Review: History Channel Multimedia Classroom

Recently I received a sample of the History Channel’s multimedia classroom for review. As a homeschooling family, we’re always on the lookout for new resources, and this one is a phenomenal tool to help get your children excited about history. The sample was for The American Revolution. This CD-ROM included nine lessons, so with a unit exam, it would cover two weeks of class time.

Installation on my computer took less than five minutes. We use Windows XP, and the installation went very smoothly. The interface is sized for a screen resolution of 800 x 600 – something they will hopefully reconsider if they re-release the software in the future since less than 15% of users these days use that screen resolution.

We started by reading the introduction and watching a video for the lesson, Seeds of Revolution. It was excellent – just what you’d expect from the History Channel. It included costumed re-enactments to draw the student into the lesson, and the narration was clear and concise. The videos are short and specific – typically less than three minutes, so students will not “zone out” or feel overwhelmed by too much information.

Taking the lesson plan in order, we followed the video with discussion questions (which are also available in a printer-friendly format) and in the course of the discussion we referenced the provided video transcript. A few vocabulary words are provided, along with an activity idea – these are more appropriate for junior high or younger children. Since my daughter is a high school junior, we simply reviewed the vocabulary and discussed the activity. Each lesson follows this basic format, although the teacher can scale the activities and questions up or down depending on the age group. For example, one set of discussion questions invites students to review a map, analyze troop movements, compare British and American reliance on sea power, and consider the strategic location of revolutionary war forts. This could become a detailed project or a research paper at the high school level.

At $849, the Multimedia Classroom is quite an investment. This is an ideal product for a homeschooling family, particularly one with several children so you can feel you’re really getting the most use of it. It’s appropriate for a wide age range – although the History Channel recommends it for middle school through junior college, in my experience homeschooled children are typically more academically advanced and some parents might consider this for kids as young as 9 or 10. The American History Series includes all of the topics below the jump. The entire Series could be completed in one school year, or you could add additional resources, including web links and the bibliography provided in the software and other A&E resources like BIOGRAPHY: John and Abigail Adams: Love And Liberty DVD to use it for two years of in-depth study.

I highly recommend this product for homeschooling families or for use as a resource in a traditional classroom.

American History – The Complete Set:

Founding Of A Nation:

• The American Revolution
• The Early Republic: Founding Brothers (Part 1)
• The Early Republic: Founding Brothers (Part 2)
• Benjamin Franklin

Early Expansion:

• Lewis and Clark
• The War of 1812
• Remember the Alamo
• The Real West: Rush For Gold

A Nation In Conflict:

• The Underground Railroad
• Days of Darkness: The Gettysburg Civilians
• April 1865

America In Transition:

• Ellis Island
• Henry Ford
• TR: An American Lion
• Dear Home: Letters From World War I

Years of Crisis:

• The Great Depression
• FDR: A Presidency Revealed
• Memories of World War II

New World Order:

• JFK: A Presidency Revealed
• October Fury
• Voices of Civil Rights