The focus of this guide is on educational software made for teaching history or enhancing or reinforcing the memory, discovery, collection, interpretation, and presentation of historical concepts and facts.
Although world and military history are generally the branches that come to mind when one thinks of history, the branches of history also include cultural, diplomatic, economic, environmental, gender, intellectual, social, and universal history.
While websites that focus on the facts of history are listed in other, more appropriate, sections of the directory, those pertaining to the software used to teach history are most appropriate here.
Of course, the software may be online or browser-based. It might be free or available through a software-as-a-service (SaaS) model. It might be intended for use in a school program of education or for installation on a desktop or mobile device. Whatever the format, software designed to teach history is the focus of the resources listed in this category. This category is for software, however. Websites whose focal point is on history or historical facts, but not on software, should be listed elsewhere, such as our History & Genealogy section.
Recommended Resources
The site features lesson activities in which students are assigned roles as world leaders and given objectives that mirror the national interests of those countries. Guided by these, students conduct diplomacy, negotiate with other countries, and develop strategies. Thus far, products for the American Revolution, European Imperialism, the American Civil War, World War I, World War II, the Cold War, Ancient World History, and Modern World History are available for online purchase.
https://www.historysimulation.com/
Founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics offers free online resources to teachers and students, designed to further the civic education of US high school graduates. These include several browser-based games that can be played by anyone with an account, who can also earn and spend points on impact projects. Available games are focused on the various levels of the US national government, such as the Supreme Court, the Presidency, and the two Houses of Congress.
https://www.icivics.org/games
A project of the Center for History and New Media, Playing History is a directory offering a variety of digital games, simulations, and interactive applications designed to promote education in the humanities. Listed games may be found through a keyword search or by clicking subject tags, the largest of which include British history, American history, the Supreme Court, and Justice. Alternatively, they may be browsed. Games may also be suggested.
http://www.playinghistory.org/
Created by Andrew Field, a secondary teacher from Cambridgeshire, England, the site features a library of history resources and worksheets for use in the KS3, GCSE, IGCSE, IB, and A-Level curriculum, specifically for use by teachers in the classroom to prepare students for history examinations and qualifications. Its applications and resources are available through a limited free plan, two annual subscription plans, or a one-time fee. Its resources may be browsed by topic.
https://schoolhistory.co.uk/
An independent producer of social studies software since 1990, WorldView Software offers a means of providing student instruction without a printed textbook, featuring an interactive, workbook-style, electronic textbook, for which learners’ responses are stored in the cloud, and accessible at school or at home. Products covering several products are available, including American history, US government, civics, world history, economics, European history, and world geography.
https://www.worldviewsoftware.com/
