The Digital History Reader: Teaching Resources for European and United States History

FAIN: ED-50174-03

Virginia Tech (Blacksburg, VA 24061-2000)
Tom Ewing (Project Director: October 2002 to November 2006)

The development of twenty-six online, multimedia sources that provide historical data and inquiry-based learning structures for major topics in college survey courses.

"The History Survey Online" addresses critical problems faced by college level instructors when teaching introductory level history courses. This project will everage the possiblities of digital technology to create 26 content-rich units that explore key historical events through online archives of text, image, and multimedia sources. Using a strategy of inquiry-based learning, these modules will promote student mastery of primary historical materials, encourage an understanding of history as a process of analysis and interpretation, and make use of instructional technology to enhace student engagement.

Associated Products

Should Women Vote? Using Cartoons to Teach the Suffrage Campaign in European History (Article)
Title: Should Women Vote? Using Cartoons to Teach the Suffrage Campaign in European History
Author: E. Thomas Ewing
Author: Jane Lehr
Author: Robert P. Stephens
Author: Heather Gumbert
Author: Amy Nelson
Author: David Hicks
Abstract: This article provides a model for teaching about the history of women’s suffrage in Europe. To understand this subject, students need to know about historical context, the contributions of important leaders, the differences between countries, and the chronology of campaigns. Just as importantly, however, students need to have the analytical skills to identify point of view, to explain processes of change, and to connect historical examples to contemporary situations. By focusing on the ways that students interpret political cartoons, this article argues that critical engagement with visual sources can promote understanding of significant issues in women’s history. The content for this discussion, including all the primary source documents, is available in the “Should Women Vote? The Politics of Suffrage in Europe” module of the Digital History Reader, an online resource for history classrooms. Drawing upon the authors’ experience developing and teaching these materials, we demonstrate how instructors can model for their students the kinds of reading and thinking skills essential for developing visual literacy and historical understanding.
Year: 2008
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Journal of Women's History

Practicing Digital History at the Intersection of Teaching, Research, and Outreach (Article)
Title: Practicing Digital History at the Intersection of Teaching, Research, and Outreach
Author: Robert P. Stephens
Author: E.Thomas Ewing
Abstract: This article explains the development and use of the Digital History Reader, funded by the NEH and created by Virginia Tech historians and educators.
Year: 2009
Format: Magazine
Periodical Title: Perspectives on History
Publisher: American Historical Association

The End of Optimism? The Great Depression in Europe (Book Section)
Title: The End of Optimism? The Great Depression in Europe
Author: Jane Lehr
Author: Melissa Lisanti
Author: E. Thomas Ewing
Author: David Hicks
Abstract: Using materials from the Digital History Reader, this chapter explores teaching resources about the great depression.
Year: 2006
Publisher: National Council for the Social Studies
Book Title: Digital Age

Using Technology to Teach Historical Understanding with the Digital History Reader (Article)
Title: Using Technology to Teach Historical Understanding with the Digital History Reader
Author: Robert P. Stephens
Author: E. Thomas Ewing
Author: David Hicks
Author: Daniel Thorp
Abstract: This article examines the first modules created for the Digital History Reader, and their value for history teachers.
Year: 2005
Format: Journal
Periodical Title: Social Education
Publisher: National Council for the Social Studies

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