The Best of History Web Sites (Perfect Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Derived from the Web portal with a similar name http://www.besthistorysites.net, this print edition contains listings for more than 1,000 sites (mostly noncommercial) covering more than 50 areas of history. Organized in 12 thematic chapters, each entry contains the title of the site, its URL, and a descriptive and evaluative annotation. Interspersed throughout the text are black-and-white Web shots of the home pages of selected entries. The work is primarily geared for K–12 teachers,  offering links to history resources as well as lesson plans, tests, activities, and other instruction-related information. Introductory chapters offer useful information on evaluating Web sites and integrating the Web into classroom instruction. Readers will also appreciate the helpful index, providing easy access to the Web site names and subjects. This volume is somewhat complementary to the History Highway: A 21st Century Guide to Internet Resources (Sharpe, 2006), which is mostly oriented to college and graduate students and history faculty. But the latter work also offers a CD-ROM, is almost twice the length, and sells for less than half the price. The advantages and limitations of the costly print version vs. the free Web site make a recommendation a matter of arbitrary preference. The print Best of History Web Sites offers useful links to history teaching resources, enhanced annotations, and technology tips. Nevertheless, the work is a bit expensive, and some users may prefer the Web site because of its immediate navigability, even though it contains commercial ads on many pages and also lacks the useful print index. --Donald Altschiller

Review

Designed to assist teachers and librarians in their search for worthwhile and appropriate sites for students and classroom materials, this copious volume surely succeeds. --School Library Journal, March 2008<br /><br />Takes readers on a voyage through time exposing them to both primary and secondary resources via invaluable gateways to historical information...Encourages active learning, exposes readers to a wealth of Web resources... --The Journal of Academic Librarianship, May 2008<br /><br />Thomas Daccord is the ideal guide. [Given] his wealth of knowledge about history, the Internet, and teaching ... there is no better entryway into the exciting new world of history teaching in the twenty-first century. --From the foreword by Professor Steven Mintz<br /><br />Given the amount and variable quality of information to be found on the World Wide Web, it is extremely helpful to have a book such as this to guide us to credible resources. --Partnership, vol. 3 no. 1, 2008<br /><br />Takes readers on a voyage through time exposing them to both primary and secondary resources via invaluable gateways to historical information...Encourages active learning, exposes readers to a wealth of Web resources... --The Journal of Academic Librarianship, May 2008<br /><br />Takes readers on a voyage through time exposing them to both primary and secondary resources via invaluable gateways to historical information...Encourages active learning, exposes readers to a wealth of Web resources... --The Journal of Academic Librarianship, May 2008<br /><br />The index is superior...This book will be of tremendous value for the near future. --Catholic Library World

Takes readers on a voyage through time exposing them to both primary and secondary resources via invaluable gateways to historical information...Encourages active learning, exposes readers to a wealth of Web resources... --The Journal of Academic Librarianship, May 2008

This is a recommended book for public, school and academic libraries. --Reference Reviews, Vol 22, No 7, 2008

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Product Details

• Perfect Paperback: 465 pages
• Publisher: Neal Schuman Publishers; illustrated edition edition (October 31, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555706118
• ISBN-13: 978-1555706111
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,016,661 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Why buy an oxymoron?, February 7, 2008

By	Rob Morrison - See all my reviews

I'm sure that anyone considering purchasing this tome has already become familiar with the remarkable "Best of History Website." The question that immediately comes to mind is why the oxymoron of a book about websites? There are three reasons: One is the comfort of reading through a book rather than scanning webpages. Anyone who flips through the 400+ pages will immediately be drawn in by the breadth and depth of the sites reviewed. The PBS, the BBC, the Library of Congress and The New York Times websites are well represented, but there are also many obscure, yet fascinating, sites included. The extensive index is a shortcut to discovering hidden gems. The second value of this book is as a step in the conversion of the technophobic social studies teacher. I brought the book to my faculty meeting and passed it around. It was wonderful to hear the little gasps of excitement from some of the, shall we say, mature teachers who didn't know that there were so many wonderful sites on Mesoamerica or The Great Depression. One colleague tried to abscond with it! The third value of this book is the excellent chapter "Integrating History Web Sites in the Classroom." This section summarizes the best-practice use of the internet in the classroom and gave me a number of ideas of ways to make better use of computers in my class.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real mobile internet reference for the busy teacher!, February 20, 2008

By	Seth Bowers (Chicago, Illinois United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Tom Daccord has done a strange, but incredibly useful thing; he has delivered his tremendous online resource, www.besthistorysites.net, in book form. It is seemingly odd because you have to ask yourself why you would purchase a paper version of a website that you get for free online. The first couple of chapters, Locating & Evaluating History Web Sites and Integrating History Web Sites in the Classroom, cover very important ideas that are in tune with his other web site, Teaching History with Technology (www.thwt.org). This part of the book offers great overviews on how to seek out, vet, and use online resources for any teacher regardless of the subject. Mr. Daccord also discusses how to teach this in class. The meat of the book is valuable because it really lends itself to how teachers work.

I work as a Technology Coach for an elementary school district in a suburb of Chicago. As part of my job I am always trying to build connections with classroom teachers. One of the best ways for me to do that is provide them with easy-to- use resources that they didn't previously know about. When I got Tom's book I emailed all of our middle-school social studies teachers. I told them about Tom's book & suggested that if they had any upcoming units for which they wanted more online resources than they already had I would be happy to look them up in The Best of History Websites & pass them along. Within a few hours I got replies from almost every teacher with request for various topics like ancient civilizations in Egypt, Rome, & Greece, WWII & The Holocaust, The Cold War, The Middle East China and its culture, religion, economy, geography, history, government, and present status, various topics focusing on Europe, Vietnam, Civil Rights, Watergate to "New World Order" , The Post 9/11 World, and the second industrial revolution/ growth of cities late 1800s/early 1900s.

The next day I had teachers stopping in to borrow the book - and that's where I think the real value is in The Best of History Websites. Teachers do a lot of planning & note taking in places where they don't have access to the web, but this book makes thousands of web-based resources for teachers available for lesson planning at any time. As mobile as computing technology is, it's still lags, at least a bit, behind a book. And yes, I found one link that needed to be updated, but out of the 75 or so that I checked, that's a darned good ratio!

For teachers looking for new ways to integrate technology in the classroom Mr. Daccord has hundreds of helpful links, ideas, & suggestions too. There are specific lesson plans, online maps, teaching guides, and activities that extend outside the classroom. This book is a real goldmine.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource for K-8!, April 17, 2008

By	A. Webster "Shady Hill School" (Cambridge MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is a great resource. While I could give teachers the link to THWT website, passing around a paper copy has led to even more discussion, collaboration and interest. We had a copy out in the faculty lounge, and teachers from grades k-8 all found resources that were useful. Clear, well-organized, and easy to read, this is fantastic for teachers who want to spend 10 min. scanning or those who want a weekend of reading. It is helpful on both specific content links and more general resources. Get a copy for your library or faculty lounge!