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Contest Section Highlights:

• Photos from the 2008 National Contest
• 2008 National Contest Winners
• Webcast of the 2008 Awards Ceremony
• What are the steps to create a project?
• How do I create a process paper?
• How are entries judged?

Web Site Interactivity

A good History Day web site should actively teach viewers about your topic. Imagine that the viewer has just arrived at your site from Google. How did you catch their attention and curiosity? How do you get them involved in learning about your topic? Your site should incorporate some interactive elements to help accomplish this.

What Are Interactive Elements?
Interactive elements are any HTML tags, codes, software or graphics which allow the user to be an active participant in your site. Interactive elements include items such as image maps, pop-up windows, sound, videos, timelines, and databases.

Not All Interactive Elements Are Created Equal
Make sure your interactive elements help interpret your topic, but don't distract from it. Interactive elements should give the viewer a better understanding of the information and ideas you're presenting. For example, if you were researching a Civil War soldier, an interactive map that follows the path of the soldier's regiment would help the viewer understand where the events you're describing took place. On the other hand, a quiz that simply reviews factual information found elsewhere in the site would not interpret your topic because it would not provide the audience with a new understanding.

Interactive Elements Don't Have To Be High-Tech!
You don't have to be a professional web designer or have years of experience to incorporate interactive elements into your web site. Check out history web sites to see how they engage their viewers.

Think about the example above, the interactive map that follows the path of the Civil War soldier's regiment. You could design an image map that would allow the viewer to click on battle locations. Maybe a window pops up giving you a historic photo of that location. Maybe the pop-up window includes a letter that soldier wrote while at that site.
Let's say you're creating a web site about the Black Hawk War. You want to include portions of the 1804 treaty between the government and two representatives of the Sauk nation. The treaty set the stage for the conflict to occur 25 years later and is an important part of the story. Links on key words in the document could take viewers to a more detailed explanation of the word or idea.

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