Leni Donlan
Leni Donlan joined the National Digital Library Program in January,
1999. This 1997 American Memory Fellow reluctantly left a part of her
heart in San Francisco as she accepted this new challenge. Leni spent
many years teaching in public and private schools before coming to
Washington, D.C. Development of student centered curriculum and
belief in the potential of the Internet to better education are Leni's
hallmarks. She is now working to create engaging curricular contexts
for use of the American Memory collections . Leni holds a Master's
Degree in Special Education from the University of Utah.
American history and technology is a match made in heaven! Presently, I'm on leave from the classroom to work on the BANDL research and development initiative at the Bay Area School Reform Collaborative. BANDL schools plan to develop lessons that use the inquiry model and the American Memory collection. I will be working closely with teacher and librarian teams at 4 schools over the next year. I am also an instructor in the Department of Instructional Technology at San Francisco State University. I teach courses in the Masters program which feature Internet applications as they integrate into the classroom curriculum.
As one of last year's fellows, I co-authored and taught America Dreams with Leni Donlan. Our project is designed as an Internet webquest that invites students to investigate the American Memory collection, use documents as evidence to defend their ideas on the American Dream and then share their own dream.
I've taught 8th grade American history for about 10 years. I love 18th century history and shared this with my students. Armed with document reproductions, CD-ROM, laser disk, digital still and video cameras, and finally a classroom connection to the Internet, I've attempted to inspire the curiosity and desire to know more about American history in my 8th grade students.
Another claim to fame is Westward HO! Using original writings from Oregon trail bound pioneering women, I co-authored and wrote the online version of the simulation Westward HO!. It involves a series of 40 simulated travel and fate situations that engages students in the perils and adventures of pioneering on the American frontier. This curriculum is a collaborative online project that is also run by my NDL team partner, Leni Donlan.
I live on a ranch in Half Moon Bay, California. I am the mom of two teenagers, and when there is free time, I like to ride my horse Pokey! I am looking forward to working with the American Memory Fellows Program again this year as we pioneer new ways of teaching with the Internet.
Linda Joseph
Linda Joseph is currently a Library Media Specialist in the Columbus Public
Schools on special assignment with the Library of Congress. She is creating
hands-on workshops around the American Memory collections designed to be
used in a variety of settings, In her school district she has many roles,
including professional development, curriculum integration, Webmaster, and
technology troubleshooting. In addition, she is a part-time instructor at
The Ohio State University, writes the CyberBee column for MultiMedia
Schools magazine, and conducts workshops nationwide. Linda Joseph is the
author of World Link and Net Curriculum: An Educator's Guide to Using the
Internet.
Ursula Marcum
Ursula Marcum joined the National Digital Library Program in July, 1997, as
a content developer and web designer. In addition to her work at the Library
of Congress, she is an adjunct professor in the Fine and Applied Arts
Department at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia. Before coming to
the Library, she designed exhibitions and educational materials for history
museums nationwide. She holds a Masters of Fine Arts degree from George
Washington University.
Karen Needles
Karen Needles has a Masters in Education degree in American and World
History and eight years of classroom experience in both middle school and
high school. While in California, she attended the History Project for two
years, and became a trainer for the Social Studies framework. Karen worked
with IBM as an Educational Instruction Specialist, with an emphasis on
Multimedia curriculum development using Linkway Live, networking and
telecommunication using the Internet as a resource tool. She has written
curriculum for Discovery Channel's "Assignment Discovery", special
programming "How the West Was Lost" and "The Promised Land", PBS's "The
Civil War" and "The West", Turner Broadcasting's Original Presentations
"Buffalo Soldiers" and "The Day Lincoln Was Shot." She has presented in
major conferences such as the National Social Studies Conference, CUE, and
the California Social Studies Conferences since 1990 on how to incorporate
technology into the Social Studies classroom, and as a Champion Teacher for
Cable in the Classroom, has presented ways to use video in the classroom to
supplement the curriculum. An advocate for the use of primary and
secondary source materials to teach, Karen believes that history should be
taught as "a story well-told".
Susan Veccia
Susan Veccia, Project Manager for the NDL educational outreach activities,
has been involved with American Memory since 1991 when she chaired the
American Memory User Evaluation. This survey tested the prototype digital
collections in 44 locations throughout the country. Prior to joining the
National Digital Library, for many years she worked at the Library of
Congress Congressional Research Service where she was an online trainer and
system design specialist. In 1980, she initiated a public library fee-based
online search service, and she has worked as a media specialist at a
private school for learning-disabled children. In addition to her current
work at the Library of Congress, Susan is the founding editor of MultiMedia
Schools magazine. She has been employed by the Library since 1981 and holds
an MLS degree from Catholic University.