Transcriptions, Research, & Sun Tea

Welcome back!

This week’s caffeine question is this, What is your opinion on sun tea? Have you tried it, made it, or even heard of it? Comment your answer below!

This week we are talking about how digitized documents and their transcriptions can not only make an impact on your student’s researching skills, but can create a more engaging history lesson! This is a topic I have been so excited to share with you all! So, shall we get started?

So the big question is what everyone is thinking…. Why is there a need for digitized documents and transcriptions? As digital history slowly starts to increase in popularity throughout museums, libraries, archives, etc., many institutes have begun to digitize their collections in a way to allow history to be more accessible to the general public. In doing this, digitized letters from a university archive in Louisiana can be reviewed and lectured about in class by a high school teacher in Maine. Along with the growing number of documents being digitized, the need for transcriptions is also high. Now, why is that? This continues with the need for history to be inclusive and accessible for all. Transcriptions are a way to break down the barriers seen with digitized documents and history in general, specifically those relating to language and disability barriers. By incorporating a transcription alongside a digital document, viewers are able to review them in a way that is accessible to them personally, without the worry of trying to find accomodations.

Now that we’ve discussed the importance of these documents and their transcriptions, where can we find these? Many institutions, such as museums, state archives, university archives, and public libraries, have their own digital history collection that can be reviewed and researched through their websites. There are also many sites geared towards specific eras or topics that house digitized documents, along with their transcriptions. One of these sites is CWRGM, The Civil War and Reconstruction Governors of Mississippi. This site is a project I helped with during my last semester of undergrad and my first semester of grad school. I worked alongside other history students by creating and reviewing transcriptions for the documents digitized for the collection. It is a great tool for teachers who are covering the United States Civil War, as they are able to show how everyday citizens, soldiers, generals, and southern governors acted and thought of the war. CWRGM is a very simple site to navigate if you are unfamiliar with looking through historical documents. After finding a document you are interested in, you are able to read the transcription alongside the actual document, how cool is that! It also helps if you have a hard time reading late 19th century handwriting……..I know I was guilty of it when I first started transcribing. Along with the documents, educators are also able to use the lessons plans created in correlation to the documents on the site. And the best part? They’re free! Another site is From the Page. This is a more hands on site, as it allows students to help with transcription creation for the documents uploaded to the site. There are countless collections to choose from to help transcribe while also letting students see history in a different format other than a textbook. After a quick search through the collections and a tutorial on how to transcribe the documents, students are able to view first hand the attitudes and opinions of the creators of the letters. How cool is that!

As far as how these platforms can be incorporated into lessons plans, there really isn’t a strict agenda to follow with them. Just have fun with it! Many of these documents can be viewed during lessons as examples for students to study with in order to better understand historical events that may be covered in class. Along with this idea, they can also be used as primary sources for students to use when writing their research papers, or on a test when discussing the importance of the letters and its correlation to history. If you are interested in the hands-on work, such as transcribing, students can be assigned one or two documents to work on on their own and evaluate the creator’s background, purpose for writing, etc. If these ideas seem to be too much, sites such as CWRGM have already done the hardwork for you by creating grade appropriate lesson plans for you to use.

Following the current theme of visual tools, as seen in previous posts, this too is a great visual tool to incorporate into lessons. By allowing students to get a first hand look at how the creators wrote, were educated, and believed what they believed, they will be able to use those context clues to connect the dots within history that they might not have thought of. Along with that, their research skills are able to be pushed to a new limit, as they review these documents and make their own conclusions within their research. The rise in digitized documents allows for history to become even more accessible than it was ten years ago. As a result, the options relating to where to find these documents or how to work with them has also grown in ways that allow educators access to more formats of materials in order to bring history back to life within the classroom.

If you have any questions or comments about this week’s post, be sure to comment below or feel free to contact me via the contact form.

Until next time!