Peer Review

EyeWitness to History

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Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: This site features explanatory text with personal narratives and other first hand sources accompanied by maps, engravings, primary source documents, and photographs to illustrate aspects of the settlement of the West. Menu selections include: The Death of Billy the Kid, A Cowboy in Dodge City, Riding the Stage, Custer's Last Stand, Crossing the Plains, Train Robbery, Battle with the Apache, Massacre at Wounded Knee, Buffalo Hunt, and Dalton Gang's Last Raid.
Type of Material:: Tutorial with narratives and some archival photographs.
Recommended Uses:: To supplement a United States History survey course or an expanded course on the Old West.
Technical Requirements:: None.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: To acquaint the user with primary and secondary sources about the settlement of the West.
To acquaint the user with ten significant events that defined the culture of western settlement by using eye witness narratives.
Target Student Population:: Middle School, High School, and College survey courses.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Basic understanding of the exploration and settlement of the Plains region of the United States. Basic computer skills.

Rating:
Strengths:: Each of the ten episodes offers primary source narratives to acquaint users with information about the event. Maps, photographs, and interviews with descendants supplement the narrative.
Concerns:: Each episode identifies the primary source the narrative is taken from. It would be better if more than one source was included in the historic episode's description. The ten episodes may lack sufficient depth for some educators to consider for use. Definitely designed for high school use and maybe a college survey course. The site should provide some historiography and/or analysis.

Rating:
Strengths:: Educators can adapt these episodes as the basis of classroom discussion to determine which events were more important in defining western settlement. The narratives can be used to encourage students to find additional primary sources for comparison for historical accuracy. Classroom debate could center on which one or two of the ten episodes were the most defining for United States history in the settlement of the west. The narrative by Parkman on the buffalo hunt and the description of the Mormon train work particularly well in a survey class.
Concerns:: The site does not include any educational materials. Educators must develop these materials on their own. The site is designed to encourage users to consider items for sale in the Ibis book store. It would be helpful if the site included questions and assignments.

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is easy to navigate. Each of the ten units is self contained. Maps and pictures are strong points. The design is clear and uncomplicated and all the links work. Even the least computer-literate person should have no trouble with using this site.
Concerns:: None.

Other Issues and Comments:: Primary documents are important to an understanding of the history of a period and the eye-witness narratives that are part of this site will help studnets understand how people lived in the Old West.
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