Library of Congress Selects the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media for K-12 Interactive Development

We are proud to announce that the Library of Congress has selected the Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media (RRCHNM) at George Mason University to develop Eagle Eye Citizen — an engaging, online and mobile-friendly interactive for K-12 students focused on Congress and civic participation.

Working in collaboration with National History Day and educational media designer Big Yellow Taxi, we will develop a project that draws students into careful analysis of Library of Congress resources, including Congress.gov and Chronicling America. The project team will work with the Library’s Teaching with Primary Sources program to develop the project.

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to create interactives for a range of K-12 learning environments with the goal of cultivating and promoting civic education and civic participation in the twenty-first century,” said Kelly Schrum, Director of Educational Projects at RRCHNM and an Associate Professor at George Mason University.

RRCHNM was one of three groups selected out of 33 applications. “We are excited to work with all three of the organizations selected to develop the online interactives and mobile apps,” said Lee Ann Potter, Director of Educational Outreach for the Library of Congress. “The proposals they submitted reflected both creativity and enthusiasm for providing students with engaging tools to learn about Congress and civic participation.”

In addition to developing online interactives, the project includes outreach to teachers and students, a national contest, and teacher professional development opportunities in partnership with National History Day. “Engaging students in historical research is an important part of developing the skills necessary for civic participation,” said National History Day Executive Director Cathy Gorn. “National History Day is excited to bring our expertise in history education to this project.”

For more information about the Library of Congress educational initiative on Congress and civic participation, please visit http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2015/15-158.html.