App review by Patricia Monticello Kievlan, Common Sense Education | Updated April 2015

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American Revolution Interactive Timeline for iPad

Give students up-close, detailed access to rare objects and artifacts

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Learning rating

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Privacy rating

by Common Sense

Grades

4–12 This grade range is based on learning appropriateness and doesn't take into account privacy. It's determined by Common Sense Education, not the product's publisher.

Subjects & Skills

Social Studies, Critical Thinking

Take a look inside

5 images

American Revolution Interactive Timeline for iPad lets kids explore objects from a museum exhibit.

Once they launch the app, kids can use the selector at the bottom or drag the timeline itself to explore the objects.

Click objects on the timeline to reveal more information, like a zoomable image or text.

Some objects reveal a video that delves deeper with a historian or conservator.

Modern allusions to the period are included too, giving kids an opportunity to comment on the intentions of an artifact's creator.

Pros: Simple interface and great images bring fragile objects into kids' hands.

Cons: Sometimes-dry text and limited customization features limit engagement and application in the classroom.

Bottom Line: A great companion to a real-life museum visit, and a neat resource for exploration in a history class.

How Can I Teach with This Tool?

Use this timeline as a hook when you start studying the revolutionary period in your classroom, or use it as an enrichment tool for further exploration or discussion. Have kids examine some of the more detailed household and military objects, and then have them hypothesize what they might have been used for and what their shape, material, and condition might tell us about how they were used. Use the later points in the timeline for discussions about how stories from the American Revolution have been retold or referenced in later years. Talk about why speakers might invoke the Revolution; what impact might that have on the audience? How might it position the speech or the speaker as a result?

What Is It?

American Revolution Interactive Timeline is a digital collection of objects, artifacts, and manuscripts that explore that period of American history. Users can scroll left and right across a timeline covering 1750 to the present, featuring images of people, places, events, and objects that tell the story of the revolutionary era. Everything is clickable: Users click any image to reveal text, more images, or videos that describe the image and its significance.

Is It Good for Learning?

The range of objects on display here is remarkable -- from coins to household items to documents to weapons. The images are detailed enough that users can tap, drag, and zoom to examine details and get a closer look than they'd ever have a chance to get in a museum. The images that reveal short video clips are especially good: There's a real emphasis here on both showing evidence and offering analysis of its significance, which will likely delight history teachers.

That being said, some items on the timeline are richer than others: For example, the video describing the British gorget is far more detailed than the text-only entry defining the Stamp Act. It would be even better if it were easier to predict and consistently navigate to where these videos live, either by marking those artifacts on the timeline itself or by allowing users to access the full list of videos from another entry point in the app. It would also be great if users could customize their experience, perhaps by annotating entries for later use or by saving entries to a favorites list. As it is, the app is meant to be an extension of the new American Revolution Center museum in Philadelphia, scheduled to open in 2017, so it's likely the developers will continue to improve and expand its features in the years ahead.

Learning Rating

Overall Rating

Engagement Would it motivate students and hold their interest? Is it visually appealing? Would it inspire teachers to try something new or change their instruction?

Kids can easily, endlessly scroll to new objects and tap to explore in greater detail. Text can be dry, but images and videos are engrossing.

Pedagogy Does the tool help teachers promote a more student-centered experience? Will students gain conceptual understanding or think critically? Does it deepen teachers’ pedagogical thinking?

Primary source documents and historical objects offer great insights into the period, and teachers should be prepared to connect the dots and add more context and analysis.

Support Can students and teachers get assistance when they need it? Is it created with people of different abilities and backgrounds in mind? Is learning reinforced and extended beyond the digital experience?

More extensive accessibility features (like closed captions for the videos or narration for text) would broaden the tool's appeal.

Common Sense reviewer

Patricia Monticello Kievlan Foundation/nonprofit member

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