Discover IWitness^beta

Powerful tools for searching the testimonies

Bring the archive to you

Using the IWitness^beta search engine, students can open the door to a deeper understanding of history through the personal accounts of eyewitnesses of the Holocaust, while gaining 21st-century digital and media literacy skills they need to understand how to navigate online information sources.

Browse by topic or use the IWitness^beta search engine

IWitness allows educators and students to browse through short testimony clips grouped into common topics and incorporate them immediately into their classroom work. IWitness^beta users can also search for specific topics of interest within the 1,000 testimonies. An directory of more than 9,000 index terms enables educators and students to jump to the exact minute within a testimony in which topics of interest are discussed.

Find relevant clips by topic
Click on a topic to reveal ready-to-use clips you can immediately play.

Search by keywords
As you type, IWitness^beta provides search suggestions. Rolling over a suggested keyword gives you a definition.

As flexible as you need it

Building literacy skills and encouraging critical thinking

IWitness^beta includes engaging and customizable multimedia activities in which students can demonstrate their knowledge and express their personal connection to the topic. Educators can choose from activities that align with ISTE and Common Core student outcomes, among others, or use the Activity Builder to construct their own activities according to their specific interests and needs.

Each activity is supported by a framework called the 4C’s: Consider, Collect, Construct, and Communicate which encourage critical thinking and build literacy skills. With this framework, students watch and respond to video content, then search for and collect clips of testimony to construct their own projects, and then discuss results with their peers.

Know where you’re going
Progress bar lets students know where they are in the activity.

Encourage successful outcomes
Guidelines, rubrics, and self assessments help students stay on track.

Tools and resources all in one place

Rich resources from U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and Yad Vashem available through IWitness^beta

IWitness^beta provides educators and students with access to a comprehensive set of supporting materials from leading sources such as Yad Vashem and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, including an extensive Holocaust encyclopedia, glossaries, documents, photographs, artwork, and much more. Each step of the way, these resources provide essential context to the testimonies within IWitness^beta.

Research within IWitness^beta
Students can expand the Research Guide at any time to look up terms and events mentioned in testimony.

Discover a range of materials
IWitness^beta offers links to maps, timelines, articles, and other resources to enhance learning about the Holocaust.

Moderating Groups

A secure online arena for promoting and fostering digital citizenship

IWitness^beta Groups enable educators to set up their own virtual classroom space in which they and their students can share and communicate about class projects. Educators are in control of their Group and this space serves as a tool in promoting responsible online community behavior.

Educators also have the ability to create peer groups to share ideas, activities, student projects, and best practices with other educators.

Track student progress
Progress indicators for each assignment lets you see who started and how far they've come.

Communicate directly with students
Private and secure one-to-one messaging with students inside IWitness^beta helps to streamline how you work