Kids peer into past online

Michaela Gamboa, 9, sat in front of a computer in the media center at Rio Linda Elementary School, staring at a photo of hundreds of people marching behind a banner that read: "Free Speech."

To University of California, Berkeley, students who may have been involved in that protest on Nov. 20, 1964, the photo resurrects memories of an era that seems like just yesterday.

However, Michaela, a fourth-grader, was viewing what to her was a bit of history.

A few tables away, Travis Crisp, 9, had his computer focused on a photo taken in a Japanese internment camp during World War II.

With a few clicks of a computer mouse, Michaela and Travis could view photos of Gold Rush activities during the mid-1800s, of Gov. Hiram Johnson, who led California in the early 1900s, and of 150,000 images of photos, documents, newspapers, political cartoons and other primary history sources.

Then the youngsters could go home and study the same historical sources with their parents or friends.

The rich historical treasure trove available to students, teachers and the public is result of the creation of the new and free Calisphere Web site at www.calisphere.university ofcalifornia.edu.

Previously, the 150,000 historical items were available primarily to scholars at libraries and museums throughout the state.

"It's a great teaching tool," said John Baggett, director of educational technology for the Rio Linda Union School District.

The Web site was unveiled last week by Jack O'Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, on the first day of the new academic year at Rio Linda Elementary School.

Any student, parent or teacher who has access to a computer and the Internet can visit the Web site.

"The kid in San Diego who can't visit Sutter's Fort can view photos and other resources about the fort," Baggett said.

"We know that learning is more exciting and teaching is more effective the closer a student can get to primary sources of information," O'Connell told a group of fourth-graders viewing the site for the first time.

Students are "only a click away" from materials preserved in the University of California library, special collections and other repositories of history, he said.

Frank Porter, superintendent of the Rio Linda district, said that although the Web site is fairly self-explanatory, there will be a tech coach at each school to help teachers use it in a more effective manner.

Photographs and other documents selected from University of California libraries and special collections focus on African, Asian, Hispanic and American Indian activities, according to a Department of Education news release explaining the Web site.

O'Connell said in the release that the Calisphere Web site is a public service project of the California Digital Library.

WEB SITE

Visit the Calisphere Web site online at www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu.