THATCamp photos

Here are some pictures from yesterday's THATCamp.  We had a lot of fun and learned a great deal.  Brian Mayer's presentation on games and his participation in the sessions added a lot.

Introducing New History Major: Jacob Keenan

My name is Jacob Keenan and I am a freshman history major attending St. Bonaventure University. I am from East Aurora, New York which is up near Buffalo, I have an older sister, and am the first in my direct family to go to a four year college. I attended Iroquois High school where I did very well in history which when compounded with my interest in the subject compelled me to major in it. My favorite topic of study is world military history from 1700-1918 or colonial military history (Napoleon, Washington, Clausewitz, etc.) I am a member of Army ROTC along with fellow history major Will Zimmer, and also intend to pursue military career. 

Introducing New History Major: Theresa Rabia

My name is Theresa Rabbia and I am a freshman history major at St. Bonaventure University. I am from New Hartford, New York and I have 5 siblings. I am most interested in European History based in the 18^th to 19^th centuries. My goal for the future is to use my history major in order to go into law. I have always been interested in history and I chose it to be my major because it is important to learn about the past in order to have a better understanding of the future. I believe that being a history major will make me more opened to the world around me.

Introducing New History Major: Brendan Fischer

My name is Brendan Fischer. I am from a small town near New York City called Cornwall. In high school I played baseball and that was pretty much my life. I also coached a little league team in my town in my spare time during the season. I loved baseball my family and hanging out with my friends. The reason I chose to be a history major is because of my love for learning about the history if the world. I always had special interest in ancient world history and what took place in those times as well as ancient Greek and Roman mythology. I honestly don’t know what I want to do with a history degree but I knew that I wanted to further my knowledge of the history of the world.

Introducing New History Major: Joe Gardner

My name is Joseph Gardner and I’m from a small town in upstate NY called Mexico. What made me want to be a history major was my love for history growing up. Living in central NY I was only a 15 min drive from a revolutionary war fort, Fort Ontario. Seeing history only miles from my house was so neat and mesmerizing to me. Perhaps this is the reason that my Favorite subject is the American Revolution I was also fortunate enough to visit the Louvre Museum in Paris, seeing all the things that I read about in textbooks and watched on History channel doubled my love for history. My future plan is to obtain a minor in secondary education and go on to teach US history or Global history to High Schoolers After that I plan to continue my education to eventually become a professor and teach in universities.

Introducing New History Major: Will Zimmer

My name is Will Zimmer and I'm a freshman history major who is also in the ROTC program.  I am from the small town of Lima which is south of Rochester.  I went to Honeoye Falls-Lima High School.  When I was five I learned about the Battle of Gettysburg and since then I have had a interest in history.  My favorite topic in history is American History, but my main interest is military history.  My plan at St. Bonaventure is to complete my four years of ROTC and have a military career. 

THATCamp Reminder

You can still sign up for our THATCamp (http://bonas16.thatcamp.org/) that will be Tuesday, Oct 25.  We begin at 9 a.m. with a presentation by game designer Bryan Mayer on the role of game design in curriculum.  Following his talk, we will be the unconference portion where participants propose sessions allowing colleagues to learn collaboratively from each other. 

So far, participants have expressed interest in the following topics when they signed up.

Using games in the classroom

Having student design games

(These open the door to team work, group work, iterative design, and using play/fun in the classroom.)

Composition and writing in a digital medium

Data and data visualization

Digital Maps and GIS

Collaboration using software such as OneNote and SharePoint

Getting Started

Online genealogy

Social Media in the classroom

This is a relaxed, collaborative environment.  We are providing food and snacks.  We will also have copies of Mayer’s game and book to give away as door prizes.

More on teaching with games

The latest episode of Teaching in Higher Ed has an interesting interview with Keegan Long-Wheeler on using games for teaching but also for professional development.  Maybe we should play Goblin.  It could be fun.

Introducing New History Majors: Jack Cassidy

My Name is Jack Cassidy and I am freshman history major at St. Bonaventure this year. I live in Rochester, NY, and went to Penfield High School. I have always been interested in history and that interest expanded when I entered junior year and I met my history teacher. His passion for history really got me into the subject. I’m really interested in early American history because the events of the late 18th century and early 19th in America can be so relevant today. I also plan on minoring in Law and Society ultimately with the goal of going to law school.

Introducing New History Majors: James Zagarrio

My name is James Zagarrio and I am from Lancaster, New York. I attended Lancaster Central High School. I have always had a love for American history, especially after completing my senior year courses: Participation in Government and Economics. My teacher’s passion for history inspired me to further explore my interest in the subject. My favorite history subject is United States history after 1776. During my time here at St. Bonaventure I plan to also minor in Secondary Education so I will be able to inspire a love for history in high schoolers as my teachers did for me.

The Future of History

In the spirit of our upcoming THATCamp, check out this TEDx talk on the Future of History.

Bonas 16 THATCamp has a Facebook page

We've now got a Facebook group for folks interested in our THATCamp.