"Education [is]... the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in."
Abraham Lincoln
March 9, 1832, First Political Announcement
Have you ever wanted to ask a question of a Smithsonian curator or researcher? In February 2009, the Smithsonian launched the first in a series of three Online Education Conferences that are designed to let you do just that. In each conference, teachers and students across the country interact with Smithsonian experts. Each conference has a single theme, which our curators explore through the lenses of their varied disciplines. To help you connect the theme to your own teaching, Smithsonian educators and researchers show how you can put the ideas into action.
On February 4–5, the Smithsonian commemorated Abraham Lincoln’s bicentennial birthday with a conference on his life and times. The sessions included “Lincoln’s Deathbed” by Smithsonian historian Pam Henson; “Mr. Lincoln’s Air Force,” a presentation on the uses of balloons in the Civil War by Air and Space Museum curator Tom Crouch; and “Sharing the Lesson Ideas” by Michelle Hammond, a Smithsonian Teacher Ambassador and the 2007 Maryland Teacher of the Year.
New to virtual conferencing? Our conferences are similar to other professional meetings you may have attended. But these are available to you wherever you are, and registration is free and open to everyone. Because we know that your days are busy and the conference schedule might not fit yours, all of the sessions are recorded and archived. You can replay them at any time.
Enjoy any or all of the archived sessions and participate in discussions with other educators on classroom applications. Find Lincoln-related classroom materials and downloadables.
Learn more details about the individual conference sessions.
Read biographies of the Smithsonian scholars and educators who participated in the conference.
