10/9 Essay

Glassberg attributes the increase in historical activities to the growing number of organized groups getting enough economic and political power to have their places recognized and preserved.  Another factor is that with the increase in the number of historic sites, tourism can bloom in areas and help that economy and that area's reputation.

The use of technology has certainly increased the activity in the history field.  Now people are able to find things on the Internet more effectively, exhibits can be made more interactive and fun for all ages, and outreach to the public is easier and probably cheaper.  

However, technology is certainly a double-edged sword, as we have discussed.  The web gives a creative outlet to reach out to a large pool of possible researchers and visitors.  People can go online to find something or learn something about history and then go to see the site.  There is nothing like the experience of seeing something up-close in the physical world, not virtual reality.  I think the virtual world thing would be cool, as Wallace described  but I think you're letting technology go overboard.  

Technology should be used in moderation.  Too much tech can distract from the items or place you are trying to show, but too little can make the site boring.  It is pretty cool though that finding information about a history topic is made easier with technology.  Research can be done more effectively and efficiently.

I think with film you definitely have a medium that can be used to teach history to the masses.  Yes there is some artistic license but if you do the research and present it well, then the main concepts can be taught to the audience and they leave the theater thinking about what they had seen.

For this century, history will continue on.  We still need to learn history to know our identity and place in this world.  Without history, we don't know where we came from, where we are and where we could be going.  Historians need to come out of their "ivory towers" to see the people and the history around them.  Technology will only get more advanced and harder to ignore, so learning how to use it correctly now will save someone a headache later.  So, historians and technology have to find that balance where both are needed and not overpowering each other.