December 13, 2006
Discover the Digital History Reader
By Elisabeth Grant
What Happened to the Native Population After 1492? How did Abolitionism Lead to the Struggle for Women’s Rights? Jackie Robinson, Civil Rights Leader? These questions begin three U.S. History modules in the Digital History Reader, an online resource developed by a team at Virginia Tech, for history teachers and their students. The Reader is separated into United States History and European History, with course material for “key events” in each. Every module includes an introduction, contextual information, evidence (documents, images, and other media), assignments, a conclusion, and additional resources. The “Print” menu on every page gives teachers a .pdf version of the information.
The Digital History Reader aims to help students “develop skills of historical analysis,” by presenting “conflicting accounts and interpretations” of the events in each module. As mentioned above, each module begins with a question and students must work through the evidence and resources to find their own answers.
