Helpful Websites

1. Name of Web Site: The History Teacher

2. Web Site Address: www.thehistoryteacher.org

3. Copyright date and/or last update: I could not find a copyright date, so I emailed the webmaster, who informed me that the page was copyrighted this year and is currently being updated.

4. Author/organization credentials: The webmaster's name is Elisa Herrera, and the organization behind the website is the Society for History Education.

5. Web site design and ease of navigation: The design of the website is actually quite subpar, as they definitely did not spend a sizeable amount of money on the site. However, the layout and map of the site is clear and easy enough, as every page and section of the site is grouped into clear categories on the left side of the website. There is contact information for everyone involved with the website that one might want to contact, and there are also noticeable links to purchasing the publication as well as the Facebook page of the organization.

6. Response and recommendation for use: Though the website itself is not particularly visually appeasing, that is far outweighed by the The History Teacher publication archives that are held on the website. This publication is an asset to any history educator, as it has resources to help teachers research and increase their own knowledge of history so that they can better teach their students. It also provides teaching tips, strategies, and ideas for lessons.

7. Name of Web Site: Colonial Williamsburg

8. Web Site Address: www.history.org

9. Copyright date and/or last update: The site has a 2012 copyright date.

10. Author/organization credentials: The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is responsible for the upkeep of the website, and there are no individual webmasters listed. The site has won many awards for web design.

11. Web site design and ease of navigation: Having won awards for web design, this site looks great and is incredibly easy to use. There is a navigation/action bar at the bottom of the page in which each section of the site is grouped into easy categories for fast access. The site also makes effective, attractive and helpful use of Flash in its presentation of the site.

12. Response and recommendation for use: This site is not so much for the teacher as it is for the student, though the teacher will probably be a history buff, which is what the site caters to. The student will be able to access the site and learn more about colonial times, as all students in the nation will be required to do. Some younger students and older alike may not be as interested in history, but the site has sections for the learned and the not-so-interested, such as the Kids Zone, which includes games and lessons.

13. Name of Web Site: Smithsonian Education – History & Culture

14. Web Site Address: http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/educators/lesson_plans/history_culture.html

15. Copyright date and/or last update: The site has a 2012 copyright date.

16. Author/organization credentials: The Smithsonian Institute is responsible for the site and updates it regularly.

17. Web site design and ease of navigation: The website is not overly fancy, but is not as bland as The History Teacher site. Short, sweet and to the point, the site is colorfully laid out with links to every section of the site on a single page, with categorical layout.

18. Response and recommendation for use: The Smithsonian Institution offers valuable resources to teachers of all subjects, and history may be the greatest one. This particular site offers creative lesson plans that are available for teachers to use in their classrooms. The lesson plans are even more easily accessible with a search box that allows one to filter the plans by grade level, subject, and even keyword.

19. Name of Web Site: History Teaching Institute

20. Web Site Address: www.hti.osu.edu

21. Copyright date and/or last update: The site is on Ohio State's server, and is thus copyrighted 2012.

22. Author/organization credentials: The History Teaching Institute at Ohio State University upkeeps the site. No one webmaster is listed.

23. Web site design and ease of navigation: The site, again, is not overly fancy. Underneath the main banner is a navigation bar that lists the (few) sections of the HTI's site, so there is some organization present. One of the more subtle but helpful things about the website is that the lesson plans and professional development pages are grouped not by category, but by specific topic.
24. Response and recommendation for use: I spent a good amount of time perusing the site and found that if nothing else, the site is very complete. The site offers educators inventive, very original lesson plans, professional development resources, which are essentially classes for teachers, and the site does not limit the reader to itself. The Resources section offers other websites with lesson plans and resources.

25. Name of Web Site: Secrets of Great History Teachers

26. Web Site Address: http://historymatters.gmu.edu/browse/secrets/

27. Copyright date and/or last update: This page does not have a copyright date, but says that it was last visited by the webmaster in 2009.

28. Author/organization credentials: The author is American Social History Productions, Inc., and the main page was last updated February 2, 2012.

29. Web site design and ease of navigation: There is nothing wrong with the design of the main website, as it is just short, sweet and to the point. However, the page that I am reviewing is nothing but a list of interview with links leading to them. Not overly impressive, but it does not need to be, as one only needs to simply click on the links to access the information.

30. Response and recommendation for use: The page lists 17 different interviews with different history educators. After profiling the individual educator, they are asked questions such as “What first interested you in history?” and “What are your favorite courses to teach?” The most valuable aspect of the interviews is not the ideas that some of the interviews give, although those are valuable. The most valuable part of the interviews is the opportunity that they give the reader to mirror themselves against other history educators. As I was reading several of the interviews, I saw a bit of myself in their reflections on their youth and I was able to have some of my current questions answered, such as “When do lectures need to be changed over time and when do they need to stay the same?”