TIDES (Teaching, Images & Digital Experiences) is many things:
Founded in September of 2002 and funded by a series of local and national grants, the Ralph W. Steen Library at Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU) developed TIDES as East Texas’ first collaborative digital initiative, originally focusing on the humanities collections of East Texas. Since that time, TIDES has gone through many changes and transformations with the goal of evolving to better serve our users. Partnerships with other libraries, museums, archives, and zoos have allowed TIDES to offer a free database of over 17,000 primary source documents, 150 original, K-12 lesson plans in all subjects, and virtual expeditions to sites and events in and around Texas and Mexico. By constantly seeking and responding to input from educators working closely with TIDES, the program is now being expanded to serve as a framework for helping to build successful learning communities in public schools, colleges and universities, and memory institutions.
June of 2005 saw a new and vital advancement for the TIDES program. In response to a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, the library at SFASU formed the Digital Projects department, which is now in charge of the development and growth of TIDES. Because of this move, the TIDES project now has a permanent staff of two librarians, an educator, one technical specialist, one administrative assistant and a staff of 13 student workers. With University administrative support, TIDES has been able to successfully transition from a grant funded project to a sustainable and growing program.
Digital Projects staff soon realized that the diverse classrooms of Texas teachers created a strong need for culturally-sensitive teaching tools. While teachers involved with the project acknowledged the value of translated materials on the website, they also expressed a need for guidance in making those materials relevant and engaging to students whose cultural backgrounds were different from their own.
New partnerships bridging the border have allowed project staff to pilot unique teacher enrichment activities, including the chance for elementary school teachers to accompany staff on several trips (Teacher Expeditions) to Mexico to explore new opportunities for TIDES and to gather video and photographs of Mexican cultural events and natural history. Teachers involved with these trips reported a renewed sense of excitement about their jobs and the subject matter that they teach and found that once they returned to the classroom, the enthusiasm of their students matched or exceeded their own
On April 25, 2008, Digital Projects took part in Stephen F. Austin State University's Bright Ideas Conference, which spotlights faculty research, scholarship and artistry. In addition to poster sessions highlighting TIDES advancements and projects, Rachel Galan was honored as the Ralph W. Steen Library's Spotlight Speaker.
In March 2008, Digital Projects staff attended and presented TIDES at the annual Institute of Museum and Library Services WebWise Conference in Miami, Florida. The theme of this conference was the Power of Community: The Next Generation of Builders and Users of Digital Applications. Rachel Galan also served as a luncheon discussion leader for the topic "Digital Lesson Plans."
In January 2006, the TIDES Website was selected for inclusion on the EDSITEment Website, which features the best of the humanities available on the web. Learn more about this award and program here: