Program info

TECHNOLOGY - THE DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD - September, 2009 - May, 2010

Technology: The Double-Edged Sword is one element of a Department of Education Teaching American History Grant that was awarded in July 2007. Teacher participants will study US history through a series of monthly readings and 3-hour discussion group study sessions that will incorporate the most current historiographic interpretations, hands-on work with national, state and local primary documents, on-line interaction and critical analysis and instruction in building and maintaining professional, interactive peer groups to maintain and extend quality instruction beyond the period of instruction.

Participants will approach US History through a focus on the history of technology, beginning with the Colonial Era and continuing into the 1990s. The format will employ lecture, small group discussion, and historical reading and writing. Participants will utilize primary sources and develop familiarity with their availability for use in the own classrooms. As the final demonstration of expertise in the topic, participants will develop and present a professional quality book review from a list of previously selected monographs that deal with the theme of American technology.