Teaching History Online
Number 149: 10th October, 2004
Introduction
Spartacus Educational publishes Teaching History Online bi-monthly. 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 38,670 subscribers to the newsletter.
John Simkin
Non-Specialist History Teachers: Non-specialists are becoming more and more common in history departments, often because of the popularity of the subject at GCSE and A level, specialists are put with these groups leaving key stage three to a range of non-specialists. Many Heads of Department will know the sinking feeling when you first get to see the timetable for the following year and the history teaching staff run onto two pages – there are two choices – allow history teaching to run into the ground or make it work. In this seminar Sally Burnham provides some ideas to help you manage a diverse team of non-specialists. If you have views on this subject, register with the Education Forum and join the debate.
Hidden Lives Revealed: This is an exciting and unique new resource for anyone interested in British social history. The site has something for you if you are at school learning about the Victorians or even at university studying social work. Hidden Lives Revealed focuses on the period 1881-1918, and includes unique archive material about poor and disadvantaged children cared for by The Waifs and Strays' Society. The site features a range of archive material, most not previously accessible by the public, as well as articles and learning resources that help interpret these stories for a modern audience. No other Internet archive gives you the opportunity to browse through such unique material - a kind of resource which has the type of information not recorded elsewhere. This site features the full contents of around 150 case files of children in the care of the The Waifs and Strays' Society from Victorian and Edwardian times.
BBC Family History: This major new TV series starting on 12 October on BBC 2 sees well known celebrities tracing their family roots and revealing secrets and surprises from their pasts. The series travels the globe as each celebrity embarks on a voyage of personal discovery, exploring their personal history and discovering fascinating facts that had been hidden by the passage of time. After each programme, viewers will be shown practical tips on how to trace their own family history and will be encouraged to do their own research, inspired by the celebrities’ stories. Complementing the BBC 2 series, Family Ties on BBC 4 is a collection of moving and inspiring stories of ordinary people who have discovered extraordinary events through their own genealogical research.
Ancient Civilizations: Human societies, from their earliest appearances through to their most complex communities, have faced questions common to all people. A world-wide approach to the study of history can throw light on how different civilizations have solved these fundamental questions. This unique website explores world themes of continuing importance to human development. Encounter ancient lives in a Mixtec picture-book and the letters of Roman Vindolanda. Follow the spice route from India to Venice, then investigate trade along the Silk Road. Explore the cities of Mohenjo-daro and Great Zimbabwe to discover what features they share. Contrast the craft of Moche weavers with that of jade workers in Ancient China. Ascend the Great Temple of the Aztecs, then explore the Ziggurat of Ur. Compare an Anglo-Saxon ship burial and an ancient Chinese tomb.
Learning Curve: Award-winning National Archives website, Learning Curve, has had a facelift. Not only does the website look great, but on top of all the fantastic teaching resources, its also added even more useful features. This includes new indexes to make finding resources easier and workshop preparation materials – a completely new section to compliment our videoconferencing and onsite education workshops. Students can use the Learning Curve for researching an essay, a presentation, a report, a piece of course work or an in-depth personal study. You may want to use it for exam revision or to practise your work with sources. Just choose a topic from the Index and get started.
Book Section
Churchill's Hour: In 1941, the war appears to be going badly on many fronts. Winston Churchill's domestic struggles may be lessened but Britain is battered, bloody and almost bankrupt. Churchill knows that his country can barely survive, let alone win the war, without help. A fictional account of one of the most extraordinary passages of the war, in which Michael Dobbs draws on his deep knowledge of the workings of power to throw fresh light on one of the most remarkable men in Britain's history, Winston Churchill. (Michael Dobbs, Churchill's Hour, HarperCollins, ISBN 0 00 718304 6, £17.99)
