The digital world we live in has opened many building blocks, which have allowed for multiple discussions. In Digging in the Digital Archives: Engaging Students in an Online American History Survey, Carla Vecchiola discusses how courses can be designed with the goal being digital media’s use in developing good content for students.
The digital world has unhooked information from authority and created a post-truth ethos, yet it also allows for access to the building blocks of deliberative democratic discussions: sources,
evidence, and databases.-Vecchiola
This quote, which starts off our reading is very strong to Vecchiola’s opinion regarding the digital world. In the 21st century, we have almost unlimited access to technology. The strategy of using technology is becoming very commonplace in classrooms as it can improve teaching strategies, create a culture of engagement, create a culture of motivation and discussion are just a few ways digital media helps.
The pedagogical approach that allowed my students to actively “do history” was the online modality and the student-centered selection.-Vecchiola
Vecchiola talks about how sources for this student work was drawn specifically from primary sources, as well as face to face work. The reasoning behind face to face work was one, that it “avoided marching students through endless events” and two “come to them in the form of a compelling story that is powerfully illustrated”. This helps students get their own unique form of history, that is different from traditional forms.
In fact, the legacy of historical inequalities of Reconstruction is a very contentious point of discussion in face-toface classes, and the modality of online conversation, coupled with the engagement with the primary sources, allowed the students to reach this “obvious” conclusion.-Vecchiola
In the reading Vecchiola discusses the teaching of Reconstruction first in her class. To her, it clears up any misunderstandings regarding and helps people understand the legacy of racial segregation. Following some class debate, many students came up with their own ideas for how reconstruction affected modern race relations in the United States.
