OH and you know what I thought of-- Wordles with key words-- when you look under "Advanced" in Wordle they show how you can emphasize (make bigger) certain words based on their value to you.
Create interactive timelines collaboratively. I could see using this for documenting causation, how one event leads to another.
You can add a timeline to any blog or Web page.
Runaway advertisements and Notices of Committal are some of the most rewarding sources for ascertaining the movement, motivation, and destination of enslaved persons have have taken flight. This is a collection of runaway ads placed by slave owners or their representatives in newspapers.
ARC Guide for Educators and Students
The guide introduces educators and students to the National Archives' Archival Research Catalog (ARC). Searching in ARC to learn more about National Archives' historical documents could enrich a classroom activity, a homework assignment, or a research project. - Methodology I might follow with 8th graders who may serve as research experts to younger kids.
The state guides developed by authors from the Federal Writers' Project - a WPA group that came to be during the depression - are fascinating snapshots of the country as it was in the early part of the 20th century. They contain quite a lot of history and local stories and can be a wonderful way to compare the regions with how they currently are.
New York Public Library document resources are now available from WITHIN VoiceThread. Could be an interesting way to integrate primary sources with VoiceThread collaborations.
Maybe Jan Zanetis of the KC3 ("Kids Creating Community Content") Project would serve as an expert for us. I'm going to write to her. http://kc3.cilc.org