Working as an individual or in a group

By now you are probably deep into NHD project mode.  Many of you have probably already decided if you are working alone or individually.  Just in case you are still trying to decide what will work best for your project….here are some ideas.

One thing that is great about National History Day is that it gives you the option to either work alone or work in a group.  So I started thinking if I would rather work by myself or with other people.  So I made a pro and con list about each option.  Maybe my list can help you make this decision for yourself.

The advantages of working by myself is that I will increase my independence, I will be the only decision maker, I can work wherever and whenever I want, and I will not face any differences in opinion or in work ethic.  On the other hand, the disadvantages of working alone is that I would be responsible for all costs, I would not use my collaborative skills (putting everyone’s ideas into one main thought), and I would not have any partner there to motivate me to continue working.

The advantages of working as a member of a group would be that I can improve on my “working with others” skills, I would be able to share project costs, decisions could be made together, and one of my partners maybe better at something than I am and be able to bring his or her skill to the project.  However, working in a group can also lead to some problems.  It maybe difficult for us to find a time for all of us to meet, we may have differences in opinion, some of us may work differently than others, and it will be necessary to know where everyone is on their part of their project so that we finish everything on time.

My dream partner would be one who did not have any of the five following characteristics: are lazy and don’t help much, are funny but don’t do anything besides get a few laughs, are counting on me for doing most of the work, have such busy schedules that it would be impossible for us to meet, or are control freaks and would not listen to any of my ideas.

Most importantly, I think its best for everyone to follow their instincts.  Truly only you know what is best for you: either that is working alone or working within a group of people for big projects.

Ali, Delaware Historical Society Intern

D- Day for National History Day students!

Today is the deadline for registering for the Delaware state competition for National History Day.  The contest is April 25^th and will be held at the Delaware Technical and Community College, Stanton campus.  National History Day is a year-long, national program that involves students from grade 6-12 in serious historical research and presentation skills.  Each year has a given theme which the students work their topics around- this year the theme is “The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies.”

Students do background research and then delve into the “good stuff” of primary sources meaning photographs, interviews, documents, maps, etc..  To become successful at NHD, a student must not only understand the topic itself but be able to explain why it is important in history.  They will provide context and explain why their subject is significant in history- whether it is presented as a small exhibit, a 10 minute performance or documentary, a 10 page paper, or a stand-alone website.  While this is the start of the hectic time of preparing for the contest, Andrea and I love working as a team on this project.  The students bring so much enthusiasm to their work, and they can do amazing things when they apply themselves!  This week, we meet with two students to view their documentary and to offer suggestions on how they can revise their work before the contest to make a stronger entry.  Our one-on-one time is valued to us, we spend a lot of time administering the program- it’s only worth that work when we get to meet the students!

But today is the deadline- our numbers are slightly down from past years and we’re wondering why that might be.  Is it the economy- is it our ever-growing jam-packed schedules, too many things to choose from?  We’ll have to sort that out later.  For now, I’m hoping that there will be a few last minute registrants, we’ll just have to wait and see.  The entries span the globe and the breadth of  history- topics include: Gandhi, Emperor Shi Huang Di, Charles Darwin, Shakespeare, Annie Oakley, the founder of the ASPCA, Roy Croc and Walt Disney along with Pochantas and P.S. duPont.  See why we like the program?!  We always learn so much at the same time we can encourage our youngest scholars.

Go young scholars!

Ellen

Chickens in History!

NHD T-Shirt 09, originally uploaded by Delaware Historical Society.

Every year the winner’s of the state NHD in Delaware contest receive t-shirts. (These t-shirts are also for sale at the state competition.) Typically all the students at nationals wear the t-shirts on the first day and (especially) for the awards ceremony and parade at the conclusion of the national competition.

I have to admit, we stayed the course with our t-shirt design for years. But one year a repeat NHD student told us he wanted a colored t-shirt instead of plain old white. Well….we listened. Boy did we listen! Last year we not only diversified our chicken design, but we went all out with bright red, white, and blue tie-die!

And this year we’re at it again. Because the theme this year is “The Individual in History” we’re highlighting famous chickens in history. We have fabulous and creative interns from Howard High School this year and they drew all of the pictures for us! We LOVE the shirt – and hope you will too. Here’s an advance look what the illustrations will look like this year.

Front Image of NHD in DE t-shirt Image by Delaware Historical Society via Flickr

Ruth and Mike Hard at Work

Ruth and Mike Hard at Work, originally uploaded by Delaware Historical Society.

It’s T-Shirt time.

As you may know, each year we give out and sell a NHD in DE t-shirt. It’s almost March so it’s time for us to get serious about designing the shirt. We start with the fact that our state bird is the chicken, or the Fighting Blue Hen, if you must. So, NHD in DE begins there and runs clucking with enthusiasm thinking of all the possibilities!

Seen here are Howard High School seniors Ruth Ann Rocco and Micheal Willman at work on the t-shirts for this year’s contest. We know last year was a very loud shirt- red, white and blue tie-dye. This year will have a more mellow look, but it is funny! You may not think of humor when you think of history- but we spend all day every day thinking of history and definitely humor is a part of our shared history! We all love the design and encourage all of you to get to work to make your entries good so you too can sport the latest in NHD in DE fashion (if you don’t already know, the top three finishers in each category win a shirt).

Just a hint at what it will be: imagine chickens around the world throughout history.

See you soon!
Ellen and Andrea

Taking off with History Day!

Left: Ellen, Right: Andrea

National History Day in Delaware Enters the 21st Century!

This past week we (Ellen – pictured left, and Andrea – pictured right) attended a National History Day conference for state coordinators at the University of Maryland.  As part of this conference, we met other state coordinators (and some from Guam, America Samoa and Germany too!), busily attended sessions about how to make NHD in Delaware better, visited the College Park Aviation Museum (don’t you think the goggles are a good look?), and learned fabulous new ideas from NHD programs in other states!  However, we were both particularly inspired to begin using all the networking tools available on the web!

So here we are – publishing the first post in our new blog!  Our hope is that we will be able to utilize this resource to keep students, parents, teachers and judges up to date with the most recent NHD in Delaware information.  We’re also planning on sharing topic ideas, resources, tips, tricks and ideas about how to improve NHD projects.  As for who will be blogging – we’ll be posting ourselves, but we’re also hoping to post blogs from various experts from throughout the state and even some NHD alumni.  (They’ve been in your shoes – they know how to help!)

Throughout this process, we hope to not only keep all of you informed, but also to create a community of support for those who are participating in NHD and a way for all those NHD alumni to stay in touch!  In addition to this blog, we’ve also created a facebook page (please join us and become a fan by searching for National History Day in Delaware on facebook).  A myspace page will be coming soon.  (Keep your eyes out for it – we’re sure you’ll be waiting impatiently!)  Check back regularly for new posts – or add us as an RSS feed so you never miss an update.  (We’re planning on updating about twice a month to start.)  In the meanwhile, while we learn this whole blogging, facebook, myspace thing (be patient please), join us so you can get the newest updates about NHD in Delaware.  And, of course, let us know what you would like to see.