April 11, 2012-Houston-
The University of Houston’sDigital History Project, a dynamic, database-driven website that harnessestechnology to enhance the teaching and learning of U.S. history, has beenrecognized by the Computerworld Honors Program as a Laureate of 2012.
The Digital History Project received the award in theDigital Access category and is one of 200 individuals, programs and entities tobe honored in the Annual Laureates Medal Ceremony & Gala Awards Evening inJune at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C.
“Digital History provides a wealth of extraordinaryresources for American History teachers and learners at no charge and withoutadvertising,” said Sara McNeil, UH College of Education Associate Professor andProgram Area Coordinator for the Instructional Technology GraduateProgram. “Many schools and colleges useour online textbook as their textbook of choice for courses.”
Foundedin 1988 by International Data Group (IDG), Computerworld Honors is the longest-runningglobal program to honor individuals and organizations that use informationtechnology to promote positive social, economic and educational change.
“History need not be boring. All ittakes is active, hands-on learning, and the Digital History website providesthe tools that bring history to life,” said Professor Steven Mintz, co-creatorof the site and currently the director of the Graduate School of Arts &Sciences Teaching Center at Columbia Teachers College.
TheDigital History Project began 10 years ago, on the cusp of the new digitalrevolution, as a way to meet the needs of financially stressed teachers andstudents of American history in middle school to 12th grade, as wellas in college. The high-quality resource, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu, isfree to use, and includes U.S. history textbooks, essays, multimedia exhibits,historical maps, speeches and images. Italso includes primary source materials on slavery, Mexican American, AsianAmerican and Native American histories, as well as audio-visual resources, includinghistoric music, photographs and art works, and film trailers. Teachers also have access to lesson materialsand resource guides. The website is supported by the UH Department of Historyand the College of Education.
“WhileDigital History has an intricate technical infrastructure—load balancers,fault-tolerant databases and robust, dynamic web code, among other things—what enthrallsme about the project is that technology is never used for technology's sake,but to advance an educational goal,” said Michael Rapp, information securityofficer and infrastructure/data applications manager. Rapp has been working onthe project for the past 10 years. “Thatgoal is to take advantage of the technology so that we can enhance the teachingof United States history at a myriad of levels.”
DigitalHistory also is listed as one of the top five resources in U.S. Historyaccording to Best of History Websites. More than 25,000 unique visitors use thewebsite every school day.
“Resourcesand professional development offered through Digital History encouragesimproved teacher training,” said Angela Miller, manager of Secondary SocialStudies Curriculum at the Houston Independent School District. “Because thesematerials are accessible via the web, they can have a broad impact on all ourstudents and teachers.”
FAQs
The University of Houston's Digital History Project, a dynamic, database-driven website that harnesses technology to enhance the teaching and learning of U.S. history, has been recognized by the Computerworld Honors Program as a Laureate of 2012.
Is digital history legit? ›
Digital History acts like an online museum of historical works, but also includes a broad collection of reference tools including original documents, teachers' tools and transcripts as well as audio of book talks given by important historians. The enormous array of resources is impressive--at first.
Is digital history a textbook? ›
The centerpiece of Digital History is an online textbook that describes itself as “an interactive, multimedia history” of North America from the pre-Columbian period to the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Is digital history a database? ›
"Digital history is an approach to examining and representing the past that takes advantage of new communication technologies such as computers and the Web. It draws on essential features of the digital realm, such as databases, hypertextualization, and networks, to create and share historical knowledge."
Is Digital World good or bad? ›
Digital technologies have advanced more rapidly than any innovation in our history – reaching around 50 per cent of the developing world's population in only two decades and transforming societies. By enhancing connectivity, financial inclusion, access to trade and public services, technology can be a great equaliser.
What is the most trusted history website? ›
Best History Websites and Resources
- Asian Art Museum. Inventive lessons and activities integrate Asian history, art, and more. ...
- PebbleGo. ...
- National Museum of African American History and Culture. ...
- Smithsonian's History Explorer. ...
- History's Mysteries. ...
- Library of Congress. ...
- PebbleGo Next. ...
- EDSITEment.
Digital history outputs include: digital archives, online presentations, data visualizations, interactive maps, timelines, audio files, and virtual worlds to make history more accessible to the user.
Are digital books better for college? ›
College students are rarely without a digital device, so digital textbooks are also never lost or forgotten. This is a great option for students who have a hectic lifestyle. Cheaper— Digital textbooks are generally cheaper than traditional textbooks, often sold at half the cost of a physical copy.
Are digital textbooks free? ›
Open textbooks are licensed by authors and publishers to be freely used and adapted. Download, edit and distribute them at no cost.
What do you mean by digital history? ›
Digital history might be understood broadly as an approach to examining and. representing the past that works with the new communication technologies of. the computer, the internet network, and software systems.
Computers store information in their memory. A computer's memory is made up of special switches. To store information in the memory, computers turn these switches on or off.
Does Apple use a database? ›
Apple iCloud has exabytes of data and billions of individual databases : r/programming.
Is History.com a trustworthy source? ›
They hire professional historians to write and edit their articles. These articles may not be as heavily peer-reviewed as articles written in professional journals, but History.com is a reliable free source.
Is Digital Investigation a legitimate company? ›
Digital Investigation has an average rating of 3 from 4 reviews. The rating indicates that most customers are generally satisfied. The official website is digitalinvestigation.com. Digital Investigation is popular for Professional Services, Private Investigation.
Can I trust the history Channel? ›
In addition to this change in format, the network has been criticized by many scientists, historians, and skeptics for broadcasting pseudo-documentaries and pseudoscientific, unsubstantiated, sensational investigative programming.
Is Digital People legit? ›
Overall, 86% of employees would recommend working at Digital People to a friend. This is based on 16 anonymously submitted reviews on Glassdoor. How do job seekers rate their interview experience at Digital People? 67% of job seekers rate their interview experience at Digital People as positive.
