Today’s What We’re Reading features a roundtable of reactions to the digital revolution in academia, a reflection on life and career of historian Eric Hobsbawm, and a presidential documents app.

Higher Education v. the Digital Revolution: A roundtable of discussions related to how scholars are currently interacting and reacting to technology in the classroom.

The Academic Twitterazzi
Inside Higher Ed covers a conversation about Twitter, that has largely taken place on Twitter, about whether one should tweet someone else’s presentation.

On Becoming a Phoenix: Encounters with the Digital Revolution
Catharine Stimpson, the distinguished literary scholar and former dean of New York University’s Graduate School of Arts and Science, explores the world of for-profit, online universities by taking the plunge.

Why I Changed My Mind about Teaching Online
A philosophy professor finds a way to connect with students in the virtual world.

MOOCs and the History Classroom
Mark R. Cheathem, on the other hand, argues that face-to-face contact is irreplaceable, and quotes a recent piece by AHA Vice President Patty Limerick.

History in the News

Eric J. Hobsbawm, Marxist Historian, Dies at 95
The New York Times reflects on the legacy of an influential historian.

Why Whiggish Won’t Do
Rebekah Higgitt responds to an ongoing conversation on history of science blogs about whiggish history, presentism, and metanarratives. A recent article by William Cronon in Perspectives on History has been mentioned in this conversation here and here.

The South’s Enduring Conservatism
The New York Times has sponsored a panel of scholars to discuss, “why the Deep South remain so much more conservative than the rest of the country?” For historian Joseph Crespino, the answer is bound in the history of voting rights and redistricting.

History Lesson
A lovely essay in the Chronicle for Higher Education about how exploring a tragic family history made one professor a better teacher.

What Are Some REAL Jobs for History Majors?
On Reddit, an extensive conversation about what you can do with a history major. On a related note, ProfHacker has assembled a roundup of useful resources for the academic job market. 

Look What They’ve Done to U.S. History
KC Johnson: “If you doubt that leftist activists now dominate the study and teaching of U.S. history, take a look at the program for the 2013 American Historical Association conference in New Orleans.”

Fun with History

Presidential Documents App
The Presidential Documents app includes the President’s executive orders, speeches, statements, communications to Congress and federal agencies, approved acts, nominations submitted to the Senate, White House announcements, and White House press releases. The app’s search engine can be searched by date, category, subject, or location.

History Photographed, Then Hidden
National Public Radio has featured a slideshow of images revealing the individual experience of African American student James Meredith during desegregation at Ole Miss, in 1962. 

7 Historical Figures Famous for Something They Never Did
A list of seven notable people who have been erroneously linked with something they never did.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.