DocsTeach is an educational website created by the National Archives education division to promote learning with and about the Archive's collection of documents (including text, videos, and photographs). It is a knowledge-centered website that allows users to explore all the available primary sources from the National Archives and share activities with students and peers. Educators can use pre-created activities or create their own activities. There are 253 activities (1,872 if you are a member) and 12,529 primary sources available for teachers and students.
Students can also perform their own research on documents and then select and download which ones are most relevant for their research. This research tool can promote critical thinking by allowing students to analyze primary sources and act like historians.
The website also provides free professional development webinars for elementary and secondary educators. All the features on this website are free of charge.
Price | Free |
---|---|
Learning | Constructivism |
Ease of use | ★★★★★ |
Privacy | ★★★★✩ |
Accessibility | ★★★✩✩ |
Class Size | Unlimited |
Login | No login needed for viewing primary sources and some activities; Login needed to use/create activities. |
ISTE*S | Empowered Learner & Knowledge Constructor. |
COPPA/FERPA Compliant | No FERPA/COPPA policy found. Check with your school IT administrator. |
This website belongs to the National Archives, and it is government-funded. Therefore, all the features on this website are free of charge and are under a Creative Commons license. Educators and learners can search, view, and analyze all the documents without paying for them since most of the documents are public domain. Moreover, the professional development webinars are also free.
Constructivism: Learners can use the tool to analyze primary sources and create their own interpretation of the information. Also, they can use the search tools to find documents that they find relevant for their learning process.
I gave 5 stars to this website because it is very easy to use. The search tools for documents and activities are clear and uncomplicated. Users do not need a login to search and share activities with others nor do they need to log in to work on an activity as well.
I gave 4 stars to this website because it does not collect personally identifiable information other than what is submitted when registering for an account (e.g., email, name) from its users according to its privacy policy. It is also possible to search, analyze and share documents without any login. If the educator wants to save shared activities or access more activities, they can log in with their name, email, and password. However, the website does not sell or share its users' information with third parties.
There is no information regarding whether the tool is COPPA/FERPA compliant. However, it does not collect any data from students. Furthermore, students do not have to identify themselves; it is possible to use a pseudonym given by the teacher when submitting their answers.
I gave 3 stars for the accessibility (DocsTeach's accessibility statement is a section in the website's privacy policy) of this website because the voice control works very well with the tools available and the site can be navigated without a mouse. However, I found the navigation throughout the website very confusing without a mouse. Moreover, documents do not seem to have alt text or a way to describe what’s in the document to a screen reader.
Since the user is the one sharing the activities through a link, there is no limit to how many people can access the assignments simultaneously. Therefore, there are no limitations on the size of the class.
A login is not required to access the website's features. Teachers can use this tool without logging in by sharing a link to the activities with their students. However, if educators want to save previous assignments or create their own, they need to log in with their name, email, and password. Students do not need to log in to use the website; they'll receive a link to the activities and, after they are done, their answers go directly to the teacher's email.
Empowered Learner: Students can choose how they will learn by selecting the documents they will analyze and sharing them with other students.
Knowledge Constructor: Students can use this tool to research and curate primary sources related to a given subject and select the documents that are more relevant to their own learning experience.
Here is an example of how DocsTeach might fit within the SAMR model:
There are 12,529 primary sources available to be analyzed by students. For example, when learning about Abolitionism, students can research letters and biographies of abolitionists, anti-slavery petitions, court documents, laws, etc... Also, it is possible to filter the search so that students can access specific types of documents. For instance, they can research videos related to the historical period they are studying.
Students can analyze different primary sources related to the U.S. government's three branches and organize them according to each branch's responsibilities.
Students can research primary sources related to social and political groups, such as the Civil Rights movement or the LGBTQ+ movement. For example, it is possible to analyze laws, videos, photographs, letters, etc…, which would help learners understand the goals, tactics, and obstacles people had to overcome to obtain civil rights.
Students can analyze the Journal of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon to identify how the authors utilized mathematics in it.
Students can research scientific patent documents to analyze original innovations. For example, learners can study Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin Patent Drawing to understand the science behind it.
Students can read documents such as the Constitution or the Bill of Rights to analyze the language used at the time. They can also rewrite the laws using their own words.
Users can use DocsTeach in three ways: Explore, Discover, and Create. Here are the steps to use each one of them:
Braun, Jolie (2017) "Resources for Teaching with Primary Source Materials," MAC Newsletter: Vol. 45: No. 1, Article 9. Available at: Iowa State University Digital Repository
Hussey, M. (2011). Teaching with online primary sources: documents from the national archives: DocsTeach.gov from the national archives. Teaching History: A Journal of Methods, 36(1), 34+. Available at: Gale Academic
Rinder, J. A.(2020). Helping Future Teachers Do History: The Effectiveness of the National Archives Docsteach Program on the Historical Thinking and Perception of History of Preservice Teachers. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from "Helping Future Teachers Do History: The Effectiveness of the National " by Jeremy Alan Rinder
This page was created by Ana Schantz.
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