Speaking of History

Today's podcast is sort of a rambling (consider yourself warned) about how I watched my Twitter feed about the State of the Union Address last night before I listened to it on my own.  Viewing events like debates, speeches and sporting events is definitely different when you are commenting and watching it live on Twitter.  What does this say about us socially?  Do you watch live events with your phone or i-Pad in one hand commenting to Twitter?  Please listen to the podcast and then leave a quick comment. Direct link : Speaking of History Podcast #215 "Watching the State of the Union Address Through the Eyes of Twitter" - MP3 file (9 minutes)

Hello.  Today's podcast is part do-it-yourself, part technology.  I discuss how in a couple of minutes we took our family antique cabinet radio from the 1930's and soon had it playing Glenn Miller big ban music and reports from D-Day.   Direct link : Speaking of History Podcast #214 - Antique Radio Time Machine - MP3 Links from podcast: Old World Radio - great site to download original music, comedy shows and dramas Montgomery Ward Airline 62-215 Radio - 1935

Hello. It has been 535 days since my last podcast but I'm back.  I really enjoy podcasting and it is my hope to rejuvenate the post here in 2012.  I have been busy the past 2 years working on my doctorate and that time that I used to spend on the podcast has largely been consumed by doctorate work.  I am now finished with my course work and am writing my dissertation.  Today's podcast is a short recap of what has been happening in the past two years and my desire to get back on track.  Thanks for listening. Direct link : Speaking of History Podcast #213 - I'm Back (10:00 minutes)

Many people think of George Washington as a general or a president but he was also a very innovative farmer. During my week at Mount Vernon this summer as a participant in the 2010 Gilder Lehrman Summer Seminar I spent time studying Washington's actions as a farmer. He did some amazing things on his farms and was on the cutting edge of technology for his time. Today on a visit to Mount Vernon you can visit a reconstruction of the 16 sided round barn he built and designed to thresh grain. One of Washington's most important decisions as a farmer came in 1765 when he decided to shift the from growing tobacco to wheat. He was one of the first to do this on a large scale in Virginia. He made this decision for several reasons and it ultimately allowed him to make a profit at a time when those who stayed with tobacco eventually fell further in debt. During the seminar I created a lesson plan to help students analyze why Washington made this decision. The lesson is created primarily for a middle school or junior high history class and can be conducted in one 45 minute period. Students will also be using a couple of primary resources from George Washington. The podcast describes the lesson plan and this blog post includes a full description and materials in PDF format. This blog entry also includes a short video shoot at Mount Vernon with Daniel Purkey, Lead Interpreter for Historic Trades at Mount Vernon, describing the reasons for Washington's decision. Link to a full text description of the Washington Decision lesson plan (PDF file) Link to the student graphic organizer used in the lesson along with a copy of a completed teacher version (PDF file) Click to subscribe to the Speaking of History Podcast at i-Tunes here Direct link to Podcast #212 - Washington's Big Decision Lesson Plan