GeoHistorian Project White Paper

Now that the GeoHistorian Project has been virtually completed, it is time to take stock and see what we accomplished. We were pleasantly surprised to find that the project yielded much more than we had originally anticipated, including a solid curriculum that can be replicated elsewhere, a host of presentations and publications, and above all, a set of almost 30 QR code markers that links historical sites in Kent, Ohio. Last but not least, the project was instrumental in building stronger relationships within the local community.

The details can be found in the GeoHistorian Project white paper, which can be downloaded here.

Dedication of Markers at Davey Elementary School

The 25th and 26th markers were installed at Davey Elementary School today, as part of a special dedication ceremony. Fifth grade students and teachers, parents, the Kent City Schools’ superintendent and assistant superintendent, and several local guests enjoyed watching the digital stories and received project brochures.

The viewing was followed by the installation of the QR code markers for Davey Elementary School and the John Davey House. The markers were installed in the main office window (second window to the right of the main entrance). Here are some pictures of the event:

QR Markers #23 and 24: Kent Block and Opera House

Installations are fast and furious now, as we near the end of the GeoHistorian Project. Two more markers were installed on properties owned by the local Hometown Bank, i.e. the Home Savings Plaza (formerly the Kent Block), and their drive-through location (formerly the Kent Opera House). It’s hard to imagine that these two sites used to be the home of some very large buildings, as the photos below illustrate:

Historical images courtesy of the Kent Historical Society.

QR Marker #22: DePeyster Building

Installed by the Kent City Schools:

GeoHistorian Brochures

To increase publicity for the GeoHistorian Project, we have created two brochures that will be available at many of the sites that have QR code markers as well as other venues in the community. In addition to the printed brochures, we decided to also make them available online:

Brochure Part 1 (pdf, 7.1 MB)
Brochure Part 2 (pdf, 9.2 MB)

Part 1 of the brochure contains the first 10 sites we did in spring 2011, as well as a scavenger hunt; part 2 of the brochure contains the 18 sites we covered during the fall of 2011. The brochures were created as trifolds, so if you decide to print one out, you should print the two pages for each one front to back.

Instead of waiting to get these out until the final markers have been installed we are releasing them now, as the weather is getting nicer and more people are out and about…

Marker #21 Installed at Stoddard’s

We’re getting closer to the end, with the 21st marker being put in place at Stoddard’s last night. Of course we couldn’t leave until we had had some icecream too

20 Markers Installed, 9 More To Go

Today we installed the 21st QR code marker at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Kent. A few pictures of the installation:

Two More QR Markers Installed

Yesterday, Thomas McNeal and I installed two more QR code markers for the GeoHistorian Project. The former sites of the L.N. Gross Company and the Twin Coach Company now feature their own markers. A few pictures:

GeoHistorian Curriculum Now Available for Download

After many revisions and lots of editing, the GeoHistorian curriculum is now available for download on the Curriculum page. This is a major milestone in our project, which is nearing completion. We’d like to thank everyone who helped us to get to this point, including:

• Thomas Hatch, Julie Kenworthy, Lorie Bednar, Sandy and Henry Halem, and Glennis Siegfried from the Kent Historical Society, for providing us with access to lots of great archival materials, contacting numerous community members for help, and helping us teach almost 100 fifth graders about Kent’s history.
• The five teachers (and their students) who spent long hours preparing for and teaching the GeoHistorian unit, including Robyn Elia and Christine Lowden at Walls Elementary School and Julie Cummings, Christine Goff, and Sean Mostov at Davey Elementary School.
• The City of Kent, especially its Maintenance Department, for supporting our project and helping us with the installation of several QR code markers.
• The Kent State University Libraries Special Collections and Archives for access to historical materials we could not get elsewhere.
• Several students from Kent State University’s Honors College, who assisted us in the initial stages of the project.
• The various citizens and business owners in Kent who provided us and participating students with access to their historic locations, old photographs, scrapbooks, and memories.
• And last but not least, the Office of Digital Humanities at the National Endowment for the Humanities, who believed in our project and helped to make it happen with their generous support.

We are not completely done yet though, as we still have several QR code markers to install and are finalizing a brochure that will help publicize the project and encourage citizens and visitors of Kent to explore its rich history. The last two markers will be installed on May 11, during a special dedication ceremony at Davey Elementary School. And of course, due to the success of the project, we hope to continue it in some shape or form next year.

2012 eTech Ohio Conference Display

On Wednesday, February 15, we spent the day at the eTech Ohio Conference with two of our GeoHistorian teachers, Christine Goff and Sean Mostov. We got quite a bit of traffic at our display table, and judging from those who visited us, word is getting around about the project.

Slides from the display can be found on the GeoHistorian Publications and Presentations page.