Learning Page Chat, January 22, 2004: The Branding of America

GailP: BJ will get us started in just a moment - the first thing we do is introduce ourselves
GailP: That helps me know how to direct the chat :-)

HeatherEH: Okay. My name is Heather Harris. I teach Kindergarten at Sirrine Elementary School in Greenville, SC.

GailP: now...I'm a retired library media specialist working part-time in DC at the Library of Congress - I work two weeks and then "vacation" for two weeks. I live in Rochester, NY. I love what I do!

BJ: Welcome to the LOC Learning Page Chat. The topic for tonight is The Branding of America.

CleoC: Greetings from the south - I'm Cleo. I teach 11th grade US History and would love to get some new ideas for my often lazy and bored students

RuthAT: I'm Ruth Anne Tennyson and unless I'm lost again I teach seventh grade ELA in Spartanburg, SC.

BlakelyW: Hey there! I am Blakely White and I teach first grade at Cedar Grove Elementary in Williamston, SC

AnnTC: Ann Cochran--I'm a library media specialist for a public high school in Greenville, SC.

JanetHB: Hi, Janet Bowman, and I teach middle school technology (keyboarding)

GailP: This looks like a great crowd - we are so glad you are here!

GailP: Tonight I'm going to take you on a quick tour of some of the wonderful resources from the Library of Congress... that we surely hope you will be able to use with your students!

BJ: When Gail shows a url, click on the hyperlink to open a new web window

GailP: While you are getting organized, do let me know if any of you are familiar with the Library of Congress Collections...???

HeatherEH: I've taken a quick look!
CleoC: Me to - very quick
JanetHB: I'm new to the LOC

GailP: I'f most of you are new at this, I'll move slowly and start from the beginning!

CleoC: Thanks
RuthAT: I just started with the AAM program at Furman U so I've toured around a bit to explore.
GailP: Great, Ruth - Elizabeth Ridgeway works with me at the LOC
GailP: you may have met her

GailP: BJ - let me know when you want me to "begin"
BJ: Gail, begin ;-)

GailP: Welcome to the Library of Congress - where it all begins!
GailP: http://www.loc.gov
GailP: See, I'm new too!
HeatherEH: Do we do there?
GailP: This is the home page - lots to explore... it takes weeks....
GailP: Sure - this is the easiest url to remember if you get lost
GailP: www.loc.gov
GailP: From there we are going to go to the American Memory Collections
GailP: Collections = 8 million primary resources
GailP: http://memory.loc.gov

GailP: This page is worth exploring too, but we aren't going to stay... I just wanted you to be able to find your own wa to the Learning Page... which we will be working from tonight...

GailP: Soooooooooooo.....
GailP: Did everyone find American Memory...
JanetHB: yes
RuthAT: I did.
CleoC: Yes - that was easy - Is there a way for me to look and still see the chat window?

GailP: From this page you can search all of the collections, go to the Learning Page, where we try to help teachers make sense of the millions of documents. So let's go there:
http://memory.loc.gov/learn

GailP: From here you will see there are lots of places to explore
GailP: If you are new to the site, Getting Started will help you
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/start

GailP: Tonight we are going to visit the Community Center section...
GailP: Each month we feature a new topic or theme...
GailP: And tonight we will be looking at the Branding of America theme...
GailP: Soooo..Take a look at the Community Center Page
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community

GailP: If you get to the Community Center and scroll down the page, you'll see lots of topics.
GailP: Tonight we will look at the featured topic - Branding of America - but the others work much the same way!

GailP: Are you all with me?
JanetHB: yes, I'm with you. :)
MichaelH is
RuthAT: I'm still here although I've been peeking at the "Branding" page.
GailP: Great, Ruth :-)
HeatherEH: I'm having trouble. working on the problem

GailP: All community centers feature resources collected from all over the Library.
GailP: Each center contains online resources for students and teachers, lesson plans and connections to collections related to the topic, a bibliography AND a monthly chat!

GailP: So lets all go to the Branding of America Community Center now:
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/cc_advertising.php

GailP: In this month's community center we focused on brand name products - why, when and how they appeared - and how they shaped the nation we have become.
GailP: Part of my job involves putting these centers together. It continues to amaze me - the wealth of the material available.
GailP: In this case we looked for anything connected with products, ads, business, or advertising and tried to put it in one place that teachers could find. One stop shopping to get you started!

GailP: Are you with me?
MichaelH is
JanetHB: Great resource for teaching propaganda!
GailP: Great, Michael!
GailP: Good point, Janet!
RuthAT: Still here and utterly amazed by all of the info on this page!
GailP: I won't have time to discuss all of the resources... but once you know how to visit the site, you can come back often...
GailP: Thanks, Ruth!

GailP: We're excited about our new collaborative activity - "The Branding of America"
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/branding/index.php

GailP: We had our first chat about a year ago - and we were working on this activity... It took longer than we thought it would to finish it, but it is up and ready to go!

GailP: The front page features a large billboard - click on the mini billboards and you'll see an image of a product that got its start in that area...

CleoC: This would fit in great with my unit on the 20's and consumer behavior
GailP: Good to hear, Cleo!

GailP: Click on the small image for more information about the product and its history! This is just a starter set to get everyone thinking :-)
GailP: All of the images/resources are from the Library of Congress
GailP: If you look down at the bottom of the page, you will see it has links to About this Activity (where you can learn how YOU and YOUR students can make history with the Library of Congress):
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/branding/about.html

JanetHB: old ads for the brands?
RuthAT: Will more images from different states be added periodically?
GailP: Some items were ads, others images...
GailP: We hope you will think of ways to use the activity with your students...
GailP: Perhaps a geographical focus...
GailP: Or advertising...
GailP: Or economics....
JanetHB: geography
GailP: Yes, Janet -
CleoC: Might even fit into Psychology

GailP: We'd love to invited you and your students to Add YOUR Hometown Product!
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/branding/add_your_hometown.html
GailP: This is the part we are really excited about - You and your classes can help us fill up the map with products/brands from your hometowns!
GailP: Here's the View the Hometown Products page, still sparsely populated, but we've just begun...
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/branding/view_hometown_prod.php

CleoC: Duke's Mayonaise comes form Grenville - how would my students go about researching and adding?
GailP: If you upload an entry for us, it is "approved" by the LOC and then becomes part of the database!
GailP: Well Cleo, what a great question -
GailP: I'll bet that could start a class discussion... and a project...
GailP: And that's just what we hope you will all be inspired to do!
GailP: How about the rest of you - do you see ways you could integrate this activity into your curricula?

JanetHB: this would be a clever way to teach scanning jpegs in my technology class...with cross-curriculum focus
CleoC: I think Texize also ariginated here in Greenville ???
HeatherEH: I'd love suggestions for Kindergarteners!
CleoC: This would be great in an Econ class
GailP: Well, Heather, you could talk about places parents work...look at ads...
PatP: Greenville also has the somewhat dubious distinction of making all the Pepto Bismal in the world!!
GailP: talk about favorite foods
MichaelH: Heather, maybe the teacher might be able to find information and bring it to the students?
RuthAT: I teach a unit on persuasive writing and advertising with an emphasis on both positive and negative images. This would be a great resource for the students' projects!
GailP: Good idea Ruth...
GailP: Well, I think you are sold on the Branding activity :-)
GailP: I hope we see submissions from your schools!
HeatherEH: WOW! Thanks for the great suggestions!
CleoC: Kndg classes might look for ads with certain colors or color combinations

GailP: One last page before we move on...
GailP: There is a fun Did You Know page
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/features/branding/did_you_know.html
GailP: These were some of the products that we couldn't fit on the map...
GailP: You could use this as an exploration activity....
MichaelH: these are really, cool, Gail...
GailP: Let's take a minute to explore...Thanks Michael
GailP: And then we'll leave Branding and go on a bit...

GailP: Remember...whatever I don't have time to show you tonight...
GailP: Is all available from the Branding Community Center page...
GailP: Many of the resources in the activity came from the Emergence of Advertising Collection
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/index.html

RuthAT: I will definitely explore here again!
GailP: Great Ruth..have fun...

GailP: Go to the Category Descriptions page and browse a bit
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/browse.html
GailP: This is a fabulous collection... I could spend hours just touring this on my own... but I will give you a tiny sampling....

JanetHB: is this link still LOC?
GailP: Yes, Janet...this is one of the Library collections...it is one of our "Ameritech Collections," created by Duke University to be accessible from the Library...

GailP: You can see the categories...depending on your interests....there is something for everyone
GailP: How about the weather???
GailP: Ads: What is the weather like in your area? Here is a barometer ad
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/dynaweb/eaa/databases/ephemera/@Generic__BookTextView/42352

GailP: You can usually enlarge the images in several ways
GailP: You can download them and make copies
CleoC: The billboard collection is fabulous
GailP: Thanks Cleo
GailP: There is a cookbook section...Dr. Atkins, watch out!
GailP: Even cookbooks...here is How Phyllis grew thin!
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/dynaweb/eaa/databases/cookbooks/@Generic__BookTextView/3879
GailP: This is a sample...I don't know what happened to Phyllis.

CleoC: Is ther much in the collection past the 1920's? I'm ready to go into the 30's and the depression and then onto WWII - is there information, pictures etc for more current topics in Am history?
GailP: Oh yes, Cleo....lots across the collections...start from the American Memory page...
CleoC: Thanks - I'll play later.

GailP: You can explore the book type ads page by page...
GailP: Just click on view this book!
GailP: Here is a broadside from the collection and a broadside advertising slaves for sale:
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/dynaweb/eaa/databases/broadsides/@Generic__BookTextView/28310
GailP: Black History month is approaching....

GailP: I could go on and on....I hope you have time to explore more on your own....

CleoC: WHen I start to plan a unit - is there some one to help me?
GailP: Cleo, I'd be happy to chat privately...we are there to help you if we can..

GailP: A lesson for younger kids using ads: Off and Running With Primary Sources
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/educators/newsletter/august01/TIoffrun.html

CleoC: Great - thanks this has already been so helpful and fun. I know what I'll be doing this summer when I have time to play and plan
PatP: Cleo has just joined our class on the Adventure of the American Mind. Cleo, you will be receiving lots of instruction on using these resources as the class progresses.
CleoC: wonderful

GailP: this would be a good beginning activity to use when starting with primary sources...
GailP: The collections have many timelines... History of Advertising Timeline:
http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/eaa/timeline.html

CleoC: It might be fun to get some ads from today and have the kids compare them to ads from the past and speculate on how and why they have changed
GailP: That is a great idea, Cleo. In fact, my teaching partner - when I was teaching- did just that with automobile ads...
CleoC: Great way to answer an essential question in Economics - who has more power the consumer or the producer?
GailP: Whatever the kids are interested in...and will grab their attention...

GailP: The Library has another new offering - a monthly newsletter called the Wise Guide
GailP: Here is an advertising related article: Wise Guide article featuring the history of Nipper - a famous trademark
http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/dec02/gramophone.html
GailP: Today's kids don't even know what a record player is, do they?

GailP: And speaking of kids...
GailP: There is much for them too... How about the invention of the ice cream cone from America's Library?
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/jb_date.cgi?month=07&day=23&x=15&y=14
GailP: or learn about Coolidge and watch a great vintage movie ad for Warner's corsets:
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/jazz/coolidge_2
This features one of the movies from the collections - you'll love it...no words...

GailP: Check Today in History for May 2nd - You can learn about the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/may02.html

GailP: I could keep going.... there is so much....but I'd love to hear from you...
GailP: If you teach about World War I... explore the ads in the Stars and Stripes newspapers
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/sgphtml/sashtml/sashome.html
GailP: Or how about this for a brand: Fifty Years of Coca-Cola Advertising
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ccmphtml/colahome.html

PatP: The video ad for Warner's corsets is a riot!
GailP: there are many more movies, Pat...
PatP: Yes, I use several in the course I teach
RuthAT: I liked the Coke ad that reminded me of "I'd like to teach the world to sing..."
BlakelyW: What about ads during 1800's if I chose to teach a unit on president's to first graders especially Washington and Lincoln?
GailP: That is a good question, Blakely...
BlakelyW: Washington would be earlier than Lincoln's years I know
GailP: You might locate some in Ads and broadsides in the American Time Capsule:
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/rbpehtml/pehome.html

CleoC: Stars and stripes is great - I will definitely return to explore it further
GailP: Glad you like it Cleo...it is quite new...
GailP: If you visit www.loc.gov, make sure to check the news...
GailP: Frequently, new collections appear.... I can't keep up with them....
GailP: Here is the news url
http://www.loc.gov/today/

GailP: Voices From the Days of Slavery is BRAND new.... :-)
BlakelyW: I checked it out. Pretty neat
GailP: and also sent to you if you have registered so you can go back and explore all of the links on your own.... at your leisure...
RuthAT: Under Upcoming Events, I saw a link for Two Presidents...that would help Blakely
HeatherEH: Thanks. I need much more time to explore!
BlakelyW: Thanks

CleoC: I've enjoyed this new experience. Thanks for all you help in getting started - I'll be back.
BlakelyW: I feel like such a tech pro. This was neat
GailP: Here is the link to our past chats..
http://memory.loc.gov/learn/community/chat/chattranscripts.html
GailP: Once Leni goes through it - in the next few days....this one will be up too.

RuthAT: Thanks Gail. This was my first chat experience ever!
GailP: I hope you enjoyed it...
GailP: I felt like I said way too much...
JanetHB: Yes, good overview, thanks, Gail! You've hooked my interest!
GailP: I'm so glad, Janet. Do come back to the site...
PatP: Gail, this has been invaluable for the folks in our class. They'll be back next month for the next chat. Do you know what the topic will be?

GailP: Our next chat topic is Civil Rights. Please join us February 19!

PatP: Thanks, Gail -- I'll let everyone know.
RuthAT: I definitely enjoyed this. I now can consider myself experienced!
GailP: We'd love to see/hear from you all.
GailP: Yes, Ruth, you are!
MichaelH waves good night
HeatherEH: Thanks for the tour and help. The first date wasn't so bad!
GailP: Night, Michael!
HeatherEH: See YA!
GailP: Great date, Heather!
AnnTC: Thanks for all the great information. I can't wait to share it with the teachers at my school.
RuthAT: Ruth Anne says "Until next time..."
GailP: Wonderful, Ann