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CreditsInstitutions involved with this projectThe Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association (more about PVMA) The Center for Computer-Based Instructional Technology (more about CCBIT) Frontier Regional / Union 38 Schools (more about Frontier Regional / Union 38)
Production CreditsProject Co-Directors Project Coordinator Site Designer Software System Architect Software System Engineers Web Design Consultant Multimedia Development, CCBIT Research and Writing With Contributions By: Photographer Curriculum (full Curriculum Credits) Web-based Curriculum Development Curriculum Content Development From Frontier Regional School, Middle School: From Frontier Regional School, High School Evaluator Site Reviewers
The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association The Pocumtuck Valley Memorial Association is located in the Old Deerfield National Historic District, in western Massachusetts on the Connecticut River, recently designated as an American Heritage River. It is one of the oldest history museums in New England. This materials development project grows directly out of the PVMA's mission statement, "to collect, preserve, and interpret the multicultural history of the Deerfield and Connecticut River Valleys, … presenting educational, cultural and artistic programs." The Museum has also pursued its mission through award-winning publications that disseminate information about its collections and New England history throughout the country. The Museum provides educational programs to all school districts (90 schools) in the three counties of the Connecticut River Valley. The Museum has a particularly close relationship with its local school district, Frontier Regional /Union 38 and has worked with the district over the past 20 years on a number of collaborative curriculum projects. Most recently, this local, rural school district has made a major institutional commitment to co-create the cutting edge Turns of the Centuries curriculum material in collaboration with the Museum (an outgrowth of a National Endowment for the Humanities focus grant). The PVMA has provided elementary, middle and high schools in the Frontier district with Museum staff to serve as a "humanist-in-residence" (funded by the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities) to work side by side with classroom teachers to infuse history education with primary resources and forge a new model of museum/school collaboration. Present holdings of over 70,000 objects and documents chronicle the entire history of the region, spanning pre-history through the 20th century, and include Native American objects. A remarkable feature of the collection is the depth of the documentation of its objects within the curatorial files as well as interrelated to the journals, newspapers, and schoolbooks in the library. Combining the early printed and manuscript resources of the library with objects in the museum provides a unique opportunity to teach local history with a national and international overview.
"This institution is an equal opportunity provider."
The Center for Computer-Based Instructional Technology CCBIT develops innovative instructional technology applications that promote active student learning. Sponsored by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and working out of the University's Computer Science Department, CCBIT collaborates with faculty to develop effective instructional tools for the undergraduate curriculum. CCBIT also works closely with schools, museums and other educational institutions to create new ways of using instructional technology in K-12 classrooms. CCBIT staff have four particular areas of expertise: instructional design for online learning; database and web-based software engineering; interactive multimedia; and intelligent tutoring. CCBIT applications typically blend most or all of these to create innovative approaches to learning with technology.
Frontier Regional / Union 38 Schools U38-FRD is comprised of a regional Middle/High School (700 students) and 4 elementary schools (900 students) serving the rural towns of Deerfield, Conway, Sunderland, and Whately, Massachusetts. The district strives to provide diverse cultural programming using outside resources while also integrating cultural resources into curriculum. The mission of the Frontier Regional Schools is "to provide the highest quality education which builds a strong foundation for lifelong learning, values the individual, fosters community and respects tradition while responding to the changing needs of society." The mission is followed by Student Expectations which include: understanding the role of history in shaping the world, developing the analytic and research skills, appreciation for the humanities, learning to use technology effectively.
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