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Your gateway to innovative, standards-based online resources for teaching and learning American history, designed and developed by the National Museum of American History as part of Verizon's thinkfinity.org consortium. Explore the rich resources of the Museum and bring history to life with artifacts, primary sources, and online tools for the classroom, afterschool programs, and home.

History Happens is a collection of music videos about characters from American history. Our goal is to inform and inspire young people that an individual can make a difference--as evidenced by the many acts of courage, endurance and passion that make up the American story. These music videos can be used as a platform for all kinds of innovative, multi-disciplinary, project-based teaching/learning experiences. To learn more about our programs, please feel free to contact us by telephone or email.

The history of teaching is littered with ideas that have come and gone. In their day each was the new bright hope, set to transform what we do as teachers and how our students learn. Each new idea had its supporters and detractors and each in turn was replaced by an alternative or simply disappeared from view. Those who have experienced this ebb and flow of ideas have learned to approach the shiny and the new with caution and yet we have all encountered ideas that are so compelling it is difficult to ignore. How might we approach new ideas and innovative practices in ways that ensure our students benefit?

Make better classroom movies with simple tips that will help elevate your vodcast to the next level in terms of artistic and technical merit. Learn how to storyboard like a pro, choose shots that support the telling of your story, and capture better lighting and sound. Regain lost opportunities to teach media literacy and higher level thinking via video production by empowering yourself to empower your students. Tap into over one hundred years of movie history with this engaging presentation that instructs as it entertains.

Every teacher who has attempted to integrate technology into the classroom knows that getting parents on board can sometimes be a challenge. It's not uncommon for the parent of a struggling child to be on the phone with you asking questions like: "Why do you need to use technology to teach math/social studies/English/biology?" or "This is an AP history class  - not computer science!" Your efforts to engage students and develop important 21st century skills can become the scapegoat explanation for problems that have nothing to do with tech. So, how do we as educators get these parents into our corner? Here are some strategies I've used successfully to gain parent buy-in.

This curriculum is designed to give teachers a comprehensive set of tools to educate students about copyright while incorporating activities that exercise a variety of learning skills. Lesson topics include: the history of copyright law; the relationship between copyright and innovation; fair use and its relationship to remix culture; peer-to-peer file sharing; and the interests of the stakeholders that ultimately affect how copyright is interpreted by copyright owners, consumers, courts, lawmakers, and technology innovators.

PrimaryAccess is a web-based tool that offers teachers and students frictionless access to digital images and materials that enable them to construct compelling personal narratives.

OLogy, the Museum's Web site for kids ages seven through twelve, is based on the premise that "everyone wants to know something," and is designed as a place for kids to explore, ask questions, get answers, meet OLogists, play games, and see what