Cybrary Learning Lab
Imagine Peace
Notes from the WebSource
Online Education and Why We Call this a Cybrary
One of the joys of a volunteer-driven Web site is getting overwhelmed. While I attempt to answer as many emails as possible, the mixture of challenges and feedback has been amazing. My apologies to any I have not gotten back to. I want you all to know that your responses, your input, is what gives shape to this Cybrary. This Web site shows that, from Harold Gordon’s amazing story to Stuart Nichol’s visual visit to Auschwitz. I am truly grateful for all your support. Any interested in learning how to publish on the Web and contribute are also encouraged to reply.
The call for Online Education ideas has brought numerous responses, both for things to add to the Cybrary and for opportunities on the Web. We will list several exciting ones here and in our Links section. But for now let me share some ideas that have been requested.
Online Education
A number of you have contacted us about doing online educational sessions with Harold Gordon. We urge any interested people who can help out or provide a forum to let us know. We also have been contacted about an amazing number of projects being conducted on the Web. These are all outside the Cybrary, so be sure to leave a bookmark on your browser to find your way back. We are not involved with any of these, other than to recommend that you check them out:
- The White Rose, a site about Resistance (https://neuromancer.ucr.edu/beauty/rose.html)
This site shows the efforts of one of the few organized movements of resistance within Nazi Germany. Really beautiful. - UMass-Dartmouth: UMass-Dartmouth’s CyberEd (https://www.umassd.edu/cybered/theholocaust.html) University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is offering several university courses for credit over the Web this fall. One ofthem should be of special interest to your audience:
HST 356 three credits. The Holocaust. Instructor: Robert MichaelThis course will cover the ideas and events leading up to the Holocaust (the Nazi war against theJews, 1933-1945), as well asa chronology of the Holocaust itself. Be prepared for a course carrying significant intellectual and emotional weight. The Internet/Web will be used to “visit” relevant libraries, museums, and databases all over the world. You can findfull information about these courses ( and on-line enrollment) by going to: https://www.umassd.edu/cybered/theholocaust.html - The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Web page (https://www.ushmm.org/) has done an upgrade, providing initial access to a searchengine of their archives. While you cannot view the results online yet, it is an importantresource for those wanting to visit.
- California State University, Chico, is planning an online course created by Professors Sam and CarolEdelman. I worked with both of them on my CD-ROM project and will provide a link when theyhave their work up. They are dedicated teachers and will provide an excellent, highly recommended class.
- L’Chaim, A Holocaust Web Project. Robert Bennett visited here a few months back and wanted to start his own Web page about the Holocaust. Visit him at L’Chaim (https://www.charm.net/~rbennett/l’chaim.html) and share your thoughts with him!
A Books By Survivors section
This section was suggested (and soon will be online) by Harold Gordon, a survivor and author of The Last Sunrise and visitor to the Cybrary who has become a dear friend. I urge you all to read his work and purchase his book; Harold’s efforts to share the knowledge are important and we have had several contacts for doing online educational sessions with him. Please let us know on the form below if you are interested in this or other ideas.
We are about to put up excerpts from our second book by a survivor; called Abe’s Story, the book is a Holocaust memoir written by Abram Korn, a survivor, and edited by his son Joseph Korn. Joey has been a tremendous asset to the Cybrary, providing access to an intriguing mix of writing ,interactive maps, and pictures. Watch for this section to grow in the coming months. We have another survivor who may put a book up as well. We cannot put up the entire books, but urge you to help spread the knowledge by contacting the authors and reading their works. They are amazing people dedicated to preserving the memory of what happened and preventing it from happening again.
Children of Survivors section
This section grew out of several emails requesting stories, ideas, articles, and any materials about the children of survivors. What is their experience? We hope this section gives a voice, a place of expression to this important viewpoint. Joey Korn is the first contributor, but we urge any interested to share their own threads. Return to the Cybrary and look for Children of Survivors to view the first effort.
A German Perspective after the Holocaust
I worked on a wonderful project in the Bay Area called the Acts of Reconciliation Project; Armand Volkas, a theatre director and son of survivors, put an amazing amount of energy into bringing Germans and Jews together to discuss their experiences, to promote the healing process. Through storytelling and dramatic workshops, he developed a theatre presentation presented by his community theatre troupe. It was a powerful experience based on sharing, not pointing fingers, on exploring community and the issues people faced on both sides. I’m not interested in promoting controversy as much as dialogue. Is this something we should do here? Feel free to respond on the form below.
Why We Call this a Cybrary
Some viewers have written asking why we call this a Cybrary. To me, a Cybrary is a living library of information, one that is developed by the people who visit. A Cybrary is not based on the physical materials as much as the shared thoughts and ideals. I try to make this site a place for consideration of history and forming your own viewpoint. There are many important sites engaged in debates; this site is for contemplation and stories. What makes the Web wonderful is the ability to have a diversity of expression, with each site having its own unique approach. A Cybrary grows from input, so that the materials are not just ones we provide in the beginning, but grow out of ideas that people want to see. Harold Gordon wrote me a letter, asking about the possibility of putting his book online. We have worked together to create a Web page and a friendship. Many new materials are being added right now; while I can’t fulfill all requests, I do my best. I appreciate your feedback and hope to develop this site and provide links to other sites exploring these issues. We believe in simple beginnings; contact us here or email me at mddunn@best.com, or even better, fill out the form below. We’re waiting to hear from you. Until later…peace.
The Cybrary Needs you to Weave an Educational Web
Brainstorm with us about education on the Web, your idea for a Web page, or contacting and working with a survivor who is willing to share an online presence with students nationwide.
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