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Evaluation Report:

Alaska’s Digital Archives

and

Support of Alaska History Education

January 2, 2006

byStephanie Hoag

Stephanie Hoag Consulting119 Seward #12

Juneau, AK. 99801

Alaska’s Digital Archives and Support for Alaska History Education 2

Table of Contents

Page

Introduction …………………………………………...1

Background: Alaska History Education ………………………………………….. 1

Evaluation Methods ………………………………………….. 2

Alignment of Digital Archives Content with the Alaska History and Cultural Studies Course. …………………………………………...4 Unit 1: Geography …………………………………………...4

Unit 2: Alaska’s Cultures …………………………………………...7Unit 3: Russia’s Colony ………………………………………….10Unit 4: America’s Territory ………………………………………….11Unit 5: Governing Alaska ………………………………………….13Unit 6: Modern Alaska ………………………………………….15

Alignment of Digital Archives with draft Alaska History Performance Standards 18Historical Inquiry ………………………………………….18People, Places, and Environment ………………………………………….19Consumption, Production, Distribution ………………………………………..20Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power ………………………………….21Continuity and Change ………………………………………….22

Time Periods and Topics ………………………………………….23 Suggestions for Additional Items

………………………………………….25

Educator Feedback ………………………………………….26Results of Teacher Email Survey ………………………………………….26

Additional Feedback from Teachers ………………………………………….29

Summary of Results ………………………………………….31Content Alignment ………………………………………….31Organizations and Ease of Use ………………………………………….33

Appendix: A: Geographic Coverage Search Results ………………………………………….35 B: E-mail Survey Questions ………………………………………….36


Introduction

This report presents the results of an evaluation of Alaska’s Digital Archives conducted between September and December of 2005. The purpose of the evaluation was to determine how the project is progressing towards one of its goals, that of providing support for Alaska’s new state history education initiatives for high school students.

A detailed analysis of the contents of the archive was carried out to determine how well that content aligns with the content that students will need to master. The objective of the analysis was to find gaps or holes in the Archives’ content in order to guide selection of new items as the Archives grow.

In addition, educators who have had some experience with the use of the Archives provided feedback on its potential for supporting their efforts.

Background: Alaska History Education

In March 2005, the Alaska State School Board set a new graduation mandate, effective January 1, 2009, that requires high school students to either earn one-half credit in Alaska history or demonstrate proficiency on Alaska history performance standards. The board directed that performance standards be developed to clarify what students will be expected to know and be able to do for Alaska history credit. A draft of the proposed Alaska History Performance Standards was presented to the state school board in Dcember, 2005, with a request that it be made available for public comment. The performance standards have not yet been adopted into regulation. If adopted, they will be used by local school districts to determine student competency.

Prior to the enactment of the graduation mandate, the Alaska Humanities Forum undertook the Alaska History & Cultural Studies Curriculum Project, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, The high-school curriculum for Alaska History and Cultural Studies was posted on-line at www.akhistorycourse.org in 2004 and pilot-tested by teachers from across the state. Extensive work went into compiling and organizing information and resources for the curriculum, and detailed lesson plans were developed. As a unique, comprehensive, and readily available free curriculum, it will provide a useful resource for teachers who are assigned to teach Alaska History.

The exact content of an Alaska history course will vary for students across the state.Most teachers of Alaska History would be expected to use the performance standards, if adopted, as guidelines in developing their courses. The degree to which they strictly adhere to the standards will vary according to teacher experience and background, district requirements and policies, and level of accountability.


http://www.akhistorycourse.org/

Evaluation Methods

Comparison with Alaska History and Cultural Studies Course The evaluation of Alaska’s Digital Archives’ content began with a detailed comparison to the content of the Alaska History and Cultural Studies course developed by the Alaska Humanities Forum.

The Alaska History and Cultural Studies course consists of six units, each of which provide readings for students and a Teacher Guide. The Teacher Guide lists “Enduring Understandings” for each unit that outline the big ideas and concepts for students’ focus, similar to “standards” for the course. In addition, the guide provides teachers with lesson plans and classroom activities.

Each of the 54 Enduring Understandings and each of the 25 course activities was examined, and topics or content areas were compared to those cataloged in the Digital Archives. Searches were performed on various terms related to the understandings and Activities. In general, the searches were quick and simple, but when no matches were found, more complex searches were performed to dig deeper into the Archives.

Comparison with Standards. After the comparison of the Archives to the course materials was completed, a draft of the un-adopted Alaska History Performance standards was also examined. It was compared with both the course content and the contents of Alaska’s Digital Archives. While the standards were different from the Essential Understandings used in course materials, there was considerable overlap in content. Standards were matched to the course’ Essential Understandings and Activities and to the searches done previously. Often, there was not an exact or one-to-one match, and new searches were performed where needed. The Digital Archives were searched for any specific people, events, places, or laws cited in the standards or given as examples, if they had not been previously encountered in course materials.

Ratings Each of the Essential Understandings, Activities, and Standards was rated “**” if there were items in Alaska’s Digital Archives that related to its content, or “*” if that content was missing. On one occasion only, a rating of “***” for an activity indicated that it would be possible to use the Digital Archives as a stand-alone resource for completing the activity.

It is important to understand that the ratings are subjective. The course objectives and standards might be stated in terms of abstract ideas, like environmental preservation, cultural change, opposition, whereas the Archives is oriented towards more concrete objects and cataloged accordingly. That often made it hard to decide whether or not a match existed. Often the standards are broad, and might include a whole range of ideas or


topics within one standard. Partial matches were given a ** rating. For example, one of the draft performance standards states:

The student demonstrates an understanding of the discovery, impact, and role of natural resources by:identifying patterns of growth, transformation, competition and boom and bust, in response to use of natural resources (e.g., supply and demand of fur, minerals, and whaling).

It would be difficult for a student to use the Archives to “identify patterns of growth, transformation, competition and boom and bust in response to use of natural resources”. However, there are many items in the archives that illustrate the use of resources during different periods of history, so this was considered a match.

Gaps in Alignment When specific items or topics within a standard or activity were missing from the Archives, these were noted and described. Generally, if there were a few pertinent items in the Archives, a “gap” was not noted.

Educator Feedback Feedback from teachers using Alaska’s Digital Archives was sought to further assess the degree to which the project supports Alaska’s new high school history curriculum requirement. In late September 2005, an email message was sent to about 25 teachers who had participated in the pilot of the Alaska History and Cultural Studies Course. They were invited to comment on Alaska’s Digital Archives, describe how they and their students use it in their classrooms, and give any suggestions for improvement. A more formal e-mail survey (See appendix) was sent in mid-November to approximately sixty people, including the same “pilot” teachers as well as teachers involved in the Molinet and LearnAlaska projects. Nine people responded to that survey, and their responses were compiled and described for this report.


Alignment of Digital Archives Content with the Alaska History and Cultural Studies Course.

The alignment between the course’s “Enduring Understandings” and Alaska’s Digital Archives was rated as follows:

** There are related materials in the archive that could help to illustrate the idea. (43 of the Enduring Understandings were supported.) * There are few or no items in the archive that relate directly to this idea. Some connections are possible but they are weak. (11 items fell into this category.)

For the Lesson Plans and Activities, the following ratings were used.***Alaska’s Digital Archives could be the major or stand-alone resource used by students involved in this activity. (This was true for 1 activity.)**Alaska’s Digital Archives could provide illustrations for teacher lectures and handouts, or student reports related to this activity and/or could be used for extension activities. (This was true for 20 of the 25 activities described)* Alaska’s Digital Archives would be marginally if at all useful in supporting this activity. (This was true for 4 activities)

The following pages present the results of the analysis for each individual course unit.

Unit 1: Geography

The following charts illustrate the alignment between content of Alaska’s Digital Archives and the elements of this unit. *** Alaska’s Digital Archives could be a main or stand-alone resource ** Alaska’s Digital Archives could provide support for the idea or lesson* Alaska’s Digital Archives would be marginally if at all useful

Enduring Understanding Rating1. Geography is the science that focuses on the question of "where." **2. Alaska's location is critical to understanding its role in world

history.**

3. Alaska's vast size and geographic shape are essential to understanding its diversity.

**

4. Alaska's vast size and geographic shape present significant internal transportation (difficulties) within the region.

**

5. To a geographer, place is somewhere people can identify as special or distinctive and they also have tangible physical and human geographic characteristics.

**

6. The region is a conceptual tool that provides a way to organize space.

**Note 1


Alignment with Alaska History and Cultural Studies Course

Unit 1: Geography, Continued Enduring Understanding Rating

7. Physical processes in the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere shape Alaska's environment.

**

8. Ecoregions provide a means of understanding the spatial interaction of physical systems in Alaska at different geographic scales.

*

9. Alaska's changing human population is unevenly distributed across the landscape.

*

10. People need to protect and maintain the quality of the environment. People use environmental resources for economic development.

**

11. Natural hazards are a dominant feature of Alaska's environment. **12. People give names to both human and physical features of the

landscape. The names offer insights into who occupied the land in the past.

*

Note 1: Alaska’s Digital Archives’ organization of regions is used as an example in course materials at http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=122(See Figure PR 4 –Perceptual Regions)

Lesson Plan /Activity Rating1. Treasure Hunt – 1 class period

Students locate mountain ranges, bodies of water, islands, peninsulas, rivers, waterways and major communities on a map, from a list.

**See Appendix A

2. Physical Systems/History - 4 class periods. Students study maps, texts, and do internet research to answer the question “How have physical systems (lithosphere, atmosphere, etc.) impacted history in Alaska?” They create a “timeline” for one system.

**

3. My Community as a Region - 1 class period. Students analyze their own community as a formal, functional, perceptual region

*

Suggestions for additional Digital Archives items to improve content alignment

Items that illustrate worldwide historical events (other than World Wars I and II), international conferences, resource management agreements with other countries, international transportation (Understanding 2)

Items related to conservation, ecosystems, and environmental protection (Understandings 7, 8, 10)


http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=122


Unit 1: Geography, Continued

More items representing physical features such as mountain ranges, bodies of water, and other “uninhabited” places. (Activity 1) Specific places were named in the course materials that were missing altogether from the Archives were: Kuskokwim Mountains Beaufort Sea Noatak River Dixon Entrance Lake Iliamna.

Terminology/Organization

Differences in terminology used in the course materials for this unit and that used in Alaska’s Digital Archives could make it difficult for students or teachers to search for materials. Many of the specific terms used in the course materials were not found in the Archives, although items could be found by using related words. The following are examples of cases where the terminology did not match: Not Found: Search results positive for:Lithosphere permafrost, landscape, earthquake, landslide, rock, erosionAtmosphere snow, permafrost, climate, stormBiosphere vegetation, animalHydrosphere glacier, river, bayNatural hazard flood, tsunami, earthquake, disaster, landslide

Summary

Nine of the twelve “Understandings” and two of the three suggested activities for the Geography unit were supported by materials in Alaska’s Digital Archives. Students could use the Archives to find illustrations of many geographic locations across the state, and of transportation systems, diversity, resource use, and natural hazards. Most of the gaps in alignment with the Geography unit were related to the physical features and natural environment of Alaska. Additional archive items that relate to Alaska’s international significance could also improve the alignment.



Unit 2: Alaska’s Cultures

The following charts illustrate the alignment between the course’s “Enduring Understandings”, the Lesson Plans and Activities, and Alaska’s Digital Archives for this unit. *** Alaska’s Digital Archives could be a main or stand-alone resource ** Alaska’s Digital Archives could provide support for the idea or lesson* Alaska’s Digital Archives would be marginally if at all useful

Enduring Understanding Rating1. Understanding the nature of culture as a construct will promote the

ability to reflect on cultural norms as windows into the customs, beliefs, and practices of groups that are different than those experienced by the viewer.

**

2. Cultural groups develop within the dimensions of time and space and the use of key resources within these dimensions produces cycles and patterns of life within that culture.

**

3. Present day Alaska was home to multiple cultural groups who developed sophisticated societies prior to contact with the European people. Reflecting on the stories and literature of a cultural group provides a first person account of how that society viewed the world.

*

4. When Alaska Native cultures made contact with Western cultures, protection of their land became an on-going issue.

**

5. After contact with Western cultures, Alaska Native cultures gradually developed new political organizations.

**

6. Western education has been a mixed legacy for Alaska Native cultures i.e., it has been both an opportunity and a means of assimilation

**

7. The transformation of the health care system by Alaska Natives illustrates the integration of traditional and modern cultural practices.

**

8. Alaska Native cultures have changed to adjust to today's world and to contemporary society.

**

9. Alaska Natives are economic and cultural leaders in the State today. **10. Alaska Natives exercise self-determination and sovereignty by

pursuing the interests of their communities and by trying to influence federal and state policies.

**

11. Beliefs, customs, knowledge and values that are connected to traditional Alaska Native cultures can be heard in the voices of Alaska Natives today. Alaska Native leaders are a diverse group who are committed to the development of Alaska Native cultures and people.

**



Unit 2: Alaska’s Cultures, continuedLesson Plan/Activity

1. An Introduction to Culture – 2 class periods. Students explore different types of greetings for different situations and in different cultures, do internet research, and discuss the meaning of culture

*

2. Cultures Use Key Resources – 2 class periods Students discuss seasonal use of resources in Northwest Alaska prior to European contact.

**see note below

3. Regions and Native Peoples – 5 class periods. After discussion of culture, students research and fill out Investigation sheets on one native group, looking at customs and practices related to: Family and society, Government, Economic system, Property ownership, Tools and technology, World view, Artistic expressions.

**

4. Traditional Cultural Literature extension lesson – 2 class periods. Students read and analyze traditional stories

*

Note (Activity 2): Very few items illustrate use of resources prior to European contact, but there are many items that do illustrate traditional types of resource use.


Items that illustrate Native cultures in Alaska before European contact (Understanding 3, Activity 2)

Items related to legends and traditional stories (Activity 4) More items on contemporary Native leaders (Understandings 9 and 11) Additional items on some Alaska Native groups, particularly Eyak and Tsimshian

cultures. The groups listed in course materials, with the number of items found are as follows:Athabascan (601 items) Inupiaq (764 items)Tlingit (379 items) Yup'ik (155 items) Aleut (152 items) Cup'ik (112 items) Haida (43 items) St. Lawrence Island Yupik (32 items)Alutiiq (22 items)Tsimshian (6 items)Eyak culture (0 items)

Items related to non-Native minority cultures in Alaska. (Asian-Americans, Polynesian-Americans, Latin-Americans) No specific “Understandings” or activities in the course addressed non-native minorities, but these groups are included in the course readings.



Unit 2: Alaska’s Cultures, continuedOrganization/Terminology

The aspects or dimensions into which “culture” is organized differ between the course materials and Alaska’s Digital Archives site. In a few cases, the study categories match the “Pathways” fairly well, making it simple to find materials:

Tools and Technology (Traditional Technology Pathway)Subsistence patterns (Making a Living Pathway)Ceremonial /Beliefs (Ceremonial Life Pathway)

For most of the other study categories, items can found using the search engines and entering the category name along with the word “native*” and/or substituting related terms. Those categories are: “House Types and Settlements”, “Clothing”, “Regalia” and “Role of Shaman”, “Social Organization”, and “Events”, “Trade”, and “Transportation”.

It would be very useful for this unit to be able to perform easy “multilayer” searches within the Alaska’s Digital Archives site’s pathways, regions, and/or time periods. For example, a user could go to the Alaska Native History and Cultures section, click on “Northern Region” and then search on “transportation” to could get only the transportation items related to native cultures in the northern region. Or, a user who was in the “Art” pathway of the Alaska Native History and Cultures section part could perform a search on “Southeast” and get only items related to Southeast Native Art. Without that capability it is still possible to find such items, but it requires greater sophistication on the part of the users and takes more time.

The breakdown of the “1959 and later” time period would help with activities where students are looking at what’s happening in Native culture “today”.

Summary

Ten of the eleven “Understandings” and two of the four suggested class activities for this unit could be supported by items found in Alaska’s Digital Archives. Students could use the site to find illustrations of most of the state’s native cultures, and could use the Pathways on the site to get insight into education, health, care, Native leadership, and other topics. Gaps in alignment with this unit were related to pre-contact native cultures, Native legends and stories, and inadequate coverage of a few native cultural groups as well as most non-native minority cultural groups in Alaska. More items on contemporary Native leaders would also be useful.

The ability to search within Pathways, time periods, or regions, and a breakdown of the 1959 and later time period would assist teachers and students in finding materials related to this unit.



Unit 3: Russia’s Colony


Enduring Understanding Rating1. Beginning in the 15th century, western European countries

developed new attitudes and technologies to sail to lands unknown to them, which they explored and mapped, and from which they took resources. Europeans viewed Natives as inferior, and did not honor their rights or sovereignty.

**

2. Russians and other Europeans gathered scientific and geographic information about Alaska.

**

3. Exploiting Alaska's resources led to creation of a Russian monopoly company. Russians were dependent on Native Alaskans for labor, supplies and other necessities.

*

4. The Russian Orthodox mission in Alaska helped to defend Alaska Native rights and established schools and orphanages

*

5. Russia sold its American colony because it was becoming unprofitable and was impossible to defend.

*

Lesson Plan/Activity Rating1. A Story of the Colony Through Primary Sources Part One - 2 class

periods Students study and analyze documents (provided)

2. A Story of the Colony Through Primary Sources Part Two - 2class periods

Students study and analyze photographs

**

3. Examining the Effects of Russia’s Colonization - 5 class periods Students read and make presentations about Russia’s effects on Alaska’s history, and make presentations

**


Items that depict life during the colonial period, particularly: o any items depicting relationships between Russians and Alaska Natives

(Understandings 1 and 3, all activities)o items showing the work of Russian Orthodox missionaries between 1741

and 1867. (Understanding 4, all activities)

Items that illustrate Russia’s profits from the colonies or that depict battles and defense problems (Understanding 5)



Unit 3: Russia’s Colony, continued

Organization/Terminology

Terminology or organization of materials didn’t present any issues for this unit, since the number of items in the Archives related to the Russian colonial period is small enough to browse fairly easily.

Summary

Two of the five Understandings and all three of the classroom activities for this unit could be supported by materials from Alaska’s Digital Archives. While the number of items related to Russian America is not large, the Digital Archives contains some very old maps, documents drawings, and artifacts that would interest students and teachers. Relationships between Russians and Alaska Natives, work of early Russian Orthodox missionaries, economic activity, and defense are content areas where it would be helpful to have additional items.

Unit 4: America’s Territory


Enduring Understanding Rating1. Since the U.S. acquired the territory in 1867, Alaska's economy

has been dependent on resource extraction and dominated by large outside corporations.

**

2. The U.S. Government has been a major participant in Alaska's economic development by helping development of marine, land and air transportation and communication systems.

**

3. Through land management and legislation, the federal government plays a significant role in exploration, use and conservation of Alaska's resources.

**

4. The non-Native population has dominated Alaska politics, economics, and society, yet Natives influenced territorial events.

**

5. Alaska has been impacted by and had a role in national and world events

**



Unit 4, America’s Territory, continuedLesson Plan/Activity Rating

1. Protecting Land –4 class periods Students read about Indian-White relations, learn about treaties and acts related to land ownership, and discuss.

**

2. Gold Rush Photos – 2 class periodsStudents write creative essays about the gold rush, based on historical photos – students use a Photo Analysis Sheet developed by education staff of National Archives

***

3. Reporting on WWII in Alaska -10 class periods. In research teams, students produce a news magazine about the impacts of World War II on Alaska

**


Items related to Alaska’s role in national and world events during the territorial period. Specific examples in the course materials included international sea mammal hunting, the Cold War, and the Depression. (Understanding 5)

Illustrations of large-scale resource extraction by outside corporations (Understanding 1)

Specific World War II topics (Activity 3)o The Russian airlift from Ft. Wainwright o Japanese internment.

Organization/TerminologyThe pathways under “Movement to Statehood” were helpful in searching for items related to this unit. The ability to search by time period within a pathway would be helpful in finding materials related to the concepts and activities for this unit.

SummaryAll of the five Understandings and all three classroom activities for this unit could be supported at least in part by materials from Alaska’s Digital Archives. Students can find illustrations of resource use, study photographs of the Gold Rush or World War II, and read documents and treaties related to America’s territory. Additional items related to Alaska’s role in national and international affairs and to resource extraction by outsiders during the territorial period might be useful, as well as for a few additional specific World War II topics.



Unit 5 – Governing Alaska

The following charts illustrate the alignment between the course’s “Enduring Understandings”, the Lesson Plans and Activities, and Alaska’s Digital Archives. *** Alaska’s Digital Archives could be a main or stand-alone resource ** Alaska’s Digital Archives could provide support for the idea or lesson* Alaska’s Digital Archives would be marginally if at all useful

Enduring Understanding Rating1. After the 1867 purchase of Alaska, the United States government

paid little attention to the land and its people. There was no government for many years.

**

2. Most Alaska Natives were not affected by the purchase from the Russians and went on living their lives as they always had.

**

3. The first steps by the United States to extend government to Alaska occurred because of gold discoveries in Southeast in the 1880s.

**

4. Alaska had no elected representation until 1906 when it gained a non-voting delegate to Congress.

**

5. Alaska gained some self-government with the creation of the territorial legislature in 1912. The federal government had the most say about what happened until Alaska became a state.

**

6. The absentee control of mining and fishing in Alaska was a major sore point for a long time in territorial Alaska.

**

7. During World War II Anchorage emerged as the main economic and population center. Becoming a state became a popular cause.

**

8. Alaskans wrote the constitution for the state of Alaska before statehood was approved, hoping that it would show they were ready to join the Union.

**

9. Alaska became the 49th state in 1959. It was the first time Alaskans could vote for president, governor and had a voting delegation in the U.S. Congress and an elected governor.

**

10. The state constitution created a strong chief executive--the governor.

**

11. The constitution provides for two types of local government--cities and boroughs.

*

12. There are many options for citizens to find out about government actions and to stay involved.

**

Lesson Plan/Activity Rating1. Fish Trap Roundtable – 3 class periods.

Students read in course materials about fishtrap issues, do additional research and take various roles in a discussion.

**

2. A Constitution for Alaska – 2 class periodsStudents read about the constitution, read a biography of Gruening, listen to a speech by Gruening, watch a film, and discuss.

**



Unit 5: Governing Alaska, continued

Lesson Plan/Activity Rating3. Alaska Natives Create New Political Organizations – 2 class

periods.Students complete a “Political Relations” activity, read about political relations involving Alaska Natives between1867 and1945, learn about AFN from their website, and write biographical sketches of two Alaska Native leaders.

**


More items illustrating pre-1867 Native life (Understanding 2) More items related to absentee control of territorial fisheries and mining

(Understanding 6) Items having to do with city and borough governments in Alaska (Understanding

11) Flore Lekanof, one of the Alaska Native leaders mentioned for this period.

(Activity 3)


For this unit, it was sometimes difficult to search directly on wording presented in the course materials, but useful related items could be found if users are familiar enough with Alaska’s Digital Archives. For example, for Understanding 12 “There are many options for citizens to find out about government actions and to stay involved.”, searches on different variations of “citizen involvement” didn’t turn up much. However, almost any of the interviews of people who lived in Alaska prior to statehood would provide illustrations of how people became involved as citizens. The “Government” Pathway was useful for this unit.

SummaryEleven of the twelve Understandings and all three of the classroom activities for this unit could be supported by Alaska’s Digital Archives. The Archives contain a large number of items related to Alaska’s developing government. Students can see photos of early territorial legislatures, listen to recordings of constitutional conventions, compare photos of pre-and –post World War II Anchorage, see a fishtrap at work, and listen to Alaskans’ stories to hear how they became involved in government. Illustrations for their biographies of Native Leaders can readily be found on the site. The areas where the alignment could be enhanced would be: Additional items on early Native lifestyles, anything related to the control of fishing and mining, items on city and borough governments.



Unit 6 – Modern Alaska

The following charts illustrate the alignment between the course’s Enduring Understandings, the Lesson Plans and Activities, and Alaska’s Digital Archives for this unit. *** Alaska’s Digital Archives could be a main or stand-alone resource ** Alaska’s Digital Archives could provide support for the idea or lesson* Alaska’s Digital Archives would be marginally if at all useful

Enduring Understanding Rating1. Establishing the StateThe Alaska Statehood Act contained a contradiction between the land rights of Alaska Natives and the land entitlement of the state. Resolving that contradiction led to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 (ANCSA) and the 1980 Alaska lands act (ANILCA).

**

2. Alaska Native ClaimsThe 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act of 1971 titled land to Alaska Natives and created corporations to support Alaska Natives economically.

**

3. Oil Discovery and Development in AlaskaThe discovery of North America's largest single oil deposit at Prudhoe Bay in 1967 transformed Alaska as no other force in its history

**

4. Alaska Lands ActThe 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, a spin-off from ANCSA, provided federal protection for Alaska's and the nation's environmental "crown jewels."

*

5. SubsistenceConnection to the land is an essential and integral part of Alaska Native identity. ANILCA provided a rural preference in subsistence harvest of traditional Alaska resources, but that preference contradicts the Alaska constitutional guarantee of equal access to Alaska's resources for all citizens. While that contradiction remains unresolved, the federal government has assumed management of such resources on federal land in Alaska, and of such species as move between federal and state land.

**

6. Alaska Permanent FundAlaskans created a permanent publicly-owned investment fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund, in 1976

*

7. Alaska Economy and Resource DevelopmentAlaska's economy is dependent on resource extraction, today primarily oil.

**

8. Alaska Environment and LandMuch of Alaska is owned by the federal government, and is protected by some sort of environmental legislation, reflecting the view of most Americans that Alaska is America's last wilderness.

*



Unit 6: Modern Alaska, continuedEnduring Understanding Rating

9. The Military in AlaskaThe military plays an important role in Alaska.

**

Lesson Plan/Activity Rating1. Opposition to the Alaska Native Claim Settlement Act – 2 class

periodsStudents read articles against ANCSA from native’s viewpoints, and read letters to Howard Rock and the Tundra Times They write responses or imaginary dialogs.

**

2. Between Two Worlds - 2 class periods Students read articles from Juneau Empire about impacts of ANCSA, respond to questions, and write essays.

**

3. Western Education: Opportunity with Great Cost - 2 class periods Students read and listen to various sources related to Native experiences with Western Education and answer focus questions.

**

4. The Health Care System: Alaska Natives Integrate the Traditional and the Modern- 2 class periods Students read about 1975 American Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act and about Della Keats and do research from Alaskool and Manilaq web sites, then answer questions about health care.

**

5. The Dynamic Nature of Culture - 3 class periods Students view Smithsonian exhibit online and read from sources provided. They discuss changes in Alaska over the last 50 years and their impacts on Native culture.

**

6. Native Regional Corporations - 2 class periods Students explore AFN website and those of all the Native Corporations, discuss roles and impacts of native corporations.

**

7. Profiles of Alaska Native Leaders - 2 class periodsStudents select people, cultural groups, or corporations to report on orally to class. They are encouraged to show pictures.

**

8. Alaska Natives - Cultural Leaders (extension lesson) –2 class periods Students read about cultural preservation and view contemporary native art and discuss the notions of cultural renaissance and cultural preservation.

**

9. Alaska's Current Issues - 2 class periods Students generate a class list of issues and categorize by domain (state, federal, tribal, local government). Students research one issue from each domain and contribute to class discussion.

*

There were four additional activities listed for this unit, but descriptions or lesson plans were unavailable.



Unit 6: Modern Alaska, continued


ANILCA (Understandings 1, 4, 5, 8) Conservation/environmental protection (Understandings 4, 8, Activity 9) Permanent Fund (Understanding 6) Exxon Valdez and/or oil spills in general (Understandings 3,7,8, Activity 9) Current issues in Alaska (after the ‘80s) (Activity 9) 1975 American Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act

(Activity 4) Specific modern Native and female leaders listed in course materials: (Activity 7)

o Annie Browero Rachel Craigo Della Keats o Georgianna Lincoln o Bertha Moses o Mary Schaeffero Clare Swano Fran Ulmero Alice Wardlowo Rosita Worlo Ronald H. Brower, Sr. o Roy Hundorfo Julie Kitkao Albert Kookesho Janie Leask o Oliver Leavitt o Byron I. Mallott o Peter Kalifornsky o Morris Thompson

Interviews about Alaska Natives’ experience with schooling would be helpful (Activity 3)


It would be very useful for this unit to be able to perform easy searches within the “1959 and later” time period or within the Alaska Native History and Culture section of the site. As in Unit Two, it is possible to find items without that capability but it takes more time.

The breakdown of the “1959 and later” time period into at least two smaller increments would help with this unit.



Unit 6: Modern Alaska, continued

Summary

Six of the nine Enduring Understandings and eight of the nine classroom activities for this unit could be supported in part by Alaska’s Digital Archives. Students could find items on almost any aspect of Alaska’s culture to see how it has changed during the last 50 years, and find plenty of illustrations of education, health care, and subsistence. They can read the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and see photos of those who helped to negotiate it. There were also quite a few topics in the unit that were missing including ANILCA, oil spills, the Permanent Fund, and the 1975 American Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Many modern Native leaders and female leaders were missing from the collection.

Alignment of Digital Archives with draft Alaska History Performance Standards

The Alaska History Performance Standards have not yet been adopted into regulation, but the most current draft of the standards was used to do additional analysis of Alaska’s Digital Archives’ content.

Most of the 35 Alaska History Performance Standards overlap considerably with the Enduring Understandings and the lesson plans and activities described in the Alaska Humanity Forum’s on-line course. Where there is overlap, a reference is made back to the appropriate course unit and element, and a rating is assigned to the standard indicating whether it can be at least partially supported. There are only two standards that are not matched to any specific course objectives or activities, but both of those can obviously and readily be supported by the use of the Digital Archives.

In some cases there are terms, people, laws, places, or ideas mentioned in the text of the standards that had not been encountered in the Alaska History and Cultural Studies course materials. A search was performed on each of those terms.

Historical Inquiry

The student demonstrates an understanding of the methods of documenting history by:

See Related Course Section

Rating

Historical Inquiry 1:developing (and implementing, if time permits) a plan for a local history project, utilizing such concepts as interviewing protocols; uses of oral history, historical context, pre-interview research, primary sources, secondary sources, proper citation,

(none) **



corroboration, and cause and effect.

People, Places, and Environment

The student demonstrates an understanding of the interaction between people and their physical environment by:


Rating

People, Places, and Environment 1:comparing and contrasting geographic regions of Alaska.

Unit 1EU 5,6,8

**

People, Places, and Environment 2:using texts/sources to analyze the similarities and differences in the cultural attributes (e.g., language, hunting and gathering practices, art, music/dance, beliefs, worldview), movement, interactions, and settlement of Alaska Native peoples.

Unit 2EU 2, 8Activity 3

**

People, Places, and Environment 3:using texts/sources to analyze the effect of the historical contributions and/or influences of significant individuals, groups and organizations (local, regional, statewide, international).

Unit 2EU 9,10,11Unit 5Activity 2,3Unit 6Activity 4,7

**

People, Places, and Environment 4:describing how Alaska's strategic location played an important role in military buildup and explaining the interrelated social and economic impacts.

Unit 1 EU2Unit 4 EU5Activity 3Unit 5 EU7 Unit 6 EU9

**

People, Places, and Environment 5:comparing and contrasting the differing perspectives between rural and urban areas.

None **

People, Places, and Environment 6:analyzing patterns of movement and settlement.

Unit 1 EU 9 *

People, Places, and Environment 7:using texts/sources to explain the political, social, cultural, economic, geographic, and historic characteristics of the student’s community or region.

Unit 1 EU 7Unit 2 Activity 3Unit 5 EU 3

**


Consumption, Production, Distribution

The student demonstrates an understanding of the discovery, impact, and role of natural resources by:


Rating

Consumption, Production, Distribution 1:identifying patterns of growth, transformation, competition and boom and bust, in response to use of natural resources (e.g., supply and demand of fur, minerals, and whaling).

Unit 1 EU 10Unit 2 EU 2 Activity 2Unit 3 EU 1Unit 4 EU1Unit 5 EU3,6Unit 6 EU3,7

**

Consumption, Production, Distribution 2:using texts/source to draw conclusions about the role of the federal government in natural resource development and land management (e.g., jurisdiction, authority, agencies, programs, policies).

Unit 4 EU 3Unit 6 EU4,8

**

Consumption, Production, Distribution 3:using texts/sources to draw conclusions about the significance of natural resources (e.g., fisheries, timber, Swanson River oil discover, “sustained yield” in the Alaska Constitution) in the statehood movement

Unit 5 EU 3,6, Activity 1

**

Consumption, Production, Distribution 4:describing the federal government’s construction and maintenance of Alaska's infrastructure (e.g., transportation, communication, public health system, education).

Unit 4 EU2,3Unit 6 EU9Activiites 3,4

**

Consumption, Production, Distribution 5:using texts/sources to analyze the multiple perspectives in the continuing debate between conservation and development of resources.

Unit 1 EU10Unit 4 EU 3Unit 6 EU 4,5,7,8 Activity 9

**

Consumption, Production, Distribution 6:describing the formation of Alaska Native Corporations and their impact on Alaska’s economy.

Unit 6 EU 2 Activity 6

**

Consumption, Production, Distribution 7:explaining the creation and implementation of the Permanent Fund and how it has impacted the state.

Unit 6 EU 6 *


Alignment with draft Alaska History Performance Standards

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power

The student demonstrates an understanding of the historical rights and responsibilities of Alaskans by:


Rating

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 1:identifying and summarizing the structures, functions, and transformation of various features (e.g., leadership, decision-making, social and political organization) of traditional Alaska Native governance.

Unit 2 EU 5,10,11Unit 5 Activity 3Unit 6 EU2 Activity 6,8

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 2:using texts/sources to analyze the impacts of the relationships between Alaska Natives and Russians (i.e., Russian Orthodox Church, early fur traders, Russian American Companies, enslavement, and Creoles).

Unit 3 EU34Activities 1,2,3

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 3:explaining and analyzing tribal and western concepts of land ownership and how acting upon those concepts contributes to changes in land use, control, and ownership (e.g., ANCSA, ANILCA)

Unit 2 EU2 Activity 2Unit 4 Activity 1Unit 6 EU2,4,5,8

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 4:explaining Alaskans' quest for self-determination (i.e., full rights as U.S. citizens) through the statehood movement.

Unit 5 EU4,5,6,8,9

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 5:explaining the impacts of military actions relative to Native communities (e.g., Naval bombardment of Angoon, Aleut internment, military expeditions).

Unit 4 EU2,5 Activity 3Unit 6 EU 9

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 6:using texts/sources to analyze how the military population and its activities, including administrative, policing, defense, mapping, communication, and construction, have impacted communities.

Unit 4 EU5Activity 3Unit 6 EU 9

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 7:describing the historical basis of federal recognition of tribes, their inherent and delegated powers, the ongoing nature and diversity of tribal governance, and the plenary power of Congress.

Unit 4 Activity 1Unit 6 EU 1

**



Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power continued

The student demonstrates an understanding of the historical rights and responsibilities of Alaskans by:

Course Reference

Rating

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 8:describing how Alaskans, particularly the Native people, challenge the status quo to gain recognition of their civil rights (e.g., appeals to the Russian government, Ward Cove Packing Co. Case, Molly Hootch, anti-discrimination acts, women's suffrage).

Unit 2 EU 4-11 Unit 3EU 1,3Unit 4 Activity 1Unit 6 Activity 7

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 9:exploring the federal government’s influence on settlements in Alaska (e.g., Matanuska Colony, Anchorage, Adak, Tok, Hydaburg) by establishment of post offices, military facilities, schools, courts, and railroads.

Unit 4 EU 2,3

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 10:identifying the role of Alaska Native individuals and groups in actively proposing and promoting federal legislation and policies (e.g., William Paul, Tanana Chiefs, ANB, ANS)

Unit 2, EU 8-11 Unit 4 EU 4 Unit 5 Activity 3Unit 6 Activities 1,7

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 11:exploring federal policies and legislation (e.g., Alaska Citizenship Act, Tlingit-Haida Jurisdictional Act, Indian Citizenship Act of 1924, Alaska Reorganization Act, ANCSA) that recognized Native rights.

Unit 2, EU 8-11, Unit 4 EU 4, Activity 1 Unit 5 Activity3Unit 6 EU 1,2,7

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 12:explaining and analyzing tribal and western concepts of land ownership and how acting upon those concepts contributes to changes in land use, control, and ownership (e.g., ANCSA, ANILCA).

Unit 4 Activity 1Unit 6 EU 1,2,4

**

Individual, Citizenship, Governance, Power 13:using texts/sources to analyze the evolution of self-government through an examination of organic documents (i.e., Treaty of Cession, Organic Act, Territorial Act, Alaska State Constitution, Statehood Act).

Unit 4, Activity 1

**



Continuity and Change

The student demonstrates an understanding of the chronology of Alaska history by:


Rating

Continuity and Change 1:using texts/sources to recognize and explain the interrelationships among Alaska, national, and international events and developments (e.g., international interest, trade, commerce).

Unit 1 EU2Unit 4 EU 5

**

Continuity and Change 2:describing how missionary policies and practices influenced Alaska Natives.

Unit 2 EU 6Unit 3 EU4

**

Continuity and Change 3:describing how the roles and responsibilities in Alaska Native societies have been continuously influenced by changes in technology, economic practices, and social interactions.

Unit 2 EU 8 **

Continuity and Change 4:giving examples and non-examples to explain subsistence as a way of life.

Unit 2 EU 2Activity 2Unit 6 EU 5

**

Continuity and Change 5:defining, describing, and illustrating the economic, political, and social characteristics of the major periods, their key turning points (e.g., implementation of Prudhoe Bay pipeline, Molly Hootch case, ANCSA, ANILCA, ANWR, natural and manmade disasters, establishment of Alaska Native Corporations) and how they interrelate.

Unit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

**

Continuity and Change 6:explaining the historical context and the legal foundations (e.g., Alaska Constitution, ANCSA, MMPA, ANILCA, Katie John case) pertinent to subsistence.

Unit 2 EU 2Activity 2Unit 6 EU1,2,3 5

**

Continuity and Change 7:comparing and contrasting the perspectives of sport, commercial, and subsistence users on policies regarding fish and game management

Unit 6 EU 5Activity 9

**

Time Periods and Topics

In addition to simply listing student learning objectives, the Alaska History Performance Standards include cross-referencing and organization into time periods that are perfectly aligned with the time periods used to organize the Digital Archives’ site. For each time period, a suggested but not inclusive list of possible study topics is given. These were compared with the content of Alaska’s Digital Archives, using previously conducted search results and new searches where needed.

The topics for each time period are listed on the following pages.



Time Periods and Topics, continuedIndigenous Alaskans before western contact (time immemorial -contact)Items related to each of the eight topics listed here can be found in Alaska’s Digital Archives, although there are few items dating back to that time period. There are more modern items that show these aspects of traditional culture.

Locations, Social organizations, Cultures, Political traditions, Natural resources, Cultural changes, Archeology, Native Oral Traditions

Colonial Era-The Russian period (1741-1867)Items related to 6 out of the 11 topics listed here can be found in Alaska’s Digital Archives. They are highlighted in bold type.

Rationale for European explorations, Epidemics, Utilization of Alaskan resources, Relationships with indigenous peoples, Role of significant leaders (e.g., Katlian, Baranov, Veniaminov, Netsvetov), Missionary activities, Russian dependence on Alaska Natives, Russia's incentive to sell.

Colonial Era- The United States Period (1867-1912)Items related to 11 out of the 15 topics listed here can be found in Alaska’s Digital Archives. They are highlighted in bold type.

United States' motives for purchasing Russia's interest in Alaska ,Treaty of Cession, Legal status of Alaska Natives under the Commerce Clause and the Marshall Trilogy, Mining Law of 1872, Organic Act of 1884, Role of Sheldon Jackson, Resources (e.g., whaling, fur trading, mining, commercial fisheries), Gold Rush, Nelson Act of 1905 and the dual school system

Alaska as a Territory (1912-1959)Items related to 24 out of the 26 topics listed here can be found in Alaska’s Digital Archives. They are highlighted in bold type.

Territorial Organic Act of 1912, Native efforts toward civil and land rights (e.g., founding of ANB, ANS, and Tanana Chiefs), Role of significant individuals (e.g., Judge Wickersham, William Paul, Elizabeth Peratrovich, Ernest Gruening), Infrastructure (e.g., railroad, aviation, roads, ships), Indian Reorganization Act, World War II and internment of Aleuts and Japanese Americans, Cold War, Creation of National Parks and Forests, Resources (e.g., oil, timber, coal), Constitutional Convention, constitution, and statehood

Alaska as a State (1959-present) Items related to 13 out of the 23 topics listed here can be found in Alaska’s Digital Archives. They are highlighted in bold type.



Time Periods and Topics, continued (Alaska as a State)Role of significant individuals (e.g., Eben Hopson, Howard Rock, Ted Stevens, Katie John), Controversies of Statehood Act land selections, Disasters (e.g., 1964 Earthquake, 1967 Interior flood, Exxon Valdez oil spill), Formation of Inuit Circumpolar Conference, Formation of AFN, Development of public education (e.g., Molly Hootch case), Prudhoe Bay pipeline, Permanent Fund, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), Marine Mammal Protection Act 1972 (MMPA), Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), Indian Self-Determination Act 1975, Indian Child Welfare Act 1978, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Tourism, Economic Issues

Suggestions for Additional Items

The previous suggestions made for alignment with the Alaska History and Cultural Studies course also apply to alignment with the draft Alaska History Performance Standards.

For better alignment with the standards, items could also be added related to:

Places/Events/issues: Swanson River oil discovery Ward Cove Packing Co. or Ward Cove Packing Company “case” Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Inuit Circumpolar Conference

People: Molly Hootch, or Molly Hootch case Katie John or Katie John case Katlian, Netsvetov

Laws: Alaska Citizenship Act Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 Alaska Reorganization Act, Alaska State Constitution (actual text) Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 Indian Child Welfare Act 1978 Commerce Clause Marshall Trilogy Mining Law of 1872 Nelson Act of 1905



Educator Feedback

Results of Teacher Email Survey

Only nine educators responded to an email survey that was sent to a list of about sixty probable Digital Archives users. Of the respondents, 8 were classroom teachers who used the Digital Archives with students in grades:

K-5 (2 respondents) K-12 (1 respondent) 6-8 (3 respondents) 6-12 (1 respondent) 9-12 (1 respondent)

The ninth person who responded to the survey was a District Office administrator. A copy of the survey questions is included in the Appendix.

Results of the survey were as follows

Support of Standards

Teachers were asked to rate how well they thought each of the five themes from the Alaska History Performance standards could be supported through the use of Alaska’s Digital Archives, A rating of “1” indicated “not at all” and a “5” indicated “Very Well”.

All nine participants responded to that question, with the average ratings were as follows:People, Places, Environment 4.4

Historical Inquiry 4.2 Continuity and Change 3.7Individual, Citizenship, Government, Power 3.1Consumption, Production, Distribution 2.8

Potential Classroom Use of Alaska’s Digital Archives

“Teacher Presentations” and “Student Projects and Presentations” were most frequently chosen as likely uses for Alaska’s Digital Archives; each was chosen by eight of nine (89%) respondents. Seven respondents ( 78%) indicated that they might use the Digital Archives as a reference source, and six (67%) said they might use it to illustrate handouts and might assign students to complete tasks that make use of the Digital Archives.

Most respondents (7 or 78%) would use the Digital Archives for a few lessons or activities during a semester, and two thought they would use it more frequently. One respondent indicated that it could be used “to support almost every lesson or class activity” and one that it could be used for at least half of the lesson or activities in their class.



Use of Primary Sources in Teaching History

All of the respondents thought that primary sources were important to teaching history. Five respondents rated the importance as a 5 (out of 5) and four rated it as a 4, for an average rating of 4.6.

Ease of Searching the Digital Archives

Most respondents thought that it was important to be able to search the Digital Archives easily. One respondent rated the importance as a “2”, while all others rated it as a 4 or a 5, with an average rating of 4.4.

When asked about the current ease of searching the Digital Archives, most (7 or 78%) of the respondents gave positive ratings of 4 or 5. One gave it a rating of “2” and one rated it as a “3”, with an average rating of 4.0.

Coverage

When asked about the importance of comprehensive coverage by time period, educators responded with an average “importance rating” of 4.0. They thought that the current coverage was fairly good, giving it an average rating of 3.9.

Comprehensive coverage by region was slightly less important to educators, receiving an average “importance rating” of 3.6. The current coverage by region received an average rating of 3.0, indicating that it was not considered to be quite as good as the coverage by time period.

Two of the nine respondents chose not to answer the questions about coverage.

Technical Difficulties

Respondents were asked if they had experienced technical difficulties in accessing multi-page documents, moving images, and/or audio resources.

Three respondents (33%) had experienced difficulties with multi-page documents as follows:

“Doesn’t always load or save properly”“Last year we had trouble putting it on the site, but this was remedied”“Won't load quickly, especially if more than 12 students are online”

Three respondents (33%) had also experienced difficulties with moving images as follows:

“Couldn't get it to work - maybe my machine” “Doesn’t always load or save properly”



“Slow in keeping student attention”

Only one respondent had experienced difficulty with audio resources, indicating that it“Doesn’t always load or save properly”

Holes or Gaps in Coverage

Three of the survey respondents had found holes in the Alaska Digital Archives’ coverage, as follows:

1. Koyukon - Allakaket, Hughes, Huslia, Koyukuk, Nulato, Kaltag, Ruby, Manley (Note: an Archives search produced between 3 and 20 items for each of these places)

2. Subsistence, how, why, when, problems, etc.3. We were trying to research ravens and for being such a prominent bird, and

symbol, of Alaska there wasn't hardly anything on ravens.

Positive Feedback

When asked what they particularly liked about the Digital Archives, educators responded as follows:

1. “When it works it is very easy to use!!”2. “Students find it interesting to see actual relics from the past and to project their

understanding using these relics.”3. “The mixture of photos and museum objects.”4. “Ease in viewing photos”5. “University Archives available in the classroom”6. “The enthusiasm I see from my students as they research projects. Having the

pictures available to them opens up a world of discussion and I find that a plus in my teaching.”

Positive feedback under “additional comments” was a follows1. Thank you for doing this work. It is appreciated. Nice photos.2. This resource is a wonderful beginning. I hope that the funding continues and

that history teachers throughout Alaska will be accessing this site. Thanks so much for all the hard work that has gone into this project.

3. Great resource for Ak studies.

Suggestions for Improvement

The following suggestions were submitted by survey respondents:1. (Add a) bibliography for which collections are digitized2. Creating tours (refers to LearnAlaska) is limiting, I realize the copyright issues of

downloading pictures, but it would be so much nicer to download photos and insert them in my/or students own powerpoint presentations.

3. (Comments refer to LearnAlaska project) After creating eleven of the same tour, I would (have) said NO to teacher presentations. This program has too many



glitches and the opportunity for failure is constant. If a teacher were to spend several hours building a tour and then having it not open, that would be the end of it. I think at this point in time, the tour building feature is not ready for the general public. I use computers on a daily basis at work and in my private life. I feel that I am fairly competent using a variety of programs. The Learn Alaska Tour builder is simplistic and, at first appearances, easy to use. But, the simplicity of the program seems to be it's downfall.

a. It is frustrating not to be able to save the tour as I work. With a wrong click or a power surge, or a cranky computer, the tour is lost.

b. Adding objects can be very frustrating, as some objects just won't uploadc. Deleting objects would be helpful, since duplicates can be unintentionally

loaded.d. I found the blank slide doesn't load text in the tour (although does show in

the editor).e. Creating a backup document is essential for building a tour (this should be

part of the instructions)f. Displaying moving images in a tour isn't as easy as it appears (instructions

should be included on the Learn Alaska Tour Viewer)I would say double no for student projects and presentations. Since Tours require an e-mail address. And the possibility of the tour not opening once it has been received it to great. Tours (including photos/moving images) should be allowed to download in it's entirety. There are to many locations where Internet access is shaky at best.I have written to Robin (Davis, from LearnAlaska) about the problems I had with loading objects, I found that the URL's can be different depending on how I accessed the original file and this makes for problems with uploading objects.

My main frustration with this program is the inability to save as you work. Having to e-mail the tour to yourself is ok, but, sometimes the tour just wouldn't open and I would lose an hour of work, plus, if I had changed the wording and not copy and pasted to my backup document the wording is lost as well. Add a computer freezeup and another hour was lost.

Additional Feedback from Teachers

Three teachers responded to an e-mail request for feedback on the site, sent in late September, 2005. These were teachers who had participated in the pilot of the Alaska History and Cultural Studies course.

“I teach a year-long AK history course in Klawock, and have used the archives when studying the gold rush. I have students look up a topic, choose a couple of photos, and then note certain things about it such as dress, transportation, objects, etc. Great activity for the kids. I am hoping to use the site along with lecture more this year, but it all depends on access to the projector. Sometimes I have it and sometimes I don't.Anyway, it's a great site and resource.”



“I am working in Unalaska High School. I must tell you that I see Vilda as one of the most valuable tools at the disposal of teachers, as well as the general public.I use it to add life to any reading or study guide I issue to kids. I also use photos as handouts and in power points, "worth a 1000 words" as they say. My students mainly use it to illustrate papers and posters. I love the search engine, it is very very well indexed, and the resolution of the photos is high enough to print out. I also like the textual info that accompanies each photo A pet peeve of mine is the use of Black and White photos when color ones exist. Almost all the paintings used are in color but usually not show in color. There are literally hundreds of color shots of WWII in Alaska from the National archives Color means 'real' to high school students.” “We are not teaching the course at Susitna Valley this semester but I have done a lot of browsing in the archives. If there is one drawback that I see on many photos, it is the lack of name identification. I know it would be very hard to provide that on really old pictures, but, there are newer ones that list names of people but do not identify them; the photo of Hickel, Church,etc. at statehood is an example. I recognize all of them from my time spent as a U.S. Senate aide, but I am sure many teachers will not. Is there anything that can be done to provide this identification where applicable? Many of my kids have families that have been here for a long time in Alaska and it would be nice if they could possibly see relatives they might not know they had who were instrumental in developing our state’s history. Just a suggestion. Overall, I really like the archives and use them in several of my government and U.S. history courses.”


Summary of Results Overall, the ability of Alaska’s Digital Archives to support students and educators in meeting Alaska’s new history graduation requirement in outstanding. Analysis and comparison of the Archives’ contents to the Alaska History and Cultural Studies Course and the draft Alaska History Performance Standards indicated that 80% of the course objectives, 84% of the lesson plans and activities, and 94% of the performance standards could be supported at least in part. Sixty-five percent of the suggested topics listed within the draft Performance Standards had related items.

Teachers will be able to use the site as a supplemental resource in their courses. Most would be expected to use it several times during a semester, while some might use it more frequently. The Digital Archives will be a valuable tool for teachers making presentations to their students, as well as for students projects and presentations, and might also be used for handouts, as a reference source, and for student research assignments.

Content Alignment

The content alignment could be improved if items were added to the Archives in the following areas:

1) Items related to Alaska’s natural environment, conservation and environmental protection, to ecosystems, natural history, landscapes, and natural hazards.

More items representing physical features such as mountain ranges, bodies of water, and other “uninhabited” places.

Exxon Valdez and/or oil spills in general Ravens (this was noted by a teacher using the Archives – no searches on specific

animals or plants were included in this content analysis) Specific Places Missing

Kuskokwim Mountains Beaufort Sea Noatak River Dixon Entrance Lake Iliamna. Swanson River Ward Cove Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

2) Items that would help to illustrate Alaska’s relationship to and interactions with the world at large, including:

Inuit Circumpolar Conference Items that illustrate worldwide historical events (other than World Wars I and II),

international conferences, resource management agreements with other countries, international transportation

Summary of Results

Content Alignment, continued Items related to Alaska’s role in national and world events during the territorial

period. Specific examples in the course materials included international sea mammal hunting, the Cold War, and the Depression.

Illustrations of large-scale resource extraction by outside corporations Specific World War II topics

o The Russian airlift from Ft. Wainwright o Japanese internment.

Items that illustrate Russia’s profits from the colonies or that depict battles and defense problems

More items related to absentee control of territorial fisheries and mining

3) People and Groups More items on contemporary Native leaders Additional items on some Alaska Native groups, particularly Eyak and Tsimshian

cultures. Items related to non-Native minority cultures in Alaska. (Asian-Americans,

Polynesian-Americans, Latin-Americans) Specific People missing

o Flore Lekanof, o Annie Browero Rachel Craigo Della Keats o Georgianna Lincoln o Bertha Moses o Mary Schaeffero Clare Swano Fran Ulmero Alice Wardlowo Rosita Worlo Ronald H. Brower, Sr. o Roy Hundorfo Julie Kitkao Albert Kookesho Janie Leask o Oliver Leavitt o Byron I. Mallott o Peter Kalifornsky o Morris Thompson o Molly Hootch, or Molly Hootch caseo Katie John or Katie John caseo Katlian, o Netsvetov


Summary of Results

Content Alignment, continued4) Coverage of Time Periods

Items that illustrate Native cultures in Alaska before European contact Items that depict life during the Russian colonial period, particularly:

o any items depicting relationships between Russians and Alaska Natives o items showing the work of Russian Orthodox missionaries between 1741

and 1867 More items illustrating pre-1867 Native life

5) Legal documents of historical interest ANILCA 1975 American Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act Alaska Citizenship Act Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 Alaska Reorganization Act, Alaska State Constitution (actual text) Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 Indian Child Welfare Act 1978 Commerce Clause Marshall Trilogy Mining Law of 1872 Nelson Act of 1905

6) Other

Items related to legends and traditional stories Items having to do with city and borough governments in Alaska Permanent Fund Current issues in Alaska (after the ‘80s) including:

o Subsistence, how, why, when, problems, etc.o Tourism

Organization and Ease of Use

Ease of use was generally rated highly by teachers using the Archives. Some had technical problems when they tried to load multi-page documents or video clips, or when creating tours using the LearnAlaska program.

Suggestions related to organization or ease of use for teachers and students are as follows:

It might be useful to have a guide to Archives that would give specific search tips and help with terminology. For example, a student searching on “Alcan” or “Al Can”


Summary of Results

would get nothing, but if a search is done on “Alaska Highway” there are many results. Teachers and students might not think of the word “ethnotechnology” on their own, but knowing that word helps tremendously in finding resources in the Archives. Training for teachers to introduce them to the Digital Archives could help also.

Description of the contents of each of the pathways would be helpful. For example, Natural Resources includes Fish, Mining, and Timber.

It would be useful to be able to perform easy “multilayer” searches within Alaska Digital Archives site’s pathways, regions, and/or time periods. For example:

o A user could go to the Alaska Native History and Cultures section , click on “Northern Region” and then search on “transportation” to could get only the transportation items related to native cultures in the northern region.

o A user who was in the “Art” pathway of the Alaska Native History and Cultures section part could perform a search on “Southeast” and get only items related to Southeast Native Art.

o A user could go to the 1867 to 1896 time period and look specifically for items related to fishing.

Without that capability it is still possible to find such items, but it requires greater sophistication on the part of the users and takes more time.

Although neither the Alaska History and Cultural Studies course nor the draft History Performance standards break down of the “1959 and later” time period, it would be helpful to do that for students looking at “contemporary” issues.


Appendices

Appendix A: Geographic Coverage Search Results (list comes from a course activity)

Mountain Ranges IslandsName of range Items in VILDA Name of island(s) Items in VILDA

Alaska 9 Aleutians, Aleutian 73, 1664Aleutian 1 Alexander Archipeligo:

Admiralty Baranof Chichagof Prince of Wales

0Brooks 1 14Chugach 2 24Coast Mountains 1 13Kuskokwim Mountains 0 35St. Elias Mountains 1 Attu 97Talkeetna Mountains 3 Kodiak, Kodiak Island 299, 149Wrangell Mountains 2 Little Diomede 36

Peninsulas Nunivak 28Name of Peninsula Items in VILDA Pribilof 44

Alaska 5 St. Lawrence 52Seward 17 St. Mathew 1Kenai 87 Rivers

Bodies of Water Name of River Items in VILDAName of Water Body Items in VILDA Colville 0

Arctic Ocean 22 Copper 114Beaufort Sea 0 Kobuk 2Bering Sea 96 Koyukuk 4Bering Strait 10 Noatak 0Bristol Bay 16 Susitna 47Cook Inlet 835 Tanana 128Gulf of Alaska 9 Yukon 293Kotzebue Sound 6 Southeast WaterwaysLake Iliamna 0 Name of Waterway Items in VILDANorton Sound 7 Chatham Strait 4Prince William Sound 47 Dixon Entrance 0Shelikof Strait 1 Glacier Bay 1

Lynn Canal 12Major Communities

Name of Community Items in VILDA Name of Community Items in VILDAAnchorage 1008 Barrow 181Bethel 33 Cordova 124Dillingham 8 Fairbanks 1132Fort Yukon 260 Galena 16Haines 55 Juneau 623Ketchikan 120 Kodiak 299Kotzebue 72 McGrath 14Nome 681 Seward 719Sitka 296 Skagway 171Valdez 486 Unalakleet 23


Appendices

Appendix B: Teacher E-Mail Survey Questions

1. How might you and/or your students use the Digital Archives resource?(Check all that apply)______ to support almost every lesson or class activity______ to support at least half of the lessons or activities______ to support a few lessons or activities______ for teacher presentations______ to illustrate handouts______ for student projects and presentations______ for student assignments (students use Archive to complete assignments______ as a reference material______ Other:

2. How well could each of these themes be supported through use of the Digital Archives resource:

Not at all Very Well ___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Historical Inquiry___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 People, Places, Environment___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Consumption, Production, Distribution___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Individual, Citizenship, Government, Power___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Continuity and Change

3. How important is the use of primary sources in the teaching of history?Not Important ___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Very important

4. How important are the following? Not Very Important Important

___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Ease of searching

___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Comprehensive coverage by time period

___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Comprehensive coverage by region


Appendices

Teacher E-mail Survey Questions, continued5. How would you describe the Digital Archives resource now?

Needs PerfectWork

___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Ease of searching

___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Comprehensive coverage by time period

___1 ___ 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 Comprehensive coverage by region

6. Have you or your students had any technical difficulties in accessing: Multi-page documents? _____No _____Yes (describe)

Moving images? _____No _____Yes (describe)

Audio resources? _____No _____Yes (describe)

7. In your use of the Digital Archives resources so far, have you found any “holes”, or topics where you wish you had more items available?

_____No ______Yes (What?)

8. What do you particularly like about Digital Archives?

9. Do you have suggestions for improvement?

Your role as an educator_____Classroom teacher, Grade level of your students ____K-5____6-8____9-12

_____Other (specify) ________________________________________________

Please feel free to make additional comments:


introduction - akvildas digital archives evaluation.doc · web viewfor example, a student...

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