Maps of War

As educators, it is important to incorporate diversity in both the content and our delivery of content. That being said, mapsofwar.com would be a great resource to convey information visually. It is in a multimedia, time-line format. This means that one can watch a short video clip, and in a minute view the development of- for example, religion- across the span of time and geography.
This website includes many useful virtual maps, such as:
March of Democracy- Where has democracy dominated as the world's most popular form of government?
History of Religion- How has the geography of religion evolved over the centuries?
Leadership and War- Which Presidents have led the United States into its deadliest wars?
Imperial History- Who has controlled the Middle East over the course of history?

The website also provides links to other multimedia war maps from reputable sources such as MSNBS, BBC, The New York Times, etc. These maps cover the following array of topics:

• Iraq
• WWI
• WWII
• Darfur
• Israel
• Terrorism
• Crime
• Migration

I believe this website can be used in both middle and high school settings quite effectively. A multimedia map can be a great way to begin a unit or lesson, be a supplement for written and oral information, and it can be used to summarize concepts as well. Either way, I think after showing a multimedia map, students will have a great "spring board" to jump off into a discussion. After all, being successful in Social Studies is linked to having great observation skills and developing the ability to extract information from a source. Multimedia maps can do just that.