OAH Community College Conference 2012

The Organization of American Historians will be holding its Sixth Annual Community College Conference on June 14-16, 2012. This year's setting will be at Lincoln Land Community College in Springfield, Illinois. 


"The conference offers community college historians an excellent opportunity for professional development, networking, and an enjoyable break in the bustling capital of Illinois. Attendees will also have a chance to immerse themselves in the city where Abraham Lincoln began his professional career as an attorney and politician.



The 2012 OAH Community College Conference will feature panels tailored to meet the specific needs and challenges of community college historians. The conference, held over three days, revolves around plenary-style panels and small group sessions focused on subjects related to teaching American history.


“Speakers give presentations that include thematic approaches and suggest topics and sources not always familiar to community college instructors who are overwhelmed with teaching responsibilities,” said Doris Dwyer, professor of history at Western Nevada College and OAH Executive Board member.


Conference presenters are master teachers, community college professors, prominent research historians, and local public history experts.


“The OAH works very hard to ensure that the topics covered are timely and appropriate to the educator's classroom,” said Mark Roehrs, professor of history at Lincoln Land Community College. “The speakers are experts in their fields and engaging presenters, and the field experiences are high quality, educational, and entertaining.”


While immersed in sessions and events, attendees will have an opportunity to network with a unique mix their peers. Networking is essential to building collegiality, assimilating lessons learned, and setting the stage for follow-up activities.


“Networking is one of the greatest benefits of attending the conference,” said Katherine Finley, executive director of the OAH. “Participants can share and receive feedback on their research, talk about professional issues and concerns, and meet old friends and colleagues.”

DEADLINE Tomorrow, May 15: Herbert Baxter Adams Prize for 2012

History Education Hawaii reminds our members, friends and visitors that tomorrow is the deadline for the Herbert Baxter Adams Prize.

Sponsored by the American Historical Association, this prize is awarded annually for a distinguished book by an American author in the field of European history. 

The prize was established in memory of the first secretary of the Association, Herbert Adams of Johns Hopkins University, who was also one of the Association's founders. The Adams Prize is one of the most important distinctions bestowed by the profession in the field of European history.

According to the AHA web site, this year books on European history from the ancient period through 1815 will be eligible for the competition.


The general rules are:


1. Since the prize is designed especially to encourage scholars who have not yet obtained an established reputation, the entry must be the author's first substantial book. Textbooks in the strict sense of the word are not eligible, but a work of wide scope which interprets a major period or area would certainly qualify. Pamphlets, anthologies, edited works, and other small-scale efforts will not qualify.
2. The entry must have been published between May 1, 2010, and April 30, 2012.
3. The author must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States or Canada.
4. The submission of an entry may be made by an author or by a third party as well as by a publisher. Publishers may submit as many entries as they wish.
5. One copy of each entry must be sent to each of the following committee members.


Entries must be postmarked by or on MAY 15 to be eligible for the 2012 competition. For more detailed information go to this link today. 

PBS: Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Tools for Educators

One of the most popular recent offerings by PBS is 'Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.,' broadcast on Sunday nights.

"The basic drive to discover who we are and where we come from is at the core of the new 10-part PBS series Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the 12th series from Professor Gates, the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research. Filmed on location across the United States, the series premieres nationally Sundays, March 25 – May 20 at 8 pm ET on PBS."


History teachers here in Hawaii and elsewhere across the world will be delighted to find a section dedicated to educators! A series of lesson plans with accompanying video and other resources are offered free to charge. Users are also able to post comments. Click this link for access to the lesson plans.

PBS Hawaii: Under a Jarvis Moon Historical Documentary

(Photo Credit: Pacific Heartbeat)

Last evening on PBS Hawaii the station broadcast Under a Jarvis Moon. Produced by Pacific Heartbeat, this documentary:

"is the story of 130 young men from Hawai‘i who, from the late 1930s through the early years of World War II, were sent on a clandestine mission by the U.S. Federal Government to occupy desert islands in the middle of the Pacific. The first wave of these colonists were Hawaiian high school students, chosen because government officials assumed that Pacific Islanders would be best able to survive the harsh conditions present on the tiny, isolated islands. For the young men, who were unaware of the true purpose of their role as colonists, what ensued is a tale of intrigue, courage, and ultimately, tragedy. Amazingly, these men (four of whom are still alive) are only now being recognized for their sacrifice, and efforts are underway for the United States to officially acknowledge them for serving their country."

This historical documentary was voted  'Best Documentary' at the 2010 Hawaii International Film Festival.

Did you miss the broadcast? Fear not! Go to this link or the one hyper-linked above and watch it on YouTube.

History Teaching Jobs on H-Net.Org

 H-Net.Org is an online-based international consortium of scholars and teachers focusing on the humanities and the social sciences.

On its 'About H-Net' page, the organization "creates and coordinates Internet networks with the common objective of advancing teaching and research in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. H-Net is committed to pioneering the use of new communication technology to facilitate the free exchange of academic ideas and scholarly resources."

One of the features of the H-Net.Org web site is a section with job postings. Go to this link for further information.

EdTechTeacher Workshop:10th-annual Teaching History With Technology Workshop

History Education Hawaii, Inc., has learned from EdTechTeacher.org that a professional development workshop is being offered for history and social studies teachers. Hawaii teachers are strongly recommended to register:

The 10th-annual Teaching History With Technology Workshop is an intensive three-day, hands-on opportunity for history and social studies educators to explore practical ways to use technology to enrich their history curricula and engage students. The workshop explores innovative ideas, effective techniques, and ready-made plans for incorporating Web-based resources, desktop software packages, and emerging technologies into the classroom instruction of history.

The workshop provides numerous examples of the best history-related web sites, describes practical methods and techniques for using technology in the history and social studies classroom, and includes opportunities for targeted web exploration after each "mini" lesson. Examples highlight both inquiry-based and research-oriented technology applications in World History, World Cultures, United States History, and Civics for middle school, high school, and college. The workshop emphasizes innovative ideas and exciting projects for incorporating Web 2.0 tools including wikis, blogs, podcasts, Google Docs, social networks, and other emerging technologies into the classroom.

This  workshop will be offered June 27-29 and July 30-August 1, 2012. For more information, such as scheduling, bios of instructors, registration and payment, go to this link today. http://edtechteacher.org/index.php/professional-development/summer-workshops/37-thwt

EdTechTeacher Workshop: Teaching the Civil War & World War II with Technology

History Education Hawaii, Inc., has learned from EdTechTeacher.org that a professional development workshop is being offered for history and social studies teachers. Hawaii teachers are strongly recommended to register:

The Teaching the Civil War & World War II with Technology workshop is an intensive hands-on opportunity for history and social studies educators to explore practical ways to use technology to enrich their history curricula and engage students. The workshop covers various Civil War and WWII topics such as campaigns and battles, diplomacy and politics, soldier and civilian experiences, and explores innovative ideas for incorporating virtual tours and simulations, inquiry based research, Google Docs collaboration, iPad integration, wikis, blogs, podcasts, online social networks, and other emerging technologies into the classroom instruction of these topics.

The workshop provides numerous examples of the best Civil War and WWII web sites, describes practical methods and techniques for using technology in Civil War and World War II units, and includes opportunities for targeted web exploration after each mini lesson.

This  workshop will be offered August 2-3, 2012. For more information, such as scheduling, bios of instructors, registration and payment, go to this link today.