Teaching
History Online
Number
116: 14th December, 2003
Introduction
1.
Creating
Effective Online Lessons
2.
North
American Prehistory
3.
The
Cuban Missile Crisis
4.
Prouty Reference Site
5.
The
Murder of President Kennedy
6.
Deep
Politics
7. Tribute
to the Rhondda
8. Child
Labour Debate
9. Ancient
Egyptians
Introduction
Spartacus Educational
publishes Teaching
History Online every week. The newsletter includes news, reviews
of websites and articles on using ICT in the history classroom. Members
of the mailing list are
invited to submit information for inclusion in future editions of
Teaching
History Online. In this way we hope to create a community
of people involved in using the Internet to teach history. Currently
there are 32,900 subscribers to the newsletter.
John Simkin
spartacus@pavilion.co.uk
Creating
Effective Online Lessons: In this excellent seminar Andrew
Field argues that the most effective online lessons are those created
and tailored by teachers for individual students with built in opportunities
for differentiation. "Strict, formulaic lessons set on a rigid
pattern for all students in the school, or indeed the country, to
complete are clearly not the way to go". Andrew Field adds that
by using "standard ICT applications (Wordprocessor, spreadsheet,
presentation software, database and DTP) you can create some fabulous
activities to encourage more effective history". If
you have views on this subject, register
with the History Forum and join the debate.
North
American Prehistory: The first Americans were Big Game Hunters
who followed their prey across the Bering Land Bridge in Alaska during
the last Ice Age. This website will tell you where they settled and
where they lived. North America is filled with fascinating rock art
done by the ancient people that once inhabited this region. This Minnesota
State University website provides information about rock art in general
and has a collection of ancient pictures from famous sites across
North America.
The
Cuban Missile Crisis: In 1962 the world came close to nuclear
war when America discovered that the Soviets were building a nuclear
missile base on Cuba. President Kennedy ordered a blockade of the
island and demanded that the missiles were withdrawn. No event in
the Kennedy era tested the President more fully than the Cuban Missile
Crisis of October 1962. Kennedy's management of this Crisis remains
highly controversial. When the crisis ended many observers applauded
Kennedy for standing up to the Soviets. He was hailed as a hero in
the States but others have seen him as a villain. This Public Record
Office website allows you to decide for yourself.
Prouty
Reference Site: Colonel L. Fletcher Prouty spent 9 of his 23 year
military career in the Pentagon. In 1955 he was appointed the first
"Focal Point" officer between the CIA and the Air Force
for Clandestine Operations per National Security Council. In this
capacity Prouty was at the nerve center of the Military-Industrial
Complex at a time unequalled in American History. He has written on
these subjects, about the JFK assassination, the Cold War period,
and Vietnamese warfare, and the existence of a "Secret Team".
This website is a focal point where researchers can locate and retrieve
articles, books, videos, and tapes on a variety of subjects which
Fletcher has written and participated in.
The
Murder of President Kennedy: Nearly 40 years later, the historical
truth of the assassination of President Kennedy remains unresolved.
While the passage of time has certainly muted the urgency of the debate,
there are still few historical questions which engender as much interest
and passion as the proverbial question: Who killed JFK? In this article
by Rex Bradford looks at some of the evidence that has become available
since the passing of the 1992 JFK Assassination Records Collection
Act. Bradford ends his excellent article with the words: "In
the end, the question "who killed JFK?" is not the most
important question anyway. How our society has failed itself miserably
by never even attempting to find the real killers, and how it has
failed to come to grips with the obvious reality of a powerful conspiracy
and subsequent cover-up—these are the real issues which matter
nearly forty years later."
Deep
Politics: Peter Dale Scott, a former Canadian diplomat and English
Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, has been called
the "dean" of JFK assassination research, having engaged
in scholarly research and writings on the topic for three decades.
Books such as Deep Politics and the Death of JFK focus on the "deep
politics" of the assassination and the Kennedy era. Dr. Scott
excels at putting the assassination into the larger and too-often
obscured political context, tracing the hidden political connections
between relevant figures in the case, and dissecting motives for cover.At
his website you can access a lot of his writings on this fascinating
subject.
Tribute
to the Rhondda: This website provides a short socio-economic history
of the Rhondda Valleys during the period 1800 to 1950 when Coal was
King. The material is organized under the following headings: Facts
& Figures, General Items, Living Conditions, Miners' Diseases,
Photographs, Pit Ponies, Tonypandy Riots, Transport, Visitors and
Working Conditions.
Child
Labour Debate: This is an international project involving three
schools: The International
School of Toulouse, France Saltus School , Bermuda, and Dartford Technology
College, England. In week one (24-29 November) students are allocated
roles as characters in the early 19th century (1835 - after the Select
Committee of Factory Children's Labour, 1831-32 and the 1833 Child
Labour Act) with views about child labour. Using this information
they research their character's attitude and begin to use this forum
to post their ideas and to ask questions of each other and their teachers.
In week two (30 Nov-7 Dec) students use their research to debate the
motion that: "Parliament should pass legislation making it illegal
for children under the age of twelve to work in textile factories."
Book
Section
Ancient
Egyptians: Designed to accompany the ground-breaking TV series
Ancient Egyptians. This superbly illustrated children's book looks
at one of the world's earliest civilizations, exploring how the people
lived, loved, worshipped and died. Ancient Egyptians features stunning
computer generated images created using cutting edge technology. The
book explores major themes in the history of Ancient Egypt, from Pharaohs
and Gods, and Wars and Warfare, to Crime and Punishment and Rituals
of Death. (Fiona Macdonald, HarperCollins, ISBN 0 00 715376 7, £9.99)
Available
from Amazon Books (order below)
