Education on the Internet
Number 125: 16th June, 2004
Introduction
Introduction
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 51,140 subscribers to the newsletter.
All reviews are added to our web directory. There are sections on Internet Services, Online Seminars, Primary Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Modern Languages, History, Geography, Design & Technology, Business Studies, Special Needs, Media Studies, ICT, Sociology, Music, Politics, Economics, Photography, Art & Design, Theatre Studies, Physical Education and Religious Studies.
John Simkin
Online Seminars
Encouraging History Teachers To Use ICT: A survey carried out in 1999 discovered that the main reason teachers used computers in their teaching was because they felt they ought to. History, the same as every national curriculum subject, has clear requirements to use ICT. It seems that history teachers thus feel a burden to make use of ICT. In this seminar Andrew Field suggests how history teachers can be encouraged to make use of ICT in their lessons. The fundamental approach is not backed up by the notion"because they have to", but rather the infinitely preferable "because of the benefits". If you have views on this subject, register with the History Forum and join the debate.
News and Articles
Teacher Stress: Konstadina Griva of University College in England and Katherine Joekes of Leiden University in the Netherlands recently compared 166 teachers from London with 2,017 teachers from 10 other European countries. The researchers measured job satisfaction, symptoms of stress and coping strategies. Teachers in London scored a third higher on emotional exhaustion than their European counterparts. The study establishes that teachers in England work significantly longer hours and perceive more demands and lower personal control in their jobs. The study concludes that teachers in England are the most stressed in Europe. The research suggests the key way to help teachers is to rescue the profession from the government's obsession with grading teachers and their work.
Dartford LigNet is a web site designed to improve standards in the Leadership Incentive Group of schools in the Dartford area. Designed by Andy Walker of www.educationforum.co.uk it provides the facility for Kent County Council ASTs and advisors to upload revision materials and revision advice to LigNet Department areas. On top of this member schools have their own sections within LigNet which allow them to develop their own online resources using easy to use templates. Each school is provided with a number of discrete passwords for students and permission access can be set at a number of levels determined by the school concerned. Currently most resources for learning are available to all. The project is headed by county advisor John Plant.
Teacher Ratings: This American website allows students discover the teaching ratings of members of staff of schools and universities they are considering attending. Teachers are rated in three categories: Easiness, Helpfulness and Clarity. All categories are based on a 5 point rating system. As the website owners point out, they have no way of verifying if the ratings have been done by people with first-hand knowledge of their teaching abilities. Several academics have warned that websites like this are responsible for grade inflation and making assessment of students meaningless.
History
Chappaquiddick: Mary Jo Kopechne worked for the Democratic Party in Washington. She died on 17th July, 1969, after a car driven by Edward Kennedy turned off the road in Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts and crashed into a pond. Kennedy did not call the police or authorities to help save her until the following morning. It is assumed Mary JO died from drowning, although her parents filed a petition preventing an autopsy. On 25th July, 1963, Kennedy was found guilty of leaving the scene of the accident and received a suspended two-month jail term and one-year driving ban. This incident severely damaged Kennedy's reputation, and is regarded as one of the primary reasons why he was never able to mount a successful campaign for President of the United States.
The Cold War: The Cold War International History Project disseminates new information and perspectives on the history of the Cold War. The project supports the full and prompt release of historical materials by governments on all sides of the Cold War, and seeks to accelerate the process of integrating new sources, materials and perspectives from the former "Communist bloc" with the historiography of the Cold War which has been written over the past few decades largely by Western scholars reliant on Western archival sources. It also seeks to transcend barriers of language, geography, and regional specialization to create new links among scholars interested in Cold War history. Among the activities undertaken by the project to promote this aim are a periodic Bulletin and other publications to disseminate new findings, views, and activities pertaining to Cold War history.
Science
Virtual Nuclear Tourist: Joseph Gonyeau, the creator of this website, tells his visitors: "Nuclear power plants have operated safely throughout the world for over 50 years, including some individual plants that have operated for over 35 years. Undoubtedly, missteps have occurred, e.g Windscale, Three Mile Island, and Chernobyl. On the other hand, there are thousands of people throughout the world who are selflessly dedicated to ensuring that the recurrence of such events is extremely low." The site covers a range of topics, including the case for and against nuclear power, generation of power, various designs of plants, potential pollution and accidents.
Radiocarbon Web Info: Radiocarbon dating is the technique upon which chronologies of the late Pleistocene and Holocene have been built. This resource is designed to provide online information concerning the radiocarbon dating method. The information is organized under the following headings: The Method, Measurement, Applications, Age Calculation, Calibration and Pretreatment. As well as links to other sites that tackle this subject there is also an extensive bibliography.
Politics
Open Democracy: This online global magazine of politics and culture publishes clarifying debates which help people make up their own minds. The magazine claims it is "written by and for people across the world, from South and North, from the powerless to the influential, we seek to bring together those who are not well-known with writers and thinkers of international repute." The material is archived and now includes over 1,500 articles. Readers are invited to take part - in the forums or by submitting material to the editors.
Truthout: William Rivers Pitt is the editor of this outstanding online magazine: "We do truthout for three reasons: Far too often, the mainstream television news media act as little more than commercial advertisers for their parent companies. This is not journalism, and we desperately need journalism in this day and age. We also do truthout because the mainstream print media, while retaining great credibility, requires an enormous amount of time to sift through properly. Our editors, who read between 10 and 30 newspapers a day, do that for you. Finally, the English philosopher John Locke said, "It is one thing to show a man that he is in error, and another to put him in possession of truth." Tonight, tomorrow, and for as long as we are able, truthout will be in the business of putting you in possession of the truth."
Geography
Wildlife & Countryside Services: This organization provides a wide range of products & services on a wildlife, gardening and education theme, including: environmental education services; advice on school nature areas and nature studies; wildlife garden & pond construction; supply of native UK wildflowers, shrubs, trees, seeds & bulbs; nestboxes; free e-mail advice; links to lots of other wildlife, conservation and eco-friendly web sites. Whether you want help with an existing project, or help and advice with a new one, Wildlife & Countryside Services will do what it can to help.
The Met Office: The Met Office provides the latest information on the world's weather. It now also has a Curriculum Learning Centre that includes worksheets and classroom activities, leaflets to download and a "Did you know?" section. There is also a Teacher Training Centre that claims to help "to teach the curriculum effectively - in areas like the atmosphere, fronts and clouds". It also includes a bibliography and suggested essay questions.
Music
iTunes UK: Apple today launched the long-awaited UK version of its iTunes online music store. The website allows users to download a song for just 79p. More than 700,000 tracks are available from what Apple calls "the best music jukebox in the world". There is no subscription fee and most albums will cost £7.99 to download. In the United States, iTunes has sold more than 85 million tracks since its launch a year ago and dominates the market with a 70 per cent share of all legal downloads. The website a quick "one-click download", free 30-second preview of each tune and album cover art to accompany the songs.
Rough Guide to Rock: The Rough Guide to Rock Music was first published in October 1996. It is currently being revised and expanded and the publishers have decided to make this major work in progress, available online. The Rough Guide to Rock Music website currently contains details of the careers and recordings of more that 1200 bands and artists. If you discover that your favourite musician is missing, you can either request it to be added or you can write and submit your own entry. If it is good enough, it will be added online and will appear in the next edition of the book.
Sport
Science of Sport: This Science Museum exhibition explains the science behind sport and encourages you to get interacting with our state-of-the-art exhibits. Instead of looking at displays, you’ll actually be in them, taking part in races, games and quizzes to test your skills and knowledge of sport! Try out the interactive displays and simulated experiences - dribble a football against the clock, climb an indoor rock face, test the accuracy of your tennis shots, or compete against friends in a quick sprint complete with action replay! Compare your scores with those of your friends and family to see who comes out top. You don’t have to be an avid sportsman or woman to enjoy this exhibition – you’ll find it’s just as much fun learning new activities or even discovering hidden talents!
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum: This museum offers a glimpse of how the original medieval real tennis, has now become a multi-million dollar professional sport, played all over the world. Open all year round, the Museum includes memorabilia from many famous players and includes views of Centre Court and a state of the art Audio/Visual Theatre showing highlights of great players in action. The Museum is open throughout the year, daily: 10:30am - 5.00pm. During the Championships (21 June - 4 July 2004), the Museum is open from 10.30am - 8.00pm (or close of play if earlier) to ticket holders only.
Internet Services
Kelkoo is a shopping search engine which helps you to find merchants selling products online. It does this through a results page which lets you compare based on price, brand, delivery costs and shop. You search for a particular product in any one of its 21 departments (Books, Flights, Games, Electronics, etc.) and Kelkoo attempts to find the best offers on the internet. It also includes the cost of postage, packing and of VAT so you know exactly how much you'll have to spend. Then, all you have to do is chose the shop that offers the best deal and click through to their site to buy!
System Mechanic Professional: This company provides you with the options necessary to select the best PC Utility solution for your specific needs. Whether you are looking to fix stubborn computer errors, clean-up your registry, defragment your hard drive and memory, speed-up Windows and the Internet, eliminate spyware, secure your PC, or perform a variety of critical system maintenance tasks. System Mechanic Professional provides ultimate PC service and security! Includes six award-winning products: System Mechanic 4, Antivirus, Internet Firewall, Search and Recover, System Shield Pro, and DriveScrubber Pro.
Book Section
D-Day Atlas: Anatomy of the Normandy Campaign: June 2004 marks the sixtieth anniversary of the largest amphibious military operation in history. D-day was the culmination of four years of planning and preparation, which had begun in summer 1940 when Britain stood alone and under imminent threat of a German cross-Channel invasion. Charles Messenger's groundbreaking study of the landings and subssequent campaign charts the gradual evolution of the invasion plan, encompassing the intelligence efforts, the Anglo-US strategic debate over where the Allies should attack, and the elaborate deception put in place to fool the Germans about the true D-day objective. (Charles Messenger, Thames & Hudson, ISBN 0 500 251231, £22.50)
