Peer Review

Interactive Civil War Site

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Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: Created by PBS, this interactive site is based on Ken Burns Civil War series. It
contains photos, videos, music, lesson plans and an extensive and valuable
selection of web based resources on the Civil War.
Type of Material:: A collection of photographss, videos, film clips, music, and text
Recommended Uses:: Both as a supplement for class and for providing sources for research on the Civil War in either a United States history survey or a Civil War course.
Technical Requirements:: None
Identify Major Learning Goals:: The major learning goal is increased knowledge about all aspects of the Civil War; secondary goal is knowledge on how Burns produced his series.
Target Student Population:: The lesson plans are directed at secondary level but it can certainly be used in
college or middle schools. In addition the webography is extremely useful for
anyone researching the Civil war
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Viewing the PBS series and/or knowledge on the Civil War.

Rating:
Strengths:: The site offers 200 images broken down into categories. Each one can become a learning object to deepen the study of the Civil War. Maps are provided for key battles. There are biographies for important figures on both sides of the War. A limited document collection is available. There is a good bibliography and links to related Civil War sites. There is a decription for each episode of the series.
Concerns:: It is expected that the site will be usesd in conjunction with the PBS television series. The site does not work well alone without the series.

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is geared to help educators, particularly at the high school level use the PBS television series in the classroom There are discussion questions, lesson plans, guides for local research, and lists of teacher resources. Students are encouraged to write their own story, which could come from their own family's genealogical history.
Concerns:: Although the site is limited, what it does it does well.

Rating:
Strengths:: The site is easy to navigate. There are drop down lists for each major category: Images of the Civil War, Film Past and Present, The War, and In the Classroom.
Concerns:: None

Other Issues and Comments:: The strongest part of this site is the webography, very extensive and
useful to students, faculty and history buffs.
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