By John Tolley
Across this state, Paleo-Indian hunter-gathers tracked mastodons armed with knapped chert spears. The Hopewell people adapted highly productive agricultural practices to the rich soil and produced corn and squash. Its first capitol was Corydon. It has 92 counties stretching from the Lake Michigan coast to the banks of the Ohio River. It has the most miles of interstate highway per square mile of any state in the union. Its highest point is Hoosier Hill.
It is, of course, Indiana.
And, whether you knew them or not, these are the types of illuminating facts that will soon populate the memory banks of CitizIN. A new app-based tool in development by the Center for Representative Government at Indiana University, CitizIN will be available free to Indiana high schools as part of state measure that mandates elective courses on Indiana studies be made available.
The app will use source material from the Indiana Historical Society, the Indiana State Library and the Library of Congress among others to offer insights on a variety of topics ranging from history and civics to geography and culture.
“The General Assembly has recognized the importance of offering Hoosier students the opportunity to learn more about who we are and from where we came as a state,” said State Sen. Eric Koch, R-Bedford, speaking to the IU news service. “I am grateful to Indiana University and its research partners for engaging with us to promote Indiana studies in such a unique and meaningful way.”
CitizIN will provide teachers a fun, engaging platform on which to expand classroom lessons and discussion on topics pertaining to Indiana. Games, video clips, stories, galleries and trivia challenges will help bolster the educational experience across six modules covering early statehood to the present era.
The project is part of Indiana University’s larger Bicentennial celebration, which looks to not only reflect on the university’s history and role in the state’s development, but to create ever greater goals for future progress. To learn more about CitizIN and the IU Bicentennial, please check out the full IU news service article here.
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