The Hawaii History Blog Project Launched by History Education Hawaii

History Education Hawaii has launched a new, online-based innovative program. The Hawaii History Blog Project at www.hawaiihistoryblogs.blogspot.com. 

Representing a new and dynamic learning destination, the Hawaii History Blog Project offers producers and users of historical information an opportunity to expand the applications of historical literacy on a global scale. 

Participants are invited and encouraged to use their historical blogs to construct historical communities through the presentation of historical information as well as engage in scholarly discussion. 

"We view historical blogging as a facilitative forum where historians, educators, students and history buffs can globally connect with others regardless of location who share specific interests and can unleash their curiosity," said the blog project's founder, Jeffrey Bingham Mead, the head of History Education Hawaii, an allied organization of the National Council for History Education based in College Park, Maryland. 

Mead added, "The increased popularity of portable hand-held devices challenges all members and advocates of the historical literacy community to find new, innovative methods of providing ready-access to historical information. Capitalizing on the demand for portability and informational access, as well as social networking, we believe is key to improving and transforming history learning in and outside the classroom. Confining our efforts to classrooms is simply not enough. " 

"The Hawaii History Blog Project, which is part of our Hawaii Lyceum of History program, is not a substitute nor an effort to 'dumb-down' historical scholarship, such as found in the research, production and submission of term papers, for example. Historical blogs feature original, high-quality content not readily found in traditional textbooks. In addition, many history educators and students do not have the time or access to archived materials. What the emergence of historical blogs does seek to accomplish is engage history learners in producing the content they desire to learn and to share with others. Historical blogs also invite inquiry, commentary and discussion regardless of location."

"We issue a challenge to our Hawaii-based history educators, history students and historians who have a love of history to create quality blog sites to add to our blog roll."

To learn more about the Hawaii History Blog Project go to www.hawaiihistoryblogs.blogspot.com/

History Education Hawaii, Inc., (HEH) -formerly the History Education Council of Hawaii founded in 2006 - is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit corporation serving the history learning community of the state of Hawaii that:

• Promotes leadership, study, research, effective, innovative history teaching and learning best practices.
  
• Collaborates with educational institutions, facilitates interactive, professional and interactive programs involving history-buffs, history educators and students, teacher-candidates, historians and historic preservationists, foundations, museums as well as the government, military and business communities of Hawaii.
  
• Envisions an active, dynamic historical learning community where lifelong learners set a standard of the highest-quality scholarship, and are literate explorers of the past for the benefit and enrichment of the present and the future.
  
• Deems historical literacy as vital to continued citizen participation in the democratic process though the dissemination of scholarly works using the latest modern technological advancements.