"Mark Twain Project Online applies innovative technology to more than four decades' worth of archival research by expert editors at the Mark Twain Project. It offers unfettered, intuitive access to reliable texts, accurate and exhaustive notes, and the most recently discovered letters and documents.
Its ultimate purpose is to produce a digital critical edition, fully annotated, of everything Mark Twain wrote. MTPO is produced by the Mark Twain Papers and Project of The Bancroft Library in collaboration with the University of California Press; the site is hosted by UC Berkeley's Library Systems Office. During 2005–8 the California Digital Library collaborated in MTPO's creation and initial development."
Type of Material:
Collection, reference materials
Recommended Uses:
This is a reference source that could be used for any number of classroom applications, such as possible sources for research papers, background information for discussions, and even material for classroom presentations.
Technical Requirements:
Browser
Identify Major Learning Goals:
• The student can perform focused searches.
• The student can browse the site's significant collection of writings.
• The student can view notes and variants alongside the text.
• The student can collect writings for future retrieval.
• The student can generate standardized digital citations.
To provide access to reliable texts, accurate and exhaustive notes, and the most recently discovered letters and documents. • To provide access to a digital critical edition, fully annotated, of everything Mark Twain wrote.
Target Student Population:
College-level
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
Basic computer and internet browser skills
High school or college level reading skills
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
Comprehensive, scholarly, clear, easy to use, images and notes integrated seamlessly into the text.
The site contains a wealth of information, including some primary texts and photographs.
Concerns:
The project is not yet complete and so far, in addition to letters, the writings only include Autobiography of Mark Twain Vols. I & II, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians, and Other Unfinished Stories
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
Can be used to teach in-depth study of text and background material to text, author editing, relationship of image to text, bibliographical citations
There is a lot of information that could be used for discussions and research as well as presentations.
Concerns:
Since it is a large collection, teachers will have to create lesson plans that will guide students in how to utilize the site.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Navigation is very intuitive
There are several search engines available as well as a tutorial on how to use the interface on the site.
Concerns:
None
Creative Commons:
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