Recasting the Textbook

Recasting the Textbook
Led by Sam Wineburg, Margaret Jacks Professor of Education and (by courtesy) of History

This project explored the transformation of the traditional textbook as an on-demand, collaborative collection of historical narratives.

The team of Sam Wineburg, Laura Moorhead, Molly Bullock Zielezinski, Jeremy Jimenez, Paul Franz and Max Alexander designed a strategy and research project to incentivize high-school students to create a version of the “modern-day” textbook as part of their learning experience. Students designed these textbooks and culled primary source materials from national archives, local libraries, photo albums and historical records.

The team also investigated the interactive and user experience components of this modern, digital textbook, including the potential use of near-field communication tags and QR codes for smart phones and mobile devices to allow students to participate and interact with out-of-school resources (such as libraries, museums and social communities).

Presentation from the mediaX Seminar “The Future of Content in a Publish on Demand World”

With strong support from the teacher and school in which the pilot was conducted, the research team continues to evaluate the learning outcomes of this project.

All Publish On Demand Projects