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Irish Times Archive
http://www.askaboutireland.ie/show_narrative_page.do?page_id=6505
Digital Archive of the Irish Times available online in schools and libraries.
What is the site about?
Every edition of the Irish Times since 29th March 1859 is available online, in an easily searchable format. The archive is availableto schools on NCTE Schools Broadband Service and in Public Libraries. Otherwise it is available as part of the Irish Times Premium Content Plus subscription service.
Why was it chosen as site of the week?
The online archive is being formally launched this week, with Back Pages, an Educational Supplement, being sent to all schools on 9th October 2007.
It provides a unique record of our history for the past 147 years. Everything that appeared in the paper is included in the archive. As well as the news features and editorial articles, it also contains birth marriage and death notices, situations vacant, property for sale, weather forecasts and advertisements. It could be used in teaching not only history, but also geography, maths, art, English, CSPE and science, among others.
There is a variety of ways of accessing the content:
The Historical timeline will help students to identify key historical events for every decade.
Using the Browse feature will allow students to access the newspaper for any given date.
Search will allow students to search for a name or phrase over a specified date range.
How can it be used as an educational resource?
<>Ask About Ireland provides an Archive Guide, a Students Guide and a Teachers Guide.
The possibilities are endless, constrained only by the imagination of the students and the teacher. A single old newspaper, maybe discovered when emptying an attic, has the power to bring the past to life for children of all ages, provoking discussion about news, house prices, weather, clothes, advertisements and everything else that happens to be in that paper. This archive includes 147 years of old newspapers, in a format that will allow students to find exactly what they are looking for. By way of introducing the archive to pupils, children could search for some key dates in their lives such as their birthday or first day at school and prepare a report of some of the main news items from this day. In tandem with this, children could also research what the weather was like on that date, the entertainment and sporting events that took place and what television programmes were in vogue.
History: The material available contains local, national and international news which relates to the history curriculum in Primary School as well as Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate. The ready availability of primary written evidence enriches students understanding of the time period they are studying. Articles suggesting ways of using the Archive in History teaching are available for Primary Level and Second Level.
Some suggestions for other subjects include:
Geography: Investigations into earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters as well as the changing details included in weather forecasts. Students could also investigate climate change and look for evidence of global warming.
English and Communications: Any analysis currently undertaken by students on an article may now include a historical dimension, considering how content or tone has changed in reporting similar events from the past.
Civic, Social and Political Education: The editions from previous elections provide a wealth of material for teaching students how Proportional Representation works.
Maths: Source material for graphing, e.g. how the price of an item has changed over time, or how temperatures on a given date have varied over the years.
Science: Scientific discoveries have always been newsworthy, and students can trace not only what discoveries were made, but also how society reacted to the news of these discoveries.
Art: Photographs are included in the archive, and will be invaluable source material for art students of all ages.
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Your Comments:
"A great source of information. The past really is a different country."
Paul, Donegal.
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