Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google


PBS Hosts "Field Trips" to Colonial America

  • 01/01/97

PBS plans to host two Electronic Field Trips in Spring 1997 that explore life in colonial America. The "trips" combine live telecasts with online forums before, during and after the event. Students are linked via fax to experts in the field, and must perform activities that reinforce learning.

Scheduled for Feb. 28, "Of Kith and Kin" follows Paris, an 18th-century slave, who uses oral history and flashbacks to convey details of African-American family live. Paris discusses everything from a traditional "jumping the broom" wedding ceremony to the dilemma of married couples separated by their master.

Another field trip, "Backdraft: The Fire Engine in the Colonial Community" (March 20) focuses on the colonial fire engine as an emblem of communal cooperation. Historical interpreters will answer studentsí questions as they examine the trades that created the fire engine and the scientific principles that allowed Williamsburgís engine to be the most advanced for its time.

Schools enjoy recording rights for one full year from the date of the original broadcast. The spring events are part of the "American Democracy: Common Faces, Public Voices" series, produced by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. PBS Teacher Resource Service, Alexandria, VA, (703) 739-8118, www.pbs.org.

Featured

  • Blurred silhouettes of business people in a modern office with a glowing blue network overlay

    Open Secure AI Alliance Moving Under Linux Foundation

    Governance of the Open Secure AI Alliance has moved to the Linux Foundation, giving the initiative what the organizations describe as a neutral home for developing open source tools, shared standards and defensive practices. The Alliance was launched by NVIDIA in July to develop open security technologies for AI systems and agents.

  • circuit patterns

    Anthropic Intros Lower-Cost Claude Sonnet 5

    Anthropic has launched Claude Sonnet 5, positioning the model as its most autonomous mid-tier offering to date and a lower-cost alternative to its flagship Opus 4.8 system. The company said the model can plan multi-step tasks, operate tools such as browsers and terminals, and complete agentic work at a level that previously required larger and more expensive models.

  • Businessman using laptop analyzing data and growth graph chart

    Report: AI Budgets in Education Show No Sign of Decline

    The vast majority of education organizations (98%) expect their AI infrastructure budgets to either increase or hold steady over the next year, according to a report from cloud storage provider Wasabi.

  • Man types on laptop in data center

    Microsoft Announces General Availability of Point-in-Time Restore for Windows 11

    Microsoft has made point-in-time restore generally available for Windows 11, giving users and IT administrators a built-in way to roll back PCs after bad updates, driver problems, app corruption, or other problems.