BY KEVIN HODGSON

HistoryPin combines maps, images, and historical inquiry to explain the changes in neighborhoods through stories and archival images. While still in beta, the site (which is a partnership between Google and an organization called We Are What We Do) has interesting potential for research in the classroom and could be used as a model for a community-action project for students.

HistoryPin invites users to upload images from the modern day in conjunction with images of the same places from yesteryear, allowing the viewer to see the changes of a locale located on an interactive map. Along with the images, users are encouraged to write a “story” behind the picture. The site touts the idea of allowing a viewer to “compare how the world looks today with how it used to look.” What makes the site even more interesting is that you can search the map by location (just enter the name of a city, or some coordinates) as well as by time period. The map goes back as far as 1840 and runs right up to the present day.

In the Classroom

Many classrooms do local history projects that involve the research of a community and the changes that have occurred over time. HistoryPin might eventually provide not only images and information related to those assignments (many of the “pins” so far are from the larger cities) but also might be a place where student projects get published in a very authentic way. If that possibility seems a bit too big to take on, a teacher could certainly use Google Maps or another mapping platform to create their own, smaller version of HistoryPin, using the site as a model.

HistoryPin

A Video overview of HistoryPin

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BY AARON FOWLES

I imagine that most people reading this are familiar with Last.fm, an online streaming music site. I taught ESL social studies last year with a focus on geography, and while my students were working on a project about Poland, I had the idea to play some music from that country.

Somehow, it worked. Rather than choosing jazz, as highlighted in the screenshot, I just entered the word Polish and let last.fm do the rest. My students were immediately immersed in the aural spectrum of a country of which they had no immediate knowledge. Talk about meaningful.  “What are they saying?”  “They like hip-hop, too?”  “What’s this music about,” my students kept clamoring. Yes, clamoring.

This isn’t really a tech tool, but just a tech idea. The applications for social studies and foreign language classes are pretty clear, as those subjects deal intensely with culture. It is less obvious how to use this service for other subjects. I tried entering math and I got mostly punk music. Shakespeare produced very mixed results, while biology was decidedly emo (there’s a band named Biology). Electron was tied to spacesynth and trance electronic, and prepositions was mostly funk.

If you’re just looking for something quiet to play in the background, try searching for studying. Last.fm allows you to create an account that tracks loved and hated tracks, constantly refining your playlist based on your preferences. WARNING: last.fm does not censor out illicit lyrics, so be always on your guard.

Last.fm

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