Education
on the Internet
is published by Spartacus
Educational every week. The newsletter includes news, reviews
of websites and articles on using ICT in the classroom. Members of
the mailing list are invited to submit information for inclusion in
future newsletters. In this way we hope to create a community of people
involved in using the Internet in education. Currently there are 15,625
subscribers to the newsletter.
Web
100: With reviews
of sites and ratings by users, Web 100 makes it easy to locate the
Internet's top sites. Rather than overwhelming you with listings of
hundreds of thousands of Web pages, the Web 100 provides an easily
accessible selection of 100 sites in areas such as education. Web
100 compile ratings and rank the sites from 1 to 100. The programs
also select a featured site each hour and provide a tally of statistics,
such as the sites getting the most votes and those moving up and down
in the rankings.
Curriculum
Online: The British government announced on 10th December, 2001,
its new plans for a digital curriculum. From next September £50
million is being made available to fund what the government calls
Curriculum Online. The government claims it is the world's first partnership
between the Government, leading public/private broadcasters and innovative
software producers to provide materials for every curriculum subject
to transform learning in schools. The scheme has five elements: (i)
a "shop window" on the web, with online curriculum resources
including a library of e-learning materials; (ii) access to commercial
products for schools to buy, including a guide to the best written
by teachers for teachers; (iii) "e-learning credits" - money
for schools to buy digital curriculum resources; (iv) software to
help teachers to find the resources they want; (v) a "watchdog"
advisory panel to ensure resources are available for all curriculum
subjects.
School
Managers Centre: The EUN School Managers Centre (SMC) is a resource
centre and virtual meeting place for school managers and administrators
from all over Europe. The SMC provides information on on-going policy
developments, activities, good examples of innovative practice and
results from research in management of innovation.
History
Great
Women: In 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott and 300
other women and men held the first Women's Rights Convention at Seneca
Falls. The Declaration of Sentiments, modeled after the Declaration
of Independence, was presented and passed by the convention. These
resolutions included among other demands, that women have the right
to vote. The struggle for women's rights had begun. Seventy-two years
later in 1920, the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United
States was ratified, which gave women many rights, including the right
to vote. In 1969 the
women and men of Seneca Falls created the National Women's Hall of
Fame, believing that the contributions of American women deserved
a permanent home. The biographies of these women can now be found
on this impressive website.
The
Titanic: History on the Net has a new section on the Titanic.
This popular topic fits into the national curriculum as part of the
modern world and will be written as a resource to answer the question
'Why was the sinking of the Titanic such a memorable event.' The section
currently includes an interactive page which looks at the Layout of
the Ship and includes a worksheet, a bibliography and a further information
section.
Swedish
Emigration to America:
This website provides a detailed account of the Swedish Emigration
to America. The tidal wave of Swedish emigration began in the mid
1840s, when the first organized emigrant groups started to arrive
in New York. Most of these people moved on to Iowa and Illinois and
by 1930 there were around 1.3 million in the United States. In proportion
to the population of their home countries, only the British Isles
and Norway surpassed Sweden in the number of immigrants.
English
The
Tolkien Society is
an international organisation with the aim to encourage and further
interest in the life and works of the late Professor J.R.R. Tolkien,
author of two of the most well-known and best-loved books of the late
20th Century, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. This site has
information about JRR Tolkien, the books he wrote, his life and books
others have written about him.
Novel
Guide claims to be the premier free source for literary analysis
on the web and aims to provide an educational supplement for better
understanding of classic and contemporary literature. It gives a summary
of chapters, character profiles and top ten quotes.
Teachit
Competition:
Many of you grappling with the new English A/AS specifications should
visit this website for ideas, inspiration and even prizes. Cambridge
University Press and Ink Pellet magazine have offered a selection
of great books for twenty-one Teachit contributors. The 'Cambridge
Contexts in Literature' series provides a flexible range of resources
for the new Advanced Subsidiary and Advanced GCE qualifications. Teachit
has one complete set of all eleven books to give away, plus ten sets
of three popular books in the series; 'The Great War in British Literature',
'Post-Colonial Literature' and 'Metaphysical Poetry'.
Politics
Politics
in the United States: An encyclopedia of American politics between
1840 and 1980. The website includes entries on political parties (10),
pressure groups (26) and biographies of leading political figures:
1840-1900 (106), 1900-45 (56) and 1945-1980 (46). The text within
each entry is linked to other relevant pages in the encyclopedia.
In this way it is possible to research individual people and events
in great detail. The sources are also hyper-linked so the student
is able to find out about the writer, artist, newspaper and organization
that produced the material.
American
Politics: This site is aimed at those students studying American
Politics at an Advanced level (17 to 18 year olds) and most sections
have been updated to include the 2000 election result and issues that
have arisen in the current government of George Bush. Topics included
are: Federalism; the President; Congress; the role of the Supreme
Court; elections in America; voting patterns in elections; political
parties at a state and local level; pressure groups in America and
public attitude towards politics in America. There is also a section
for links to relevant and useful sites on American political issues.
Political
Cartoons: The Political Cartoon Society is a non-profit making
organisation for those interested in History and Politics through
the medium of cartoons. The website, which is open to both members
and non-members, exists to promote the political cartoon by way of
amusing, informing and educating. Facilities include a Home Page with
information on the Society; an Exhibition and Events Page to advertise
forthcoming exhibitions of original cartoon art based on political
and historical themes; a Research Library for students and researchers,
a Cartoon Gallery of original cartoon art by leading cartoonists both
past and present, a Cartoon History page with a growing selection
of essays for cartoon enthusiasts and students of history and politics;
a Bulletin Board to voice opinions; and a Cartoon Book page for the
sale of cartoon books both new and used.
Sociology
World
Catalogue: Sociology: Set
of links to selected, evaluated and annotated resources for sociology,
maintained by the Exeter University Library. Material is listed under
Sociologists, Schools and Theories, Teaching and Methodology, Popular
Culture, Social Change, Sociology of Children, Sociology of Economics,
Education, Gender and Sexuality, Law and Crime, Sociology of Medicine,
Politics, Race and Ethnicity, Religion, Sport, Work and the Family.
The website also includes links to a large number of online journals
and discussion groups.
BUBL
Sociology Reference Library: BUBL Information Service, based at
Strathclyde University Library, is a searchable database of Internet
resources of academic relevance. The websites are organized by Dewey
Decimal Classification and is browsable by subject or class number.
The Sociology main page has eleven main categories: Sociology: General
Resources, Societies, Social Interaction, Social Processes, Social
Change, Population, Young People, Women, Social Classes, Racial and
Ethnic Groups and Culture and Institutions. Each website listed has
a brief review with information on the people and organizations that
have created the website.
Sociological
Tour Through Cyberspace: Michael
Kearl, Professor of Sociology at Trinity University, San Antonio,
Texas, has produced what he calls a Sociological Tour Through Cyberspace.
Kearl is interested in exploring the potential of the Internet to
"generate discourse" and to help it become a "theatre
of ideas". The website features commentary, data analyses, essays,
and links to other websites. Subjects covered include 'Death and Dying'
and 'Social Inequality'. The website also includes a useful guide
for writing research papers.
The
Marx/Engels Archive: This
website provides a comprehensive collection of the writings of Karl
Marx and Fredrich Engels. The material available is constantly expanding
and eventually it will contain everything the two men published. It
also includes material from writers influenced by Marx and Engels.
The website is produced by a group of volunteers from Colorado's Progressive
Sociology Network and is completely free to use. The authors tell
us that "the real profit will hopefully manifest in the form
of individual enlightenment through easy access to these classic works".
Music
South
Hunsley Music Department: Ray Burrell's website contains online
guides for KS3, GCSE and AS/2 level students. Uses exciting graphics,
MIDI files, and downloadable MP3s of students' work, and links to
other useful sites.
Music
for Teachers: This website is designed and managed by Keith Havercroft,
the Music Adviser for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin. All materials
are free and designed to save music teachers time in the planning
of schemes of work.
Classical
Net: Dave Lampson has produced a marvellous website for all lovers
of classical music. He has created over 5,500 files himself and provides
links to another 3,800. There is a Composer Master Index that list
an amazing number of classical composers. Each biographical entry
includes several pages of hyperlinked text, a portrait of the composer
and a list of their major works. The website also includes sections
on Reviews & Articles, Books & Scores, Classical CD Buying
Guide and Recommended Classical CDs.
BUBL
Music Reference Library: BUBL
Information Service, based at Strathclyde University Library, is a
searchable database of Internet resources of academic relevance. The
websites are organized by Dewey Decimal Classification and is browsable
by subject or class number. The music main page has twenty-one categories
that include: Music: General Resources, Journals and Magazines, Ethnomusicology,
Composers, Vocal Music, Opera, Musical Instruments, Chamber Music,
Keyboard & Percussion Instruments, Stringed Instruments, Wind
Instruments and Brass Instruments. Each website listed has a brief
review with information on the people and organizations that have
created the website.
Physical
Education
Sports
Lessons: Joe Paslov from Bridgeport, Connecticut, has produced
a website where teachers can exchange ideas for physical education
lessons. At the moment there are lessons ranging from Floor Hockey
to Wild Horse Round-Up. Most of the lessons have been supplied by
US teachers but there are several contributions from Canada and Brazil.
Hopefully British teachers will see this review and begin sharing
their good ideas with the Internet community. On Monday nights Joe
Paslov hosts an open forum for physical education teachers.
Fitness
Partner Connection Jumpsite: Vicki
Pierson and Renee Cloe are qualified personal trainers who met on
an Internet fitness discussion group. Together they have produce a
superb website for anyone interested in fitness. They manage to communicate
an enthusiasm for their subject that is contagious. The wealth of
material appears under the headings: Fitness Library, Training Activities,
Mind/Body Fitness, Weight Management, Health, Food & Nutrition,
Sports Medicine and Online Publications. There is a Fitness Forum
where you can discuss fitness, nutrition and health with other visitors.
Another feature is the Bulletin Board where you can try and find a
fitness partner.
Sports
Coach: Brian MacKenzie, a senior B.A.F. coach, has produced a
website to help athletes and coaches achieve their athletic goals
and to assist students studying sport related qualifications. Topics
include Coaching, Conditioning, Endurance, Environment, Heart Monitors,
Injury, Mobility, Nutrition, Plyometrics, Skills, Speed, Strength,
Stress, Supplements, Test and Training Plans.
Do you
want to have your website listed in our web directory? If so, send
a brief description (about 150 words) and the URL to spartacus@pavilion.co.uk.
