Teaching History Online
Number 15: 29th October, 2001
5. IslamiCity
8. Elizabeth, Portrait of a Queen
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 15,661 subscribers to the newsletter.
John Simkin
The Korean War: This impressive website has been produced by the US Department of Defense to commemorate the 1.8 million veterans who served in the Korean War. There are sections entitled History of the Korean War, Medal of Honor Recipients, Images, Just for Teachers and Frequently Asked Questions. The site also includes interviews with 14 soldiers who took part in the war.
Primary School History: School History has expanded its links to cover Primary history. There are currently a total of 128 reviewed links available, covering general sites, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Aztecs, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Tudor Times, Great Fire of London, Victorian Britain and Britain since 1930. Further links will be added on request. Each topic attempts to highlight existing material on the Internet that will be useful either for direct teaching or for teacher research.
Victorian Entrepreneur: Can you succeed as a Victorian entrepreneur? is a decision making game in which you have to make a series of tough decisions as you learn about the era of the Industrial Revolution. At the end of the game you are told what your profits, based on your decisions, was likely to have been (worksheet included). This provides an original way for students to learn about the era of the Industrial Revolution.
BBC History Magazine: This month's edition of the BBC History Magazine includes several articles that attempt to help explain the terrible events on 11th September. The magazine examines early terrorism, in both East and West, as well as past conflicts in Afghanistan, the targeting of civilians in modern war, and the career of the Byzantine emperor who may have initiated the idea of the crusade as 'holy war', with a possible impact on the Vikings. There is also an article by Paul Kennedy who reflects on the historical impact on the attacks on New York and Washington.
IslamiCity: A website that provides a detailed account of Islam. Sections include Understanding Islam, Culture and Art, History, Islam and Science, Education, A Chronology of Islamic History and A Muslim Guide.
Middle East News Online: Fadi Chahine, founder of Middle East and News Online, has created a website that produces and disseminates information that it claims "reflects the political, economic, social and cultural realities of the Middle East and North Africa."
Martin Luther: This is a detailed site on Luther's background and his impact on Europe. Topics covered are Luther's background; the background to the 95 Theses; a modern interpretation of the 95 Theses; Luther's development of his ideas after 1517; the social and political consequences of Luther and his impact on Europe. The work is targeted towards Advanced level students.
Elizabeth, Portrait of a Queen: This one hour lesson from History on the Net, focuses on the portraits Elizabeth commissioned of herself. After a brief explanation and quiz about Elizabeth's early life students are told why portraits were painted, shown some of the portraits and invited to guess when they were painted, informed about the propaganda benefits of releasing 'nice' portraits and invited to answer questions about the Armada portrait.
Please email John Simkin at spartacus@pavilion.co.uk if you have information you want included in next month's edition of Teaching History Online.