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Essay / Primary Sources on the Web - 1759
Primary Sources on the WebTeaching with primary sources is not a new idea, but the means of accessing these valuable sources have changed dramatically with the popularization of the Internet. More and more historical collections and archives are being digitized and made available online by governments, museums, and other educational and nonprofit organizations. All that remains is to train educators to locate, access and use the vast amount of primary resources available in digital format. What are primary sources? Cantu (292) and Fresch (94) found that pre-service teachers often do not have a clear understanding of the definition of primary sources. Before we can teach with primary sources, we need to understand exactly what they are. The Library of Congress defines primary sources as "original items or documents that have survived from the past, such as clothing, letters, photographs, and manuscripts" that are "part of direct personal experience of an era or an event. To clarify and expand this general definition, Fresch provides his pre-service teachers with various types of primary sources (93). Although the resources discussed in this article are focused more on historical documents, it is important to realize that digitized primary sources do not necessarily have to be old. The Library of Congress launched the MINERVA web archiving project to preserve “born digital” primary sources. Why use primary sources? Primary sources bring history to life. Instead of passive learning, students are exposed to different perspectives, allowing them to actively engage in learning and create their own meaning to events and issues. Using primary sources in the classroom is also...... middle of paper ......istration. November 2, 2007. .Thomas. [ ]. The Library of Congress. November 12, 2007. Troutner, Joanne. “Best Sites for Primary Sources.” Teacher-Librarian 33.5 (June 2006): 39-40. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO. University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. November 4, 2007. Warren, Wilson J. “Bridging the Distance Between Authentic History Pedagogy and Everyday Classroom Practice.” » Professor of History 40.2 (February 2007): 249-255. Premier Academic Research. EBSCO. University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI. November 4, 2007..ebscohost.com.helin.uri.edu:80/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=24563366&site=ehost