04 June 2016

#D2T16 & #D2T16NYC - #100DayProject - Day 064

Image Source: Driven2Teach
In a couple of days, I will have the privilege of touring around and experiencing a bit of U.S. History all thanks to the very generous works of the Larry H. Miller Education Project and Zions Bank, in the form of the Driven2Teach program for Utah educators. According to their website:
The Driven 2 Teach program is taking History teachers out of the classroom and to the very places where history happened. Open to Utah educators, grades 5-12, who specialize in American History or historical literature, the Driven 2 Teach program gives teachers an extended, hands-on learning experience unlike any other—at no cost to the teachers or the schools.
How cool does that sound? And how generous an opportunity for teachers?

I first heard about the Driven2Teach program from a friend in my school district who had been fortunate enough to attend a summer seminar before and told me I had to apply. I am so glad I did because we haven't even left for the seminar and I've already learned so much about U.S. History that I wasn't totally familiar with prior. In Utah, 5th-grade has U.S. History in the history curriculum and I am new to teaching 5th-grade (I spent seven years teaching 4th-grade which has Utah History in its curriculum) so this opportunity couldn't have come at a better time for me, having just completed my first year teaching U.S. History.

Preparation - Before the Summer Seminar


What has the preparation for the summer seminar involved? Reading, and lots of it! We attended an orientation back in February where we met everyone who was involved in one of the three summer seminars (NYC/Philly, Boston, and Washington, D.C.) as well as the Driven2Teach people. There we spent the day discussing the point of the program as well as collecting our mass of books we would be reading for the next three months. Since I am going to New York City, West Point, and Philadelphia, I can't speak for the exact items for the other two groups, but I'm sure they received similar books for their trips as well. The following are all the books that were handed out at the orientation, but I will bold the ones I read. Also, the links are affiliate links to Amazon, so if you make a purchase, I will get a little kickback as well. But know that the following list of books is an incredible list that I have loved reading/listening to as I purchased a few on Audible so I could listen while traveling places.


Not too bad a list of books. Although I must admit, I would have loved to listen to the entire collection more than read them since I love audiobooks and podcasts so much. If it hadn't been for 1776 being available on Audible I don't know if I would have been able to finish that one as easily. Plus, the version I listened to was actually read by the author David McCullough, so that made it even more special.

On top of all the reading, I have been working on some assignments that will help me to better prepare for some of the learning we will be doing out in the field. I have really enjoyed the preparation as it has helped me get in the correct mindset for the seminar and field study and it has helped me to learn and re-learn so much more about U.S. History that I either didn't know or had forgotten since my days in the "student" seat in high school and college.


The Field Study - The Itinerary


Our schedule, in order to maximize our short time in the East Coast, is going to be fast and furious and I'm so excited about it! We will be seeing so much, it's probably easiest to just list it out like they gave it to us. So here goes.

Sun, June 5th 
  • Fly to NYC on a red-eye flight to hit the ground running Monday AM
Mon, June 6th
  • Walking tour Manhattan: 
    • 9/11 Memorial
    • Trinity Church
    • Alexander Hamilton Grave
  • Walking tour Manhattan: 
    • Financial District (Wall Street & American Stock Exchange, Stock Market, Federal Reserve) 
    • Federal Hall
    • Charging Bull
    • City Hall
  • Evening Walking Tour:
    • Walk to Times Square
    • Central Park
    • Strawberry Fields
    • Alice in Wonderland Statue
    • Belvedere Castle
    • St. Patrick’s Cathedral
    • 5th Avenue
    • Grand Central Terminal
    • Chrysler Building
    • Empire State Building
Tues, June 7th
  • Ferry to Liberty Island
  • Ferry to Ellis Island
    • Tour
    • Teacher workshop
    • Working lunch
    • "Hard Hat" tour of Ellis Island
  • Individual touring of Ellis Island.
  • Individually scheduled afternoon and evening activities
Wed, June 8th
  • UN Tour
  • Remember Slavery Program
  • Lunch @ Little Italy and/or China Town
  • Tenement Museum Program (Irish Outsiders OR Sweatshop Workers)
  • Individually scheduled afternoon and evening activities
Thurs, June 8th
  • Tour the Grange (Hamilton Home)
  • Tour Morris Jumel Mansion (Washington's HQ)
  • Head toward West Point
  • West Point Bus Tour
  • Travel to Hotel
  • Working Dinner
Fri, June 9th
  • Working Breakfast
  • Walking Tour of Jockey Hollow
  • Depart toward Washington Crossing State Park
  • Tour Museum & Interpreter Presentations
  • Walking Tour of Crossing Site
  • Depart for Philadelphia
  • Philadelphia Architecture tour (ending at the Rocky Statue at the Art Museum steps)
Sat, June 10th
  • Tour of Cathedral Basilica of Sts. Peter & Paul
  • Walk to & Tour of Masonic Temple
  • Lunch @ Reading Market
  • Walking Tour of Historic Philly
    • Franklin tomb
    • Arch Street Meeting House
    • Betsy Ross home
    • Elfreths Alley
    • Christ’s Church
    • Franklin Court
    • Carpenter’s Hall
    • First Bank of US
  • National Constitution Center
    • National Constitution Center exhibits
      • Signers Hall
      • Road to the White House Program
  • Philadelphia After Hours Dinner & Program at City Tavern
Sun, June 11th
  • Tour Valley Forge Visitor Center
  • Valley Forge bus tour with step on guide
  • Lunch @ King of Prussia Mall
  • Head to Philly Airport
  • Fly home to SLC Airport
Like I said, a fast and furious trip that is sure to be life-changing and powerfully educational! 

How am I planning on documenting it for my own memories and learning? One thing, I will be taking a ton of pictures and documenting it that way. I am already in the process of freeing up as much space on my iPhone 6+ so I can take pics and videos and not get hit by the "Out of Space" demons. I will probably be posting a number of them on social media including my Twitter account (@lars3eb) and the Driven2Teach Facebook Page, so be sure to follow and like those accounts. I am also planning on writing a daily reflection each night before passing out, I mean, drifting to sleep here on EdTechBabble.net, so continue following along here as well as ETB's Twitter account (@EdTechBabble) to get notifications. You can also follow along with a couple of hashtags that I will be using as well as others with me in NYC/Philly and hopefully even the other trips this summer. The hashtags are:
  • #D2T16 - General for all Driven2Teach groups all summer
  • #D2T16NYC - New York/Philly Trip (June 5-12)
  • #D2T16BOS - Boston Trip (June 13-19)
  • #D2T16WDC - Washington, D.C. Trip (June 19-25)
Hopefully, you'll see lots of tweets, FB posts, IG pics, and blog posts with these hashtags so you can see what is happening with lucky Utah teachers learning lots of  U.S History across the Eastern United States. So come along with us as we learn and feel free to not only share your own learning, but also any tips or suggestions you have for those of us coming to your part of the country. We're coming to learn about history, but we're also going to have some free time to have FUN! Help us find the best ways to have fun as we learn. Just use the above hashtags so we can see the tips and suggestions. Here's to an excellent week of learning and having fun!

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