TimeMaps: The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany

www.timemaps.com

KS4 (Years 10 - 11)

History

Description

This CD-ROM is mainly factual and can be used to teach about Nazi Germany from the late 1800s to post-World War II. The main section of the CD-ROM uses a map of Germany over this period and shows the changes in the territories at various times throughout the Nazi period. The program also contains a series of timelines and glossary terms. Many of the key terms within the text that appears on the maps or the timelines are linked to the glossary. The material contained on the disc is mainly visual and could be demonstrated by teachers via an interactive whiteboard or a digital LCD projector. Due to the nature of the subject matter, content is organised in a logical way (timelines) and could therefore be used by individual students working at their own computers. However, I would strongly advise that the bulk of the content is demonstrated to the class via the aforementioned methods.

The disc does come with a supporting Word document that teachers can use to aid their use of the software in general and as a teaching aid, as it contains tasks and assignments. These tasks are bolt-ons to the main program and are therefore not interactive within the main body of the program. The intention of the publisher appears to be to use these assignments to test the students' knowledge after viewing the contents of the CD-ROM.

Supporting Documentation

A Teacher's Guide is provided from within the main menu of the CD-ROM. To access this the user goes to 'Resources' and then 'Teacher's Guidance Document'. This is in Word format and provides general advice on how and when to use the material contained within the CD-ROM, but it also provides an extensive and varied range of courseware to be used in conjunction with the program. The tasks/assignments are chronologically ordered to match the content of the CD-ROM. Most of the tasks are open ended and there is no mark scheme as such, but the answers are contained within the information given in the main presentation on Nazis. There are no lesson plans but the tasks provided are organised in chronological order and these can be used as elimentary lesson plans. One good feature is that the diagrams, maps and text are contained within a website and therefore teachers may wish to copy and paste these resources to make additional worksheets to be used alongside the CD-ROM. This is one of the strengths of this software and one that makes life much easier for History teachers.

Technical Support

Within the Teachers Guide section there is a very brief section that simply advises the teacher to either contact the publisher or access a web site for technical support. The technical support offered is very basic, although from a technical point of view the CD-ROM is very easy to use and therefore indepth technical knowledge is not required.

Purpose of the Program

The purpose of this program is to provide information about the fall and rise of Nazi Germany and is therefore intended to cover a section of the History GCSE syllabus. The program aims to give an insight into life in Germany and the effects that this had on the rest of the world. It is very informative and acts as a more inspiring electronic textbook. The program provides an analysis of life under the Nazis and looks at reasons for the fall of Nazi Germany after the second World War.

Curriculum Relevance

The publisher aims this software at Key Stage 4, but it could be used at Key Stage 5 or 3 if deemed appropriate. Its use at Key Stage 4 would depend on the syllabus chosen by various schools and also the exam boards used (for example, AQA syllabus A or B). Teachers covering Nazi Germany at Key Stage 5 would also find it useful but may find the language used a little basic if their pupils are of higher abilities.

Extent

The CD-ROM covers most aspects of life under Nazi control and all other aspects of Nazi Germany. Most issues surrounding the topic are covered, but in some cases the detail is very basic. This may be a good thing if teachers are planning to use the title with lower ability pupils, but able and talented groups may not find the material is sufficient to stretch their abilities. Due to the nature of the CD-ROM, it does only cover the Germany/Nazi parts of the History syllabus. I would not envisage that this program would be used to support any other areas of the History syllabus, although RE teachers may find it useful when studying Judaism and they may also find it can be used to support several areas of the RE Curriculum in an elementary way. Desirable learning outcomes from using this CD-ROM would centre on the simple gathering of information. The program is very information intensive and not that interactive. As a result, the desirable outcome of using this program would be that after viewing it and discussing the issues raised, together with undertaking the tasks/assignments provided, the pupils would be able to write, talk and debate the issues surrounding Nazi Germany. I would also say that this CD-ROM is a very good starting point from which other lessons can be formulated and many learning outcomes can then be created. It could form the start or the foundation to teaching about Nazi Germany, to which other lessons are bolted on to form a module. If the questions, tasks and assignments are used, then there is no reason why the contents cannot form the whole lesson. In my opinion, the teacher would have to do very little else, other than view the CD-ROM themselves for possible answers to the questions. All marking has to be done by the teacher as the program has no facility to mark any work that arises from its use.

This CD-ROM could not be used on its own to form other classroom materials (such as worksheets) as none of the content (within the main presentation) can be copied or pasted. Despite this, it is ideal for the teacher to use the facts contained within it to produce his or her own teaching materials.

Appropriateness

The activities contained within the software are pitched at a level appropriate to the user/target audience. In addition, the language is simplistic and straight to the point and is pitched at the correct level for the majority of Key Stage 4 pupils. There are sufficient key terms to educate the user but not so many that they become confusing. I do feel that the correct target audience for the CD-ROM is Key Stage 4, although it can be used at KS3 and maybe KS5. Higher ability pupils (able and talented KS4) and KS5 may even find the language a little simplistic. Despite the nature of the topic contained within the software, there is nothing that can be considered offensive or any material that will cause distress. Tackling Judaism and the persecution of the Jews in Nazi Germany can throw up many difficult issues, but these are tackled with sensitivity. The content tends to focus on the political situation in Germany/Europe and not the social aspects, therefore many sensitive areas are avoided.

Quality

The images and text are accurate, unbiased, current and relevant to both the context in which they are presented and the syllabus. The quality of the images and diagrams is excellent. Spellings are in British-English (as opposed to American-English). The source of much of the data is not given, which may be a drawback for historians wishing to do source-based exercises, but it does not detract from the overall quality of the data presented. There are no web links in this software as such, but there is a website where all the text from the timelines and the diagrams and maps can be printed out. This is an excellent feature and one which makes the resource an excellent buy for schools. This can be used to make worksheets and to supplement future class tasks.

There is no differentiation within this software, although the tasks that are perceived by the teacher as more difficult could be given to pupils of higher ability, whilst easier tasks are given to those of lower ability.

'The Rise and Fall of Nazi Germany' is a very good teaching aid. If you are looking for a piece of software that measures attainment, provides lesson plans and tracks pupils' progress then this title isn't for you. If, however, you are looking for a solid, well written, well targeted and well constructed piece of software which can be demonstrated to the class or used by individuals, and used to form the basis of many future lessons, then this title will certainly be useful to you. The maps, diagrams, articles and data are all of an excellent quality. In addition to this, the online resource bank gives teachers the ability to produce their own tailor-made, differentiated worksheets from which their pupils will progress. The program is of a high quality, factually excellent and would be a good tool to use when teaching about Nazi Germany in Key Stage 4.

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Product Overview

This product is distributed by Appian Way Software Ltd (Tel: 01332 781106)