I. Type of Site and Purpose
This site was designed to assist 7-12th grade teachers and students about ways in which African Americans actively and passively resisted segregation in order to achieve personal and community goals.
A. Partnership with social studies programs Fairfax and D.C. school systems **Teachers and students primary stakeholders...more than consultants. = new ways of learning and teaching on the web.
B. Focus on ordinary people ... sometimes lead to national attention; but not in most cases
C. Resistance - refers to individual or grp. efforts to interupt, maneuver around, or stop unjust racial practices
D. AFAM not passive victims. Period after reconstruction - late '60s
Resistance to Jim Crow - Content
2. Content
A. Transcribed interviews...directly involved in acts of resistance
B. How tos in oral history with important links
C. Teacher resources, lesson plans, essays, annotated bibliographies, participate (get involved), and related links.
D. Student resources (homework help, guidebook to oral history, encyclopedia, interactive lesson plans---distributive education...), oral history Scrapbook...trained students conduct oral history interviews (selected for posting).
Both have documentary movies, audio, image gallery...
E. Monthly Town Hall meeting - 1 for Teachers, 1 for students. In class discussions before and after Town Hall Meetings....first Thurs. of each month.
Online discussions about segregation, social justice, resistance, activism, race and racism. Facilitated by guests or individuals who were interviewed.
Photo Gallery of Resistance in "Action"
Making Sense of Oral History - History Matters Project
Teacher Resources and Student Activities - Jim Crow History
3. Structure and Navigability
A. Designed with resistance to segregation in America theme/interpretation in mind. Michael O'Malley, "the look and feel of a website...are part of its ideology, part of its thesis or argument"
Color selection: Black and white (racial groups); Red (power, "action")
O'Malley adds that "the graphics should function to strengthen the overall argument of a page."
**For Teachers only and For Students Only signs represent protest against segregation, by appropriating "For Colored Only" and "Fopr Whites Only" signs of segregation. Turns the table by asserting agency over oppressive symbols. Line divides.
Template was designed for linked pages.
B. Navigation - major hypertextuality and links. Multiple links to get to the same places. Easy to identify selection menu (top and bottom of page). Each page links back to homepage. By clicking on overview get information on "how to navigate the site" as well as a historical overview. Each specific link contains resources, images, primary source documents, bibliographies, essays, etc... related to the topic (ex. education).
4. Benefits of Digital Format
A. Most obvious: can house extensive collections of materials, accessible to a broad audience (concern with digital divide)
Edward L. Ayers argues "the new technologies are tailor made for history, a match for the growing bulk and complexity of our more self-conscious practice, ...vehicle to connect with larger and more diverse audiences."
B. Digital format allows for on-going updates, additions and improvements with less cost than other formats.
C. This site provides excellent opportunities for the exchange of ideas with peers and experts in the field.
D. People who experience and resisted Jim Crow can engage in online discussions with diverse audiences
E. "One stop shopping" - archives, images, lesson plans, activities, ways to participate, music, videos, etc....
F. This site more prominent commitment to student learning and input...alongside teachers
G. on-going collaboration with school systems insures stakeholders in the development and use of the site..... also, provides new directions in pedagogy.
5. Related Sites and Projects
Civil Rights in Mississippi Digital Archive - Oral History Collection (extensive collection, uniformity, excellent organization of materials; some choppiness in navigation). This site will use similar format.
Remembering Jim Crow - Resistance (one section; audio and transcribed stories; related law).
Behind the Veil - extensive project collecting stories of ordinary people to "correct historical misrepresentations of African American experiences" during segregation. Not yet posted. Will provide a valuable resource when up and running. Covers broad themes.
Southern Oral History Project (SOHP) based at the University of North Carolina...contains a guidebook to oral history.....
Student activities sites - Scholastic ...
6. Technical Plan
A. Consulted with technical designers at the History of Jim Crow site, they suggested Microsoft Frontpage as a software tool for this project. Chose Macromedia Dreamweaver DX (educational resource) because it offers what Frontpage does and more.
Dreamweaver allows for more flexibility. Dreamweaver tends to be more consistent and provides file transfer mechanisms.
Movies and sound clips will be converted to an MPEG format to allow for uploading to this site.
Photoshop 7.0 will be used with images because it allows historians to create high quality images, adjust the size, color, etc...of images. These custom design options are ideal for use in this site.
As suggested by Paula Petri, images will be saved as Tif files to insure highest quality.
The graphic images found in this site were created in Photoshop.
Macromedia flash software will be used in the For Students Only - Participate section which contains interactive games and activities.
To fully explore the site, users will need to download the following software: Real Player or Media Player and Macromedia plug-ins.
Stories • Images • Lesson Plans • Resources • Participate • Town Hall Meeting