:00 minutes

Podcast #72 Show Notes:

- International Spy Museum web site

- International Spy Museum Educational Resource Guides

- International Spy Museum SpyCast podcast

Podcast #70 - Park Ranger Talk from Ford's Theatre

Hello. Today while in Washington DC I stopped by Ford's Theatre for a few minutes. I have been there several times - including just a couple of months ago during the NCSS convention - but since my last visit I have read Manhunt - The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson and wanted to go down to museum in the basement to see the compass that John Wilkes Booth had with him during the entire 12 days of the escape. It is amazing what a book can do - I had never really noticed it before but after reading Manhunt it became the most interesting item in the museum to me. I have included a picture of the compass with this podcast. By the way, I also stopped by the Library of Congress this afternoon and in the gift shop they had signed copies of Manhunt for regular price. I almost bought one but since I already own one copy I'll just hope that someday I can meet Mr. Swanson and have him autograph the copy I read. Great deal though if you are looking for a book on the assassination.

Back to the podcast - just as I stepped into the theatre the Park Ranger - Lauren Gurniewicz - was getting ready to give a short presentation to the visitors in the theatre Friday morning - mostly school groups. She did a great job and I learned several new things about the assassination that I had never heard before. I recorded the presentation and decided to podcast it. I asked Lauren's permission and she thought it was a great idea. Thanks to Lauren for letting me publish it for everyone to share.

If you have any comments or questions please post a comment to this blog post or send an e-mail to: speakingofhistory@gmail.com

You can subscribe to the Speaking of History podcast on i-Tunes here.

Direct link to Podcast #70 - Park Ranger Talk from Ford's Theatre - MP3 Format - 22:55 minutes

Show Notes For Podcast #70:

- Ford's Theatre - National Park site
- Ford's Theatre - Active Theatre site
- Manhunt - The 12 Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

Podcast #69 - The War by PBS and Washington's Birthday at Gadsby's

Hello. Just spent a great day in Washington DC attending a symposium at PBS headquarters on an upcoming project and then celebrating Washington's birthday. A tremendous documentary on World War II by Ken Burns, Lynn Novick and Sara Botstein will be shown on PBS in September of 2007 named "The War". The documentary will be 14 hours in length and has taken over 6 years of work to complete. PBS is currently in the process of developing teacher resources and curriculum connections to accompany the video series. Today PBS had roughly 50 people - teachers, students, professors, and people from the Library of Congress, History Day, NCSS, Teaching American History Grants, Archives - meet to discuss how this documentary can be used in the classroom. It was an amazing day. Producers Lynn Novick and Sara Botstein were also present and gave us some great background on how the video was produced. There will be resources sent to schools in the fall of 2007 and PBS is creating a very complete web site with teaching resources, clips, handouts, curriculum guides, etc. Any teacher who includes World War II as a portion of their curriculum should check it out next fall when it airs on PBS.

After the symposium I traveled to Old Town Alexandria and celebrated George Washington's birthday at Gadsby's Tavern. This tavern is the original building from colonial times and was a favorite place for George Washington to eat after his presidency. Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison also ate there from time to time. I had a George Washington favorite - cider glazed duckling. Also included was a very tasty smoked bacon spoonbread. The food was excellent and you can't beat eating by candlelight in a room once shared by several presidents. Check it out the next time you are in the DC area.

If you have any questions or comments please e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com or leave a comment to this blog post.

Subscribe to the Speaking of History podcast through i-Tunes.

Direct Link to Speaking of History Podcast #69 - The War by PBS and Washington's Birthday at Gadsby's Tavern - MP3 Format - 10:15 minutes

Show Notes for Podcast #69:

- article on upcoming PBS series "The War" by Ken Burns
- official PBS site
- PBS Teacher Source site
- Gadsby's Tavern in Old Town Alexandria

Podcast #27 - History Hits the Road - Tips for Visiting Washington DC

Hello from our nation's capital. Today's podcast is recorded at a hotel just a couple of blocks from the Capitol in Washington DC. My wife and I are in DC on vacation, along with a little business, and tonight we discuss some tips for making your stay in this wonderful city enjoyable. This podcast is special because my supportive wife joins the podcast for the first time as we share our tips. We have been recording various interviews on our stay in the Washington DC area and will publish these in future episodes.

If you have any questions or comments please e-mail us at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Podcast #27 - Tips for Planning Your Visit to Washington DC - MP3 Format (17 minutes)

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