A Beginner's Guide to Online History Curriculum Sources

Below are some of the sources for the curriculum I use in my global history and culture course: text documents, images and video, and audio and video curriculum. It only provides a few of the sources. You are encouraged to email me to add other major collections I have missed, arendale@umn.edu

Text Documents and More

  • <ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center)> ERIC is an online library of education research and information, sponsored by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education. It is now peer-reviewed and contains curriculum as well as research studies.

  • <Library of Congress> The Library of Congress ("LOC") is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the de facto national library of the United States. Digital collections include print documents and images.

  • <Google Scholar Using Advanced Search> Search across disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Google Scholar helps you find relevant work.

  • <Wikipedia> Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created and edited by volunteers around the world and hosted by the Wikimedia Foundation. Contrary to popular belief that evil lurks within it, this is a great first place to search and then use the references.

  • <Smithsonian Institution> Discover more than a million resources, create personal collections, educational experiences, and share your work.

  • <National U.S. Constitution Center> The National Constitution Center inspires active citizenship as the only place where people across America and around the world can come together to learn about, debate, and celebrate the greatest vision of human freedom in history, the U.S. Constitution.

Images and Video

Audio and Video Curriculum

  • <AmericanRhetoric> This is a database of and index to 5000+ full text, audio and video versions of public speeches, sermons, legal proceedings, lectures, debates, interviews, other recorded media events, and a declaration or two. Some of the speeches have transcripts too.

  • <Internet Archive> Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

  • iTunes Audio or Video Podcasts More than 1.6 million podcasts on every conceivable topic. Use the search engine for history related content. This link shares my favorite history-related podcasts. Individual episodes can be downloaded by dragging from your library to the screen

  • <iTunesU> Part of Apple's iTunes store, iTunes U is a vast learning resource offering free educational content that users can download straight to their computer, Content has been created by postsecondary institutions from around the world.

  • <iTunesU to Share Your History Course with Your Students and Others> With homework hand-in, an integrated grade book, and private discussions, it’s a seamless way to organize your classroom. See how simple it is to deliver lessons, grade assignments, and stay connected — all from iPad or desktop computer.

  • <MERLOT (Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching)> MERLOT is a curated collection of free and open online teaching, learning, and faculty development services contributed and used by an international education community. Affiliated with the California State University System.

  • <National Repository of Online Courses (NROC)> NROC collaborates with secondary, postsecondary, and adult educators to deliver courses and tools that address the challenges students face today. More than 6,000 media objects you can use. Create your own viewing channel for students with selected items

  • <National U.S. Constitution Center> The Center is the first and only institution in America established by Congress to “disseminate information about the US Constitution on a non-partisan basis in order to increase the awareness and understanding of the Constitution.

  • <Open Educational Resources (OER) Commons> OER Commons is a dynamic digital library and network. Explore open education resources and join our network of educators dedicated to curriculum improvement.

  • <Smithsonian Online> Select Art & Design, History & Culture, or Science & Nature to discover featured collections, stories, video, and more from around the Smithsonian. OR Search for your specific topic of interest in the search bar.

  • <U.S. National Archives> The nation's record keeper. Of all documents and materials created in the course of business conducted by the United States Federal government, only 1%-3% are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept by us forever.

  • <U.S. Library of Congress> The Library of Congress is the world's largest online library. The online resources include print, audio, video, and other media. Check copyright permissions for use beyond the classroom.

  • <U.S. Supreme Court Center> The website is a multimedia archive devoted to making the Supreme Court of the United States accessible to everyone. It is a complete and authoritative source for all of the Court’s audio recordings.

  • <Educational Portal> 5.300 online video lessons Subjects include: science, math, history, English, business. Free use by educators and students. Free account permits tracking of courses completed. Rigorous peer-reviewed.

  • <MERLOT: Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching> One-stop-shop for learning technologies and downloadable lesson plans, images, and other copyright-free and peer-reviewed materials. Enormous collection for K-16 education. Rigorously reviewed by peers.

  • <NROC: National Repository of Online Courses> NROC provides free access to online courses, learning modules, and activities you can integrate into your face to face or online courses.

  • <NROC Individual Weblinks for Learning Objects> A companion to the above NROC resource, this spreadsheet provides individual web links for each of the 5,000 learning objects.