MCN2015

Museums have lots of stuff: objects, maps, photos, documents. History teachers love to show this “stuff” to students to help them understand their place in history. But getting the stuff to the students and actually using it can be tricky.

Websites and online collections repositories have made it easier to bring these primary sources into the classroom. However, many teachers are still not accessing them. We asked why and started collaborations with teachers to learn more about how teachers are -- and are not -- using digital primary sources. We talked to teachers at conferences, focus groups and trainings. We asked questions like how do teachers find these resources? what’s do they do once they find it? what makes an online repository useful to you?

We quickly realized that while there are power digital primary source users, many teachers are starting at a very basic level when it comes to using these amazing resources.It became clear that teachers want and need more support in finding and using these resources. It also became clear that we needed to work with teachers in order to understand how they used these sources and how they wanted them delivered. The collaboration with teachers has increased as we realized that museums and teachers working together will expand access and ensure that digital collections are contributing to younger generations’ knowledge of history and critical-thinking skills. Watching teachers use digital primary sources in the classroom has been an excellent learning tool. MNHS staff have created an informal project collaborating with individual teachers to provide them with exactly the sources they want, and then watching how the sources are used with students.

This session will discuss findings of research with teachers about their skills in finding and using digital primary sources, and, more importantly, will have a teacher demonstrate how he uses these resources in his classroom. The presenters will discuss their ongoing collaboration, including the recent publication of an iBook for teachers about using digital primary sources in the classroom.