Webinar: Teaching with LEARN NC's Digital History Textbook
Heard about LEARN NC's "digital textbook" for North Carolina and U.S. history but don't know where to begin? These webinars will introduce you to the textbook, show you the kinds of resources available, and give some suggestions for using it.
Learn more about North Carolina Digital History
Want to learn more now?
- The “cover,” which lets you explore by era, search, or browse by keyword.
- Our sampler edition gives you an introduction and overview and examples of the kinds of readings, primary sources, and multimedia available.
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Maybe you’ve heard about LEARN NC’s digital textbook for North Carolina History — or maybe this is the first time it’s crossed your radar. You may be wondering: What’s a digital textbook? How can I use it in my classroom?
What’s going on?
We’re presenting a series of webinars this summer to answer those questions. Each will provide an overview of the textbook, examples of the kinds of primary and secondary resources available, some suggestions for using digital content in your classroom, and how you can use this digital textbook to build literacy and critical thinking skills.
During the webinars, you’ll have a chance to ask questions of presenters and interact with other participants.
Who’s invited?
All teachers are invited to attend, wherever they teach and at whatever grade level — from elementary school through college. The resources in the textbook are designed to cover the grade 8 social studies curriculum, but fifth-grade teachers have successfully adapted them, and many of the primary sources fit easily into college courses.
When is it?
We’ve scheduled three webinars, each one hour long. The content will be the same in each, though it will vary somewhat with participants’ background and interests.
- Wednesday, June 16, 3–4pm
- Tuesday, June 22, 11am–noon
- Monday, August 9, 11am–noon
We ask participants to register in advance (see below), so we know what to expect and so that we can follow up with you afterwards. If there is sufficient demand, we’ll schedule one or more additional sessions in August.
How do I participate?
For these webinars, we’ll be using Adobe Connect Pro. This web-based software will allow you to see, hear, and interact with presenters who will be speaking from the LEARN NC offices in Chapel Hill.
To learn more about Adobe Connect, you may wish to view the short animated demo called “Participating in an Adobe Connect Meeting” on the Adobe Connect website. (Note: Although the video suggests otherwise, you will not receive an email with an individual username and password for the conference. You’ll receive the URL for the meeting room where you will enter your name at the prompt just prior to entry.)
If you’ve never participated in a web conference or webinar, we suggest you also take a look at the archive of LEARN NC’s fall 2009 web conference. There is no need to view the entire archive, but pick any session, and take note of the interface and its component “pods.”
Please test your computer at least one day prior to the event to ensure that you will be able to access the webinar. For details on testing your computer, see the sections “What are the technical requirements?” and “How can I test my computer to make sure it will work properly with Acrobat Connect Pro 7?” from the Adobe Acrobat Connect Help page on the School of Education website. If you have never participated in a web conference or virtual conference, we suggest you review the section called “Participating in a Web Conference” to prepare for this event.
Technical requirements
Technical requirements for participating virtually via Adobe Connect are minimal. The only software you’ll need on your computer is a current version of Flash Player. To see whether your computer is equipped for connection, please see the section “How can I test my computer to make sure it will work properly with Acrobat Connect Pro 7?” on the Adobe Acrobat Connect Help page on the School of Education website. If the test indicates that you do not have the correct version of Flash Player, on-screen prompts will help you install the needed software.
At the hardware level, you’ll need a good set of speakers or a headset to hear the audio component of the virtual conference. With nothing more, you can hear, see, and pose questions and comments using the built-in features of the web-conferencing platform. If you think you’ll want to ask a question or make a comment audibly, then you’ll need a microphone as well (usually a part of computer headsets). If you don’t already have a microphone and/or headset, there is no need to go buy them. Built-in or external speakers will suffice for virtual participants.
