App Ed Review
Review Overview
A. instruction
B. Design
C. Engagement
Totally History: A Website for History
Summary : A Free Historical Reference for Students
Totally History is a reference, timeline, and gallery devoted to history. From the website’s homepage, users can browse topics that include: Art History, U.S. History, World History, Famous People, History of Inventions, and Biblical History. Each topic includes subcategories that users can select by clicking on them. Depending on the subcategory, the website will present users with a brief bibliography of the person, a timeline of events, or a gallery of images. Some of the names and events are hyperlinked, so users can click them to access more information. In addition, Totally History allows users to read, leave, and respond to other users’ comments on its different pages, and users can quickly look up any word, term, name, or event using the search box located on the upper left of the screen.
Instructional Ideas
- Teachers can develop students’ critical thinking skills by having students rank the items in the different sections. For example, when teaching about a person’s legacy or impact, teachers can have students view a group of individuals listed in the “Famous People” category of this website, such as Authors, Female Scientists, or Military Leaders. Next, teachers can have students review the individuals listed in that group and then rank the top 3, 5, or 7 most important individuals. For each ranking, students will have to explain their choice and summarize the person’s legacy and/or impact. Students can then share their rankings in small groups, by posting to a class website, or through whole class discussion. Similar activities can be created that relate to the Famous Inventions, U.S. Presidents, and more.
- When studying art history and famous artists, students can click the “Famous Artists” category and view artists by period. Next, teachers can have students pick two artists from the same time period and compare them for similarities and differences, in both the artwork they produced and the lives they lived. Students can use a graphic organizer or chart to record their comparisons, and they can share their ideas in small groups or whole class presentations.
- When students are preparing research papers or presentations about a historical topic, they can consult this website and use it as a reference.
- Teachers can assign students a section of this website to read, such as a topic in U.S. History or a biography of a person. After reading it, teachers can require students to summarize the article that includes key concepts they learned while reading it. Students can write their summaries using an Office app. When complete, students can upload their summaries to a class website, email them to their teacher, or share them in small groups.
- After reading a section of this website, teachers can have students create a multiple-choice quiz about the section using the Quiz Creator app. Students can then share the link to their quiz by posting it to a class website. In the quiz’s title, students will need to either put the name of the section from the website they read or a link to it, so their classmates read the correct section of the website before taking the quiz.
| A1. Rigor | |
| A2. 21st Century Skills | |
| A3. Conn. to Future Learning | |
| A4. Value of Errors | |
| A5. Feedback to Teacher | |
| A6. Level of Material | |
| A7. Cooperative Learning | |
| A8. Accom. of Individual Diff. |
| B1. Ability to Save Progress | |
| B2. Platform Integration | |
| B3. Screen Design | |
| B4. Ease of Use | |
| B5. Navigation | |
| B6. Goal Orientation | |
| B7. Information Presentation | |
| B8. Media Integration | |
| B9. Cultural Sensitivity |
| C1. Learner Control | |
| C2. Interactivity | |
| C3. Pace | |
| C4. Flexibility | |
| C5. Interest | |
| C6. Aesthetics | |
| C7. Utility |
Screenshots
