Peer Review

Woodrow Wilson: Audio file of speech about democratic principles.

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Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:: The site offers a 36 second recording of Woodrow Wilson. An official photo is included. This audio record is just one of a much larger data base of voice recordings of prominent Americans from a variety of fields.
Type of Material:: Voice recording 36 seconds long with an accompanying photograph of Woodrow Wilson
Recommended Uses:: This could be downloaded for classroom use as an example of Wilsonian ideals, or
included in a power point presentation.
Technical Requirements:: You do need Real Audio or MP3 but these are usually available free of charge and can be downloaded at the site.
Identify Major Learning Goals:: To enable students to hear Woodrow Wilson speaking about democratic principles in his own voice.
Target Student Population:: This would be suitable for high school and college students as well as advanced
middle school.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:: Students should have some basic knowledge of Woodrow Wilson's political philosophy and background on the Wilson era, particularly involvement in World War I.

Rating:
Strengths:: It is a valid primary source which give some insights into the most common form
of communication in the early decades of the 20th century.
Concerns:: The audio quality is very poor even on the highest volume level on both Real
Audio and MP3. I also tried going directly to the Vincent Voice Library site and
the result was the same. It is also a very small learning object which would
have to be combined with others to develop a lesson.

Rating:
Strengths:: As a single element it is effective if your focus is on Woodrow Wilson. It is
easy to access.
Concerns:: There is not enough content to this selection. It does not identify when or
where this speech was given and the selection is so short that it leaves you
wanting to know about the circumstances and full content of the speech.

Rating:
Strengths:: It is easy to use and comes up quickly.
Concerns:: The volume level is too low to make it useful in any context except booting it up
on an individual computer.

Other Issues and Comments:: This is a somewhat mediocre selection from the Vincent Voice Library of more
than 50,000 oral recordings published by Michigan State University, especially
when compared with the stronger Hoover selection. However, it does also provide
access to other voice recordings of 20th century presidents and many other
historical figures which also could be utilized by the teacher.
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