From the website: "CivilWar@Smithsonian is produced by the National Portrait Gallery and is dedicated to examining the Civil War through the Smithsonian Institution's extensive and manifold collections. Since the war itself, 1861–1865, the institution has been actively collecting, preserving, and remembering America’s most profound national experience. Now through the World Wide Web, this site will significantly expand that mission, giving the public increased access to Smithsonian collections and archives."
Type of Material:
Collection
Recommended Uses:
Research & homework
Work outside of class
Technical Requirements:
The website was successfully reviewed using Google Chrome (though any web browser should suffice).
Identify Major Learning Goals:
Students will take a virtual tour of some of the Smithsonian's collection of items related to the Civil War, as well as a selection of primary sources and other resources (such as a Civil War timeline).
Target Student Population:
Middle School, High School, College General Ed, College Lower Division, College Upper Division, Graduate School, Professional
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
The website is easy to navigate, and the historical information is appropriate for users of all ages, from middle school to college.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The website offers in-depth content related to Civil War memorabilia, which is contextualized by broader historical analysis of the Civil War for those unfamiliar. It thus offers something for users of all ages and experience levels.
The site offers enormous access to imaged Civil War material from the National Portrait Gallery.
Concerns:
The website looks a bit dated, with lots of empty space.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
If anyone excels at making history "come alive," it's the Smithsonian Institution, which offers a solid selection of their Civil War related items that are contextualized with additional historical commentary.
The presentation of material will be especially effective for visual learners.
Concerns:
There does not appear to be any logical consistency to how the materials are organized. There is fantastic information, but it is not always laid out in an effective way that connects A to B in a logical flow. Faculty who use this site as a teaching & learning resource will want to give students specific instructions about the best surfing approach.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The website works well and is easy to navigate; at the time of the review, there were no broken links.
Concerns:
It is not always intuitive on the website what is and what is not "clickable" except through trial and error.
Creative Commons:
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