Podcast #23 - Graphic History, The Murder of Abraham Lincoln by Rick Geary

Hello. I continue with my recent interest in using graphic history as part of the curriculum. I recently saw a listing in the Library School Journal magazine about graphic novels and one caught my I so I found a copy of The Murder of Abraham Lincoln by Rick Geary. It is a great book done in the graphic format. Geary has done an amazing job with pen and pencil in telling the story of the one of the most tragic days in American history. The book includes maps, a great bibliography and some great thought provoking questions at the end. I conducted a phone interview with Mr. Geary and asked him about his unique look at the assassination of Lincoln. Geary is an accomplished illustrator who has been working in comics since 1977. His work has been appeared in The National Lampoon, DC Comics, Mad, Spy, Rolling Stone and the Los Angeles Times. It was also great to discover that he was born in Kansas City. He also has done a graphic history book named "The Fatal Bullet: The Assassination of President James A Garfield". Check out the links below to learn more about Mr. Geary and his work.

Please let me know what you think of today's show by leaving me an e-mail or comment at speakingofhistory@gmail.com I am also very interested if any history teachers out there have used graphic novels or graphic books in their classroom.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #23: Graphic History, The Murder of Abraham Lincoln by Rick Geary

Show Notes for Podcast #23:

• Purchase The Murder of Abraham Lincoln by Rick Geary
• Purchase The Fatal Bullet: The Assassination of President James A Garfield
• NBM Publishing Page for Geary
• Rick Geary's Official Web Site

NETA 2006 Conference Handouts on Podcasting

Hello. Just a quick post about an upcoming presentation at a conference. I will be presenting a break out session at the NETA (Nebraska Educational Technology Association) Spring Conference on Thursday - April 27th. It will be a general session on podcasting with some material on the required materials, software, ideas for the classroom and information on the Speaking of History podcast. I am a native Nebraskan and have attended this conference for each of the 8 years. It is an amazing conference and I really look forward to it each year - great people, great sessions and I always leave with some great new ideas. I hope to also do some interviews at the conference and I will share ideas on the conference when I return.

I am including links to the PDF files of the handouts I will be handing out at my session. One is the handout sheet and the other is a copy of the presentation notes.

• 2006 NETA Conference Handout on Podcasting - PDF file
• 2006 NETA Conference Copy of Presentation Notes on Podcasting - PDF file

Podcast #22 - Interview with Missouri State Archivist Kenneth Winn

Hello. Today's episode is an interview with the State Archivist for the state of Missouri - Kenneth Winn. I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Winn at the Missouri State Social Studies conference in Jefferson City back in March. He was the keynote speaker at the dinner and he happened to be sitting next to me during the meal. His speech was very interesting and I was glad he agreed to conduct a short interview with me. I was very interested in two aspects of the archives: 1) the number of diversity of items housed in the archives and 2) the variety of online resources available to both teachers and the general public. I hope that you find this interview interesting and it encourages you to investigate your state archives.

If you have any questions or comments about the show please feel free to e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

This episode also includes a new intro using background music from James Underberg of PodSafe Audio. I edited it using Audacity and including clips from famous speeches.

Direct Link to Speaking of History Podcast #22 - Interview with Missouri State Archivist Kenneth Winn - MP3 Format (16 minutes)

Show Notes for Podcast #22:

• Missouri State Archives
• Direct link to Education Page of the Missouri State Archives
• US National Archives and Records Administration Digital Classroom
• List of the links of all State Archives in the United States

Podcast #21 - Interview with RJ Cutler from the Shays' Rebellion Episode of 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America

Hello. A couple of weeks ago I interviewed Bill Plympton, the illustrator for the History Channel episode on Shays' Rebellion - part of the 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America series. Today I interviewed RJ Cutler, the director of the episode. Mr. Cutler is an accomplished producer and director. His body of work has earned him an Emmy and a Peadbody award along with an Oscar nomination. You may recognize some of his work on The War Room, American High, the FX series 30 Days, the Discovery Home network's Flip That House and the recently aired Black/White on FX.

The interview includes details on how the Shays' Rebellion episode came about, the differences in doing an animated documentary, the research process and advice for 8th graders who want to enter the film industry.

You are always welcome to leave a comment on the bottom of this blog entry or you can e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct Link to Speaking of History Podcast #21 "Interview with RJ Cutler from the Shays' Rebellion Episode of 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America" - MP3 Format - (21 Minutes)

Show Notes For Podcast #21:

• Actual Reality Pictures Site
• Actual Reality Pictures Site on Shays' Rebellion Episode
• Boston Globe Story (4/8/06) on 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America
• Kansas City Star Story (4/9/06) on 10 Days That Unexpecedly Changed America
• USA Today Story (4/9/06) on 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America
• Speaking of History Podcast Interview with Bill Plympton - illustrator of Shays' Episode
• Purchase the DVD for 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America

Podcast #20 - Interview by Knoxville TV News on School i-Pod Ban in Anderson County

Hello. Just a quick show this time but a very timely topic. On April 13th when I got home from school I found a note from my wife that said I was to call a TV news station in Knoxville, Tennessee about a story on a school banning i-pods. Since I have no connection to Knoxville and had no knowledge of any school banning i-pods I was curious about the intent of the call. It turns out they had learned of my use of "studycasts" in class and wanted a counter point when they did the story on the Anderson County school board banning i-pods on their campus. Check out the links below for a text version of the news story from WATE television news in Knoxville, Tennessee along with a link to view the video of the news story.

What do you think about a school board banning i-pods or MP3 players entirely from school grounds? Leave a comment or e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #20 - Interview by Knoxville TV News on School Board i-Pod Ban in Anderson County - MP3 Format (8 minutes)

Show Notes for Podcast #20:

• Text version of WATE television news story on school board banning i-pods from school grounds - includes a link for viewing the video of the story
• Anderson County (Tennesee) Public Schools site

Podcast #19 - Review of Classroom Goals for Year and A To Do List for the Spring/Summer 2006

Hello. Welcome to episode #19 of Speaking of History. This show is a review of my classroom technology goals for the 2005 / 2006 school year. I listed these goals in August of last year in episode #5. I have done a pretty good job so far this year of reaching my goals - a little bit yet to be desired. I have not created the local history video show that I would like to show on local cable but that has been due in part to spending so much time podcasting. I also discuss a couple of articles which have appeared lately and the news that I am a finalist for the 2006 Cable's Leaders in Learning Award through Cable in the Classroom. I wrap up with a list of local historical sites that I plan to visit sometime this spring and summer. If this is your first show check out a couple of other ones since the format is always a little different.

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

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #19 - Review of Classroom Goals for the Year and A To Do List for the Spring / Summer of 2006 - MP3 format (26 minutes)

Show Notes for Podcast #19:

Cable's Leaders in Learning Awards
School Library Journal Article - April 2006 "History Teacher 2.0"
10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America - History Channel Series - April 9-13, 2006

Spring/Summer Goal #1 - Truman Presidential Library - Independence, Missouri
Spring/Summer Goal #2 - Watkins Mill State Historical Site - Lawson, Missouri
Spring/Summer Goal #3 - Fort Osage National Historic Landmark - Sibley, Missouri
Spring/Summer Goal #4 - Jesse James Farm - Kearney, Missouri
Spring/Summer Goal #5 - Liberty Memorial - The National World War I Museum - Kansas City, Missouri

Podcast #18 - Interview with Bill Plympton from the History Channel's Program "Shays' Rebellion"

Hello. I have a great show for you today. In a couple of weeks the History Channel will show their much anticipated documentary series named "10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America". The episode I am most interested in viewing focuses on Shays' Rebellion - Janaury 25, 1787. The entire documentary is animated. The illustrator is award winning artist Bill Plympton (Oscar nominee) and the director is award winning film maker R.J. Cutler (Peabody and Emmy Award winner, Academy Award nominee).

Today's show is an interview with illustrator Bill Plympton about the documentary. It is an interesting look at how history is mixing with graphic arts. I think the result is a powerful narrative for students that many teachers may find an interesting tool in teaching the Revolutionary War time period. Be sure to watch the History Channel on April 13th - 9:00 PM central - to view Shays' Rebellion: America's First Civil War. Check out the links below to check out video trailers of the show and more on the art of Bill Plympton.

If you have any questions or comments about the show please drop me an e-mail at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct Link to Speaking of History Podcast #18 - Interview with Bill Plympton from the History Channel's Program "Shays' Rebellion" - MP3 Format (18 minutes)

Podcast #18 Show Notes:

• Bill Plympton's Official Site
• 10 Days that Unexpectedly Changed America - Shays' Rebellion: America's First Civil War - includes video trailer, interviews, information
• Actual Reality Pictures Site - includes video trailer
• Wikipedia Site for Shays' Rebellion
• Wikipedia Site for Bill Plympton

Podcast #17 - Winston Churchill Memorial and Museum in Fulton, Missouri

Hello. It's been a crazy week of activity for the Speaking of History podcast. Linda Man of the Kansas City Star newspaper published an article on March 20th about how I use podcasts and blogs in my classroom and soon the copy was picked up by several other blogs and online newsletters. Traffic on this site has gone through the roof in the last several days and I welcome any new listeners to the podcast. Since November of 2005 we have had people from 62 different countries and all 50 states view this site. If you would like to have all new content on the site delivered to you when it is added please consider using i-Tunes or Bloglines.

In today's episode I will focus on an amazing new Winston Churchill Memorial and Library museum that has recently opened in Fulton, Missouri - the site of Winston Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" or "Sinews of Peace" speech in 1946. On the day of grand opening I interviewed John Hensley (e-mail - henslej@westminter-mo.edu) - the archivist and curator of the memorial. I took some pictures of the museum and have included a short photostory video here (only a minute and a half long) to give you an idea of the world class quality of this museum. The video also contains audio from the Iron Curtain speech in the background.

As always I welcome any comments or questions about the podcast. Please e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #17 - Winston Churchill Memorial and Museum Interview - MP3 format (18 minutes)

Episode #17 Show Notes:

• Kansas City Star Newspaper article (March 20, 2006) on using podcasts and blogs in the classroom
• Winston Churchill Memorial and Library - Fulton, Missouri - Official Site
• Video slideshow of Winston Churchill Memorial and Library (90 seconds)
• John Hensley - The Winston Churchill Memorial and Library Archivist and Curator - E-Mail: henslej@westminster-mo.edu
• Listen to the entire Iron Curtain Speech (Sinews of Peace Speech)
• Wikipedia article on Winston Churchill
• Wikipedia article on The Iron Curtain
• Wikipedia article on Fulton, Missouri

Podcast #16 - Book Blogs, Conferences and Student Survey Stats

Hello. Time to catch up on a couple of random items today. Some updates on what I have been up to this semester and a Speaking of History first - a song. I'll also tell you about a couple of podcasts that I have been listening to lately and the results of a survey I gave my students about using my studycasts to review for tests. We also have the start of our book blog on The Year of The Hangman by Gary Blackwood. Here we go.....

If you have a comment about this episode you can e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com or leave a comment on the bottom of this entry.

Direct link to Speaking of History Podcast #16 - Book Blogs, Conferences and Student Survey Results - MP3 Format (25 minutes)

Show Notes:

• The Year of the Hangman book blog - participants in Missouri, Minnesota, Conneticut and New York
• MCSS - Missouri Council of Social Studies State - Conference in Jefferson City, Missouri - March 3-4, 2006
• NETA - Nebraska Educational Technology Association - Conference in Omaha, Nebraska - April 27-28, 2006
• NECC - National Education Computing Conference - San Diego, California - July 5-7, 2006
• "Armstrong" - Music from Monte Selby - an educator that sings about what we do each day (used with approval)
• KidCast Podcast by Dan Schmidt and the book KidCast by FTC Publishing - an awesome guide to doing podcasting in your classroom
• Colonial Williamsburg Podcast
• Colonial Williamsburg Historical TV Ads - very funny, must see
• National Geographic Lewis and Clark video "Great Journey West"
• Winston Churchill Museum in Fulton, Missouri

The Year of the Hangman Book Blog is Up and Running

I'm really excited to announce that The Year of the Hangman Book Blog has started and students will soon be particpating online. I spoke about the project in episode #13 of Speaking of History. I have handed out the 60 copies of the novel that I was able to purchase with a local grant and several of my students have also purchased the book. I have been contacted by teachers and students in Nebraska, New York, Conneticut and Minnesota about joining the discussion. I have also made contact with the author and Mr. Blackwood plans on adding his comments to the discussion.

I have posted instructions for the students on adding comments and listed the four questions we will use for week one of the project. We are reading the first five chapters of the book for week one discussion.

If you would like to join us please stop by at www.theyearofthehangman.blogspot.com and add a comment. If you know of any teachers that might want to join us please pass along the information or have them e-mail me at speakingofhistory@gmail.com