The New Jersey Digital Highway - 2005 Summer Educators Seminar Program

The New Jersey Digital Highway Project held its 2005 Summer Educators' Seminar at Rutgers University-New Brunswick, from Tuesday, July 5 through noon on Saturday, July 9, 2005. Twelve educators from around the state participated in the weeklong seminar. The Seminar was designed to assist educators from grades 5 through 12 in developing a deeper understanding of the historic and contemporary significance of immigration in U. S. History, with special emphasis on the unique role(s), which New Jersey immigrant groups and communities have played since the colonial period.

Seminar participants gained an in-depth understanding of major themes and sources for the study of immigration history, including internal migrations within North America of diverse cultural groups (for example, African-American migrations of the 19th and 20th centuries). All participants prepared lessons using electronic collections from New Jersey archives, libraries, museums and historical societies that are currently being digitized by the New Jersey Digital Highway Project. Lessons prepared by Seminar participants were field-tested during the 2005-2006 school year. Currently, these electronic lessons are undergoing peer review and revision and will be made available through the NJDH educators' portal.