Great History Site for Middle School Students
Community Review for OER Project
My Take
Overall the tool is great. I do like how the lay out history from the "big history" perspective. The one thing that I would change if I could would be the way that handouts and work is provided. Right now I have to download it to Google doc and resave it for my students to write in the assignments. I wish it could be more digital and interactive where they can complete the work within the site instantly without all the workarounds. Other than that, I believe it's an excellent tool.
How I Use It
I've used this tool to help my students understand history from the Big History perspective. As a social studies teacher it is very science heavy on the front end. However, while it is very science heavy on the front end it makes a great segway into the evolution of humans and mankind. Providing my students with the evolution of the big bang to the evolution of humans has been great. They are able to make connections to what's relevant today. They also gain a better understanding of why humans behave the way they do and how the creation of tools and technology date back centuries. They have gained a fundamental understanding that we are improving upon technology and creations that have been around for quite some time in one way or anther.