Website Review: I Spy (with my Five Eyes)

I SPY (WITH MY FIVE EYES) is an interactive website documentary focusing on global privacy issues.

This engaging documentary explores the tensions among citizens, governments, and intelligence groups related to government surveillance. Specifically, it examines the Five Eyes Alliance surveillance program established during the Cold War that continues today. Each of the five interactive video chapters focuses a specific aspect of government surveillance such as cyberwarfare and the search for terrorists. Each video includes interactive elements such as embedded questions and additional content. Further information is also available.

Librarians will find this interactive documentary to be an effective way to teach high school students about global privacy issues. Social studies teachers will also be interested in weaving the content into their social issues and history curriculum.

To visit the website, go to http://ispydoc.com.

App Review: Ken Burns

The KEN BURNS app will bring history alive for your students through video scenes and historical photos. 

Rather than revisiting his documentaries, this app is a new way to explore American history content. The short, focused content segments will be popular with both students and teachers.

The TIMELINE view allows users to zoom in to explore the chronology of history through short video scenes.

The THEME view provides a playlist of scenes related to art, hard times, innovation, politics, race, war, and leadership.

The FILM view involves users in exploring scenes from favorite Ken Burns films.

Some of this content is also available at the KEN BURNS AMERICA website at http://www.pbs.org/kenburns/.

The full version of this app is $9.99 and it’s also available as part of the Apple Volume Purchase Program discount.

For more information about the app, go to http://kenburns.com/app/.

To download the full version, go to https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ken-burns-full-version/id916965806.