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Educational: 5.0
Overall Design: 4.5
Ease of Use: 4.7
4.0 = good
4.5 = very good
5.0 = excellent
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Description Commentary Who Is This Program For
Why We Selected This Program Computer Requirements
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Canada – Confederation to Present – is a unique way to explore the many facets of Canadian history – from the 1850’s to the present day. This CD-ROM/Web publication can serve as a textbook and/or reader for high school and post secondary students, as a research tool for library users, or as a comprehensive reference for any Canadian history buff who would enjoy owning and exploring some of the best current papers on Canadian history from professionals in the field.
First, the content. The program is comprised of 24 overview narratives written by Canadian professors of history (working under the guidance of a 12-member editorial team from major universities across Canada) and written exclusively for Canada, Confederation to Present. Supporting the areas explored by the 24 narratives are over 120 “case studies” that explore specific topics and stages in the development of Canada.
Embedded within the narratives and case studies, you will find over 1600 historical photographs, political cartoons of the time, and dozens of rare panoramic photographs that you can actually zoom into and move around within, to see specific detail. As well, within the stories, you will find excerpts of original documents that pertain to specific elements within the narrative.
The program’s content and navigation pathways are organized around five major narrative themes – Natives, Society/Culture, Women, Politics/Economy and Regional Dynamics. Within any one of these themes, you are presented with three levels of sub menus (see top right), which will allow you to access, for example, a period of time within the theme, and, within that period of time, specific events or developments. So for example, within the major theme of Society and Culture, you may choose Education, and within Education, choose the period of 1918-1945, and within that time period, choose an essay on Competing Visions within the field of Education, and within that essay, read an original document written by Hilda Neatby, an advocate for progressive education at the time, writing a response to her many critics in the field. Good history is in the detail.
You can also jump right into the case studies and read, for example, a biography of Laurier, Causes of the Great Depression, the 1990 Oka Crisis, or the story of the Avro Arrow, to name only a few.
All the narratives and articles have up-to-date bibliographies for further exploration of an area of research or reader interest. You can also employ any of the pictures, short film clips, etc. to enhance a written or stand up oral presentation. This built-in presentation feature is particularly useful for a teacher or a student developing a presentation. The program also has book marking capability, a note pad, and a search function.
To our knowledge, Canada, Confederation to Present is the most comprehensive and interactive multimedia program ever created about Canadian history.
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Main Page Subject Menus
Native Culture
Bringing the Country Together
Life in the '20's
The Mulroney Years
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"I am deeply impressed with the breadth and quality of Canada, Confederation to Present. I urge anyone with an interest in Canadian history to explore this valuable resource."
- Mel Hurtig - Leading Canadian author and founder of the Canadian Encyclopedia
"Even five years ago when we began, there were lots of CD-ROM histories on the market. All of them were simply books transferred to disc so they could be read on a screen; in principle they are identical to the books Gutenberg began producing in the 15th century. Canada, Confederation to Present is the first truly interactive history, and it might well revolutionize how history and quite a few other subjects are taught."
- Dr. Rod Macleod (University of Alberta)
"This is a really impressive piece of work. I used it to actually design the whole course that I was teaching and then was able to use the CD in the classroom context. Good program."
- Samuel Dempster, secondary school teacher, St. John, New Brunswick, Canada
For anybody who goes into a library looking for guidance on possible subject areas for a paper, Confederation To Present – would be a great resource. As a first step research resource, simply scan the subject areas, explore possible areas of interest, read the related articles and select specific books from the bibliographies and away you go.
For any teacher of history either at the high school or university level, this program would be a very useful companion when designing a course, assembling bibliographic information. It is also a great in class teaching tool.
For any student in the field, this publication would be useful to own. Again discovering and choosing specific subject areas of interest and being able to easily find quality overviews and bibliographies in areas of interest makes this a good "handbook" or guide to Canadian history. It is also a good visual library for anybody who is involved in assembling multimedia presentations on Canadian history
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The obvious question with a multimedia program in the field of history is why would a CD-ROM program be of interest, with all the books available and the Internet readily accessible.
We see the real value of Canada, Confederation to Present as a great intermediary between the student (or history buff) and the world of books and/or the Internet. The program is, in essence, a contemporary first class survey on Canadian history assembled by some of the best in the field all on one disc, which can be used as a stepping stone to specific areas of interest and in depth research.
What really impressed us with Canada, Confederation to Present was how easy it was to browse such a richly diverse range of subject areas, within the scope of Canadian history all in one source. As you may have discovered, finding and comparing resources on the Internet can be a time consuming and, at times, frustrating experience.
The quality of writing is excellent and presented in chunk sizes that makes easy reading on a computer screen. The text is accessible, in terms of reading level, to high school students, yet is rich enough in detail to be of value at the university level. The collection of images on the pages of the narratives and case studies is excellent, and the media items can be easily assembled for use in presentations.
For a generation that is becoming accustomed to using the computer as a reading and research medium, Canada, Confederation to Present is the best Canadian history multimedia resource we have seen.
- reviewed by Dan Lang
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Pricing and Online Ordering
(or call toll free -1-800-250-9229 )
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Platform: Windows® Pentium 166 (Pentium II recommended), Memory 32MB of RAM (64 MB recommended), Hard Drive Space required 50MB, CD-ROM Drive 2X, Video resolution 800 X600, 16 bit colour
Platform: MAC Power Mac, OS 8.0 - OSX, Memory 32MB of RAM (64 MB recommended), Hard Drive Space required 50MB, CD-ROM Drive 2X, Video resolution 800 X600, 16 bit colour
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or to see other social studies programmes
World Explorer (Geography) - ages 5-9
Castle Explorer (History) - ages 8-12
Carmen Sandiego's Great Chase Through Time (History) - ages 8-12
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego - 2002 ed. (Geography) - ages 8-12
Real Lives Simulation - ages 13 - 17
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