Essay: History and Technology

     Glassberg attributes the increase of historical activities to a number of things. During the second half of the twentieth century organized groups challenged the status quo and fought to have their histories publicly preserved. Secondly, the recognition that developing new historic sites and commemorative activities would attract tourists and boost the economy. Mike Wallace mentioned that the post war tourism boom impacted the economy in a couple of ways: one millions of Americans had cars and two they drove these cars to visit historic sites such as Colonial Williamsburg,  Old Sturbridge and Greenfield Village. Glassberg states that using history to boost tourism was a trend that flourished in the twentieth century.
     Technology plays a major role in the increase in historical activities. In the Public History book, the essay entitled "On the Web: The September 11 Digital Archive" by James Sparrow, technology allows people to "add their voice to the historical record and leave their memoirs there to rest" (398). Glassberg explains that this allows people to become "embedded in a narrative that is theirs" (210). Sparrow argues that technology does have its pitfalls. The internet, for example, lacks any real sense of place and for many sense of place is something tangible and personal, something to go back to.
     Wallace's discussion on technology was rather interesting. He mentioned the ways in which historians have adjusted to cyberculture with "bring-it-back-to-life" approaches to teaching history. Historians have came up with innovative ways to use technology to teach history such as mini-movies, video projection and interactive videos. The future looks particularly interesting with the virtual reality technology. I think this is a brilliant way to allow people to be a part of the learning experience; the more excited people are about something they tend to become eager to learn about it.
     Television stations such as the History Channel and the Public Broadcasting Station have captured the interests of people through programs about history. The role historians played and continue to play have made a tremendous impact. Whether the historian is retelling history as was the case with Shelby Foote in  Ken Burns' film series the Civil War or like the Blacks in Latin America film series and Wonders of the African World film series by Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., historians have and can shape the way history is learned.