Telling Their Stories: Producing Web-based Digital Oral History

Presenter:
Howard Levin, The Urban School of San Francisco, Director of Technology

Bio:
Howard Levin is Director of Technology at The Urban School of San Francisco. Prior to Urban, he served as history chair and teacher at the Overlake School of Redmond, WA, as well as Assistant Head of the Jewish Day School in Bellevue, WA. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). Howard also has authored articles in ISTE’s Leading and Learning with Technology and is a frequent presenter at national education conferences. His work with Telling Their Stories: Oral History Archives Project resulted in a NAIS Leading Edge Award in Technology for Urban. Howard holds a MA.Ed from the University of Washington. More information available at www.howardlevin.com.

Abstract:
Modern digital production and editing tools now make it possible for students to contribute with meaningful and immediately useful research previously reserved to professionals. This presentation looks at one example where high school students conduct professional-style interviews with elders who suffered trauma as youngsters in the course of key 20th century historical events. High School students have helped to produce a growing public website [www.tellingstories.org] composed of full-text transcripts and corresponding digital video of Holocaust survivors, concentration camp liberators, and Japanese American relocation camp internees. Session participants will be inspired to apply this oral history model to their own course and grade-level objectives as well as the unique interview possibilities in Hawaii.

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