Using Mobile Technology to Promote Historical Understanding 

Wednesday, October 12
4:30-6:30 pm
Alvin Johnson/J. M. Kaplan Hall, 66 West 12th St., room 510

Anthony Cocciolo (Pratt Institute)
Debbie Rabina (Pratt Institute)
This workshop details an international collaboration between the Goethe Institute and faculty at Pratt Institute on the GeoStoryteller project. GeoStoryteller is a mobile application that brings library and archival collections to the streets to enhance student learning and promote historical understanding. The first application of this platform will be German Traces NYC, a learning experience that focuses on German cultural heritage in New York City.  Historical photographs and multimedia narratives detailing the history of German immigrants in New York City (1840-1945) are made available to high school students—particularly German language students—on the places where the events occurred. The aim of this project is to use the city as classroom and connect everyday places with historical and cultural contexts. The research related to this project looks to uncover if place-based learning can increase student engagement in historical topics.