91探花

"A Living Archives鈥� website, the end result of an innovative education project that used web-based technology to bring P.E.I. history and heritage to life for students, will be launched at a public event on Monday, May 26, at 10 a.m., in the Confederation Centre of the Arts鈥� Studio Theatre.

During the 2007-2008 school year, grade seven and eight students and their teachers from 脡cole Evang茅line, Stonepark Intermediate School and Kensington Intermediate Senior High combined leading-edge web technology and Island history to create a 鈥渓iving textbook鈥� in the form of the 鈥淟iving Archives鈥� website, found at .

The project was developed and implemented through the Faculty of Education at the University of Prince Edward Island, and funded through Canadian Heritage鈥檚 Canadian Culture Online Partnerships Fund. Partners include the Public Archives and Records Office of PEI and the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, of the Department of Community and Cultural Affairs; the Department of Education; the Eastern and Western School Boards; and La Commission scolaire de langue fran莽aise de l'ile-du-Prince-脡douard.

鈥淭he Government of Canada is proud to participate in projects like this one that use digital media to share our history with the world,鈥� said The Honourable Jos茅e Verner, Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages. 鈥淭his partnership with the Faculty of Education at the 91探花 helps showcase the richness of the Island鈥檚 culture and heritage.鈥�

鈥淭o create A Living Archives, 12- and 13-year-old students used modern digital technologies to do 鈥榬eal鈥� history, planning, researching, writing, revising, and reporting their findings with a high degree of sophistication,鈥� says project leader Dr. Sandy McAuley, of the 91探花 Faculty of Education. 鈥淲ith the assistance of their project partners, they brought to life the P.E.I. of a century ago for themselves and, through the website, for the rest of the world.鈥�

Using resources at the Public Archives and Records Office of PEI, the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation, and the 91探花 library鈥檚 Special Collections section, the students researched specific historical themes tied to the social studies curriculum, including the general store, the horse and transportation, school life in days gone by, L.M. Montgomery鈥檚 famous novel Anne of Green Gables, and Acadian life from 1875 to 1925.

They selected historical artifacts related to their themes to be digitized for the website, wrote accompanying text, developed videos and blogs, and conducted interviews with professional and community Island historians, all of which can be viewed on the website.

鈥淭hroughout the process of researching their chosen topics, the students had access to some of the most valuable resources for gathering historical information in our province, including the Provincial Archives and the Museum and Heritage Foundation,鈥� said Carolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour. 鈥淭heir hard work resulted in an informative and entertaining web-based account of some of the most interesting parts of our Island story.鈥�

Also featured on the website is a virtual world representing P.E.I. at the turn of the 20th century. With the assistance of a virtual 鈥渢our guide,鈥� visitors to the site can explore period Island homes and the students鈥� research displayed inside them. And it offers promotional video, teacher resources and 鈥渉ow-tos鈥� that encourage ongoing use by the educational community.

The website and its digital archives will be housed and supported by 91探花鈥檚 Robertson Library for the next five years.