“Using WordPress to Easily Create Historical Projects (with Students)”
Virginia Forum
Christopher Newport University
April 16, 2010

Blogs

• WordPress.com
• Google’s Blogger.com
  
• Paid services like Typepad
• UMWblogs
  

• For more on my classroom uses of blogs, see here.

WordPress as research log

• Research log – Historical Methods
  1. Topic Discussion
  2. Research Problems

WordPress as platform for individual student projects:

• Individual digital projects – US History in Film –
  • Wall Street
  • Bonnie & Clyde

• History of Tech — Class Exhibit Home:
  
  • http://historyoftech.umwblogs.org/

WordPress as basis for Digital Archives/Digital Historical group projects from Adventures in Digital History

• Historical Markers – http://fredmarkers.umwblogs.org/
• Farmer Project – http://jamesfarmer.umwblogs.org/
• Life and Legacy of Mary Ball Washington — http://maryballwash.umwblogs.org/

Other UMW WordPress Projects

• Marie McCallister’s 18th-Century Audio Blog
• Claudia Emerson’s Literary Journals (e.g., ECOllective)
• Marjorie Och’s Online Venice Exhibit
• Steve Harris’s Hist 485: Researching Russian and Soviet Resources

Other history institutions using WordPress

• Morrison County Historical Society, Little Falls, MN  — http://morrisoncountyhistory.org/
  • Write up of how/why they did it — http://discussions.mnhs.org/MNLocalHistory/?p=176

Other ideas at UMW for using blogs — http://umwblogs.org/support/ten-ways-to-use-umw-blogs/

UMW support guide for using wordpress is here: http://umwblogs.org/support/wordpress-guide/

Helpful guide on choosing a hosting provider to set up your own site — http://www.profhacker.com/2010/04/12/from-the-archives-website-hosting-101/