Smithsonian Presetation to Teacher Ambassadors

Last year I had the honor of participating in Smithsonian Teacher Day 2008 in Washington DC as the Missouri Teacher of the Year (2007/2008). Smithsonian Education gave us behind the scenes access to their museums and staff. They also gave us materials as Smithsonian Teacher Ambassadors which we could share with other teachers to share information on all the Smithsonian has to offer educators. Last year I did several podcasts and a couple of screen cast videos to share Smithsonian resources.

Today I have the privilege of sharing some of these techniques with the current state teachers of the year from around the country as they participate in Smithsonian Teacher Day 2009. I have included the presentation below via SlideShare and links to the podcasts, screen casts and applications that I mention in the presentation.

Smithsonian Teacher Day 2009

View more presentations from elanghorst.

Links to Podcasts and Screen casts :

Podcast #166 - Using "Smithsonian in the Classroom" to Teach Lincoln

Podcast #172 - Preview of the Smithsonian's Upcoming Online Conference Featuring Lincoln

Screen cast - Smithsonian's Interactive Gettysburg Address

Screen cast - Smithsonian's Interactive Star Spangled Banner

Podcast #175 - Smithsonian Museum of American History Using Web 2.0 with Blog

Podcast #177 - Review of Smithsonian's Online Lincoln Conference


Links to Resources:

Twitter - free micro blogging at 140 characters each

Blogging - free blogging application

Audacity - free audio editing program which can be used to create podcasts

Jing - free application to create screen casts

You Tube - free application to share video content on the web

Flickr - free application to share images online

The National Museum of American History

The following post is a collection of photos from my visit today to The National Museum of American History in Washington, DC. I was very excited to walk through the museum for a while since it has been closed for a while and recently re-opened to the public.

Battle of Yorktown Display

George Washington's field glasses and travel desk used in the Revolutionary War
Chairs used at Signing of Surrender Papers to End the Civil War

Coffee cup used by Lincoln on the night he was assassinated

Secrets of Lincoln's Watch Revealed

Very cool news today about the discovery of a message inside Lincoln's watch. I saw it reported first via the Museum of American History's Twitter feed and then later saw the Washington Post story.

Here is the blog entry about the watch from the Museum of American History's blog and includes some great pictures.

There is also some audio from NPR and the NBC video below.

Once again it's cool to know that not everything has been discovered in relation to our nation's history.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Podcast #177 - Review of Smithsonian's Online Lincoln Conference

Hello. Today I review a conference I recently attended - the Smithsonian's Online Lincoln Conference. Besides the high quality content, the best features of this conference were the cost (free) and location (my desktop computer). In the podcast I discuss my personal experience in attending the sessions, which sessions I enjoyed most and the concept of virtually attending an online conference.

If you were not able to attend the conference on February 4-5, 2009 you can still view any of the nine sessions from the archive. Resources from the sessions and an active discussion board are also available online.

Did you attend any of the sessions? If you did I would enjoy hearing about your experiences. Please add a comment to this blog post.

Direct link to Podcast #177 - Review of Smithsonian's Online Lincoln Conference

Podcast #175 - Smithsonian Museum of American History Using Web 2.0 to Connect

Hello. I have been spending some time lately checking out the wealth of resources for teachers available online through the Smithsonian. As a history teacher, I always like to see what is happening at the Museum of American History. It has just reopened after a 2 year face lift and I can't wait to see it the next time I'm in Washington DC. The museum has a well organized collection of lesson plans and resources available to teachers but a couple of days ago what really caught my attention was their use of web 2.0 to connect to visitors.

The Museum of American History has a great blog named "O Say Can You See", a Flickr account for behind the scenes pictures, a You Tube channel with a variety of clips, a Facebook page and you can follow them on Twitter. Amazing. The Smithsonian gets it and I've heard the new Smithsonian leadership has a true vision for utilizing web 2.0 as a tool. The Smithsonian recently held a conference to explore the potential of web 2.0. I am very impressed. If you are a history teacher you really should add the O Say Can You See blog to your reader and start following them on Twitter. I can't wait to see what they do next.

Direct link to Podcast #175 - Smithsonian's Museum of American History Using Web 2.0 To Connect

Reminder - Smithsonian Lincoln Conference is February 4 and 5

Just a reminder that the FREE Online Smithsonian Conference on Lincoln in happening today and tomorrow (Feb 4-5, 2009). I attended one this morning describing images from his death bed and now I'm attending a session in which they are describing Lincoln artifacts. If you have ever wanted to sit down with a Smithsonian expert and discuss Lincoln you have to see this. They will be archived for viewing later but the live experience is very cool because you can ask questions, vote on questions that come up, etc.

Please check out the online conference from the Smithsonian here!

Screencast : Smithsonian's Interactive Star Spangled Banner

Hello. We recently researched the Star Spangled Banner as my class studying the War of 1812. I found an excellent site available from the Smithsonian and have previewed it in the following video created using Jing Pro.

One of the coolest things about the site with ability to learn more about the flag which inspired the lyrics to the National Anthem using an interactive tool to zoom in on parts of the historic flag. You can also learn how to submit a video of singing the National Anthem to win a trip to perform in Washington DC on Flag Day 2009.

Link to the Smithsonian's Interactive Site on the Star Spangled Banner

Screencast : Smithsonian's Interactive Gettysburg Address

Hello. Do you teach the Gettysburg Address in your classroom? If you do please check out this screencast featuring an interactive Gettysburg Address from The Smithsonian. This screencast was created wing Jing Pro. If you have any comments on this screencast or ideas on how to use this resource in the classroom, please leave a comment on this blog post.

Direct link to Smithsonian's Interactive Gettysburg Address

Podcast #172 - Preview of Smithsonian's Free Online Conference About Lincoln - February 4-5, 2009

Hello. Today's podcast is my fourth in a series of ten - "Ways You Can Celebrate the 200th Birthday of Abraham Lincoln". I briefly mentioned this at the end of an earlier podcast ( Podcast #166 - Using the Smithsonian's "In Your Classroom" to Teach Lincoln )discussing several excellent lesson plans on Lincoln featured in Smithsonian In Your Classroom, but I wanted to provide some more detail about this incredible opportunity for teachers to attend a free, online conference with some of the Smithsonian's experts on Lincoln. Attend in person or come back later and view the archives. I hope to attend several in person and then view the rest later.

Check out the podcast for the schedule, then go visit the Smithsonian's Official Site for the Lincoln Online Conference. If you're early introduce yourself on the discussions page and then come back on the day of the workshop. You can also check to see if your computer has all the needed applications to participate in the workshop live. If you have any comments, or if you are planning to attend, please leave a comment on this blog post.

Direct link to Podcast #162 - Preview of Smithsonian's Free Online Conference About Lincoln - February 4-5, 2009 - MP3 Audio File

Podcast #166 - Smithsonian's "In Your Classroom" To Teach Lincoln

Hello. We are currently within a month of celebrating the 200th birthday of our greatest president - Abraham Lincoln. Teachers across the country are preparing and planning events. Today's podcast will discuss a couple of ways you can bring Lincoln into your classroom courtesy of the Smithsonian.

Be sure to view and download the Spring 2009 Issue of Smithsonian In Your Classroom which features 2 Lincoln lesson plans - Lincoln's Trip to Richmond and The Face of War. All of the resources are available for download as a PDF file. It could not be easier to incorporate these lessons into your classroom.

The second great opportunity from the Smithsonian is an invitation to attend/view the Online Conference Series focusing on the life of Lincoln. This virtual conference will take place on February 4 and 5, 2009. You can ask questions of the experts and learn about a variety of topics relating to Lincoln. All segments will be recorded and archived for viewing later.

If you have used these resources or have any thoughts on how you will celebrate the birthday of Lincoln, please leave a comment on this blog post or email me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com


Direct link to Podcast #166 - Smithsonian's "In Your Classroom" to Teach Lincoln - MP3 Audio File

Smithsonian In Your Classroom - Focus on Lincoln

This spring while in Washington DC as part of the National Teacher of the Year Program I spent an amazing day at the Smithsonian learning about the wealth of resources available to teachers - both when physically visiting the museums and when your classroom is hundreds of miles away. I became part of the Smithsonian Teacher Ambassador Program to help spread the word about these amazing resources.

Many of us are currently getting ready to help celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln with our students. I would like to pass along the following information about the latest issue of "Smithsonian in Your Classroom" - which includes a variety of great lesson plans on Lincoln. The issue includes some great information and one of my favorite Lincoln classroom activities - comparing photographs of Lincoln as he took office and then at the end of the Civil War just prior to his assassination. I encourage all history teachers to check it out. The issue and resources are available online, and as always - FREE.

Abraham Lincoln: The Face of a War

The latest issue of Smithsonian in Your Classroom is on its way to your schools and also available as a PDF download from SmithsonianEducation.org. The lessons in this issue use Smithsonian portraits of Lincoln to introduce a study of the Civil War. The portraits include the famous “cracked-plate” photograph, two plaster “life masks,” and an eyewitness drawing of Lincoln’s arrival in the enemy capital of Richmond, Virginia.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/lincoln/index.html

Free Abraham Lincoln Virtual Conference

The Smithsonian is honoring Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial with special exhibitions and programs, and you will be able to participate in the national celebration through the first Smithsonian Online Education Conference: Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the days of February 4 and 5, 2009, you’ll explore Smithsonian research and collections related to Lincoln’s life – everything from portraits and diaries to documents and historical artifacts. Alongside Smithsonian curators, you’ll look at Lincoln’s life and legacy from the perspectives of history, science, and art.

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/lincoln

Lincoln at 200

Also check out all the Lincoln events and resources available from the Smithsonian:

http://www.gosmithsonian.com/lincoln/http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/life-of-lincoln.html