During this phase in the process of creating the 1898 War Political Cartoons prototype, I have become better acquainted with WP platform, develop two activities (draft mode) for students, and discovered exciting complementary primary sources. This is a good pausing point for me to resolve one crucial challenge: who’s the audience? who’s going to visit…
How have digital tools facilitated teaching and learning about the past?
Introduction Digital technologies have provided opportunities for educators and learners to interact with sources that lead them to think about the past in innovative ways. There is a spectrum of tools that have allowed educators to assume the role of facilitator and to focus on activities that builds historical thinking skills. For students, becoming acquainted…
Fifth Piece of the Puzzle: Zoom-In Inquiry Activity
As the next phase in the lesson plan for the 1898 Political Cartoons project, I have been creating a Zoom-In Inquiry activity, based on a lesson plan created by Joe Jelen (Northwood High School), published on teachinghistory.org. This introductory section will be designed to start leading students to a path of inquiry by doing a…
American Imaginings of the Caribbean: Project Update & Reflection
The design of the American Imaginings of the Caribbean Through 1898 Political Cartoons lesson plan is underway. Through the examination of political cartoons as primary resources, this lesson introduces students to American perceptions of the Caribbean during a new phase of territorial expansionism at the turn of the 20th century. I have chosen to build…
Using American Political Cartoons as Primary Sources: A College Educator’s Perspective
How would I use primary sources on the final HIST689 project? As an educator, I envision college Latinx Studies, History, or Humanities majors deeply engaging with historical thinking skills through the examination of one main medium: political cartoons. Concentrating on such a medium could facilitate a transition from content-centric lectures, to interactive learner-centered sense-making sessions.…
HIST689: On Selecting American Political Cartoons on the 1898 War
What were the cultural meanings assigned to Caribbean populations by Americans at the turn of the 20th century? Why is it so difficult to make sense of visual representations produced in the past? How can we “read” political cartoons? In what ways can political cartoons convey a political issue or standpoint? How similar or different…
A Third Piece of the Puzzle: En Routes Project
At a Crossroads: At this point in the process, I need to make a decision regarding the primary sources I will select and the aim of the lesson plan I am about to create. I’m torn between continuing with the En Routes postcard project or an alternate plan that may give me a better chance…
Greetings from Puerto Rico! The “En Routes” Postcard Project
Aim of En Routes Postcards were the Twitter, Facebook, Flick, Instagram, and email (all in one) of the 1900s. And for the United States, the expansion of postcard printing coincided with the nation’s territorial expansion throughout the Caribbean. As a strategic location to secure the sugar and tobacco markets, Puerto Rico felt the presence of…
Historical Thinking in History Teaching
What elements of historical thinking have remained at the heart of history teaching over the decades? The core elements that have remained constant in the ongoing scholarly conversations on the teaching of historical thinking have been historical empathy, historical significance, continuity and change, evidence. I would like to explore them, but through the lens of…
Project Pitch for En Routes: Markers & Makers in 1900s’ Puerto Rico
En Routes: Markers & Makers in 1900s’ Puerto Rico Main Topic: The aim is to create a site for history scholars and scholars-to-be to interact with primary and secondary sources that treat the subject of rural Puerto Rico in the first quarter of the 20th century. This platform will provide educators and learners access to…
