Education on the Internet
Number 14: 16th January, 2002
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.
John Simkin
Stephen's Web is the online home of Stephen Downes, a writer and researcher in the field of online learning, online communities and knowledge management. OLDaily is a free daily email newsletter based on the site's constantly expanding knowledge base of research and information related to online learning (a weekly version is also available). A former philosophy instructor, instructional designer and information architect, Downes is now employed by Canada's National Research Council as a senior researcher in e-learning. Stephen's Web contains some important essays in the field, including 'The Future of Online Learning' (1998) and 'Learning Objects' (2000). Of most use, perhaps, is the knowledge base, a searchable collection of almost three thousand items culled from Downes's research in the field of online learning over the last three years. Because the purpose of OLDaily and the knowledge base is to spot trends and to assess the importance of news in and around the field, news items are listed with some commentary about the event's significance or its place in the wider picture. The reporting on OLDaily not unbiased and value-neutral. Each development is assessed, commentary is added and opinions voiced. Press releases and media spin are not given a free ride on OLDaily.
ICT in Schools: This week Estelle Morris, Secretary of State for Education and Skills, published Transforming the Way We Learn: A Vision for the future of ICT in Schools. Morris argues that the paper is intended to stimulate an informed debate amongst everyone concerned with learning. The paper is disappointing and there is little evidence that Morris has obtained a good understanding of the potential of online learning and realizing the government's objective of "making Britain a centre of excellence in the development of networked software content, and a world leader in the export of learning services."
Ultralab: Professor Stephen Heppel is head of Ultralab, the learning technology research laboratory based at Anglia Polytechnic University's campus in Chelmsford. In a recent interview he gave to the Guardian newspaper, Heppel provided valuable insights into the future of online education. Heppel is concerned by the "tick box" model that has been developed by several major corporations. He fears it will sabotage any really creative thinking about learning. As he points out: "marketing executives have a great budget to tell teachers about the latest widget, but teachers don't have any means of telling each other about the great ideas they have in the classroom. We need to do something about that."
Legacy of Harry T. Moore: As leader of the Florida Progressive Voters League, Harry T. Moore succeeded in tripling the enrollment of registered black voters. By 1945 over 116,000 black voters were registered in the Florida Democratic Party. This represented 31 per cent of all eligible black voters in the state, a figure that was 51 per cent higher than any other southern state. Moore was also a full-time organizer of the NAACP in Florida and he organized the campaign against the wrongful conviction of three African Americans for the rape of a white woman in Groveland, Florida. Willis McCall, the Sheriff of Lake County, shot two of the men while in his custody. One was killed and other man was seriously wounded. After the shooting Moore called for the McCall's suspension. A month later, on 25th December, 1951, a bomb exploded in Moore's house killing him and his wife. This excellent website produced by the PBS tells the story of the first NAACP official killed in the civil rights struggle.
Jewish Women's Archive: The mission of the Jewish Women's Archive is to "uncover, chronicle and transmit the rich legacy of Jewish women and their contributions to our families and communities, to our people and our world". As well as the Virtual Archive there are online exhibitions. This includes Women of Valor (the lives of Jewish women who have made significant contributions to Jewish and American life) and Women Who Dared (information on contemporary Jewish women who risked their lives to fight for something in which they believed).
Victorian Census Project: The Victorian Census Project at Staffordshire University aims to computerize source documents relating to Great Britain and Ireland in the nineteenth century. These sources include nineteenth century census abstracts, vital registration statistics, returns of the Poor Law Commissioners, agricultural statistics and crime statistics. The unit is also adding the Pigot's and Slater's Topographies of Great Britain and Ireland.
Science
Adrian Dingle's Chemistry Pages: A multi-award winning site aimed at High School Chemistry students, their parents and teachers. The site has over 200 free resources suitable for use in American and British schools. They include notes, labs, worksheets. The content is primarily aimed at the 14-18 age range and includes sections on Regular, Honors and AP Chemistry for US students, and is suitable for GCSE and A level students in the UK. The site has clear navigation and organization, and is updated several times every week. The author is currently teaching AP Chemistry at a top US private school and has many years experience of delivering A level and GCSE curricula in the UK.
Dictionary of Cell Biology: The Dictionary of Cell Biology was first published in 1989. The main objective was to provide access to easily-understood and cross-referenced definitions of terms frequently encountered when studying the subject. The second edition, published in 1995, plus enhancements planed for the third edition, is now available free on the Internet. The dictionary has 5450 entries and 5772 cross-references and covers organelles, the nucleus, membrane trafficking, the cytoskeleton, diseases, cell motility and the cell cycle.
Human Anatomy On-line: Informative Graphics Corporation is a commercial software company that has produced this website to show the public what it can do. Human Anatomy On-line contains over one hundred illustrations of the human body with animations and thousands of descriptive links. Using hot spots on the anatomy illustrations, the user can explore their chosen body system (skeleton, muscular, cardiovascular, etc.) through floating anatomy labels. Illustrated animations for specific body functions (heart pumping, lungs breathing, etc.) are also provided, as well as illustrated views of how a baby develops in the womb.
Sociology
Multicultural Pavilion: Paul Gorski from Virginia is responsible for this very impressive website. In his mission statement Gorski explains that he is attempting "to provide resources for educators to explore and discuss multicultural education; to facilitate opportunities for educators to work toward self-awareness and development; and to provide forums for educators to interact and collaborate". Features of the site include Teacher's Corners (multicultural resources for teachers online); International Project (information on what is going on in multicultural education around the world); Online Discussion Board (forum for online exchanges about multicultural issues) and Multicultural Activity Archives (experimental activities for exploring multicultural issues).
Research in Education: The Scottish Council for Research in Education (SCRE) have now made their excellent journal Research in Education available on the Internet. The website also includes an excellent database of research reports that can be found on the Internet and a list of the research projects that the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department (SOEID) intends to commission over the coming months.
Education-Line: Education-Line is funded by the Higher Education Funding Councils as part of the Electronic Libraries Programme. Maintained by Sam Saunders at the University of Leeds, Education-Line is developing what it calls "a live collection of documents" on the Internet. The website enables researchers to present their work at an early stage in its development where it can be reviewed by the world-wide academic community. Education-Line is also involved in providing access to specialized or small-scale texts that would otherwise have difficulty finding a publisher.
Theatre Studies
Royal National Theatre: The official website of the Royal National Theatre. The archive section will be particularly useful to the theatre student as it enables you to obtain information on previous productions. At the moment this only includes performances since 1998 but the website also provides a documentary record of the Royal National Theatre since its inception in 1963. The Archive can also supply photocopies of the programme notes and the major reviews and associated articles about any past National Theatre production.
About Guide to the British Theatre: A superb websites for students of the British Theatre. Like other Mining Company Guides it includes extensive site reviews, feature articles and discussion areas. Peter Lathan, who runs the site, is a real enthusiast who has clearly spent a considerable amount of time reviewing the material. In the Spotlight provides up to date information such as a full listing of the 1999 BAFTA Awards. You can also subscribe to the British Theatre Newsletter from the site.
Globe Theatre: The award winning site on the Globe Theatre in London is produced and maintained by Reading University. There is an excellent history of the theatre with hypertexted links to relevant information on the design and construction of the building. Other sections include: Information Guidebook, Frequently Asked Questions, The International Globe Centre, Visiting the Globe, Performances at the Globe and Getting to the Globe.
Hackney Empire: In 1901 the architect, Frank Matcham, modelled his design of Hackney Empire on the great Italian opera houses of the 18th century. However, the building also reflected the technology of the time by becoming Britain's first all electric theatre. Combining tradition and the latest developments in technology is also in evidence in this beautifully designed website. Its main feature is a history of the theatre and this can be viewed as a straight narrative or by using an animated timeline.
Art & Design
British Artists: 1750-1900: Biographies of 22 artists, illustrators and cartoonists working in Britain between 1750 and 1900. This includes artists such as James Gillray, Thomas Rowlandson, George Cruikshank, John Leech, John Doyle, John Tenniel, Phil May, Linley Sambourne, Bernard Partridge, Frank Holl and Luke Fildes. There are also entries from the journals that employed these artists such as Punch Magazine, The Graphic and the Illustrated London News.
Leonardo da Vinci: Exploring Leonardo has been produced by the Museum of Science in Boston. The website is an attempt to provide a cross-curricular approach to Leonardo DA Vinci's work. The website has four main content sections: What, Where, When? (biography of Leonardo DA Vinci with images); Inventor's Workshop (a look at some of Leonardo's futuristic inventions); Leonardo's Perspective (Renaissance techniques for representing the 3D world on 2D surfaces) and Leonardo: Right to Left (explores Leonardo's habit of writing in reverse). An excellent teacher section has five lesson plans for hands-on classroom activities and three opportunities for students to communicate their ideas electronically. The site also has ideas on how to make the best use of the four interactive galleries.
Vincent van Gogh: David Brooks of Toronto in Canada has produced a marvellous website for all students of Vincent van Gogh. The images of paintings and drawings are listed chronologically and by subject. Each one contains details of when and where it was produced and its current location. Other sections include portraits of Van Gogh by other artists, an On-line Forum, Books and Films, Van Gogh Exhibitions and Cultural Events, In the News, The Fakes, and Frequently Asked Questions. Easily one of the best art websites on the Web.
Physical Education
Orienteering: Rick Slater's website provides a wealth of information on orienteering and rogaining. He starts with a general introduction to the sport. This is followed with practical information on topics such as how to use a compass. The website also includes recent results, start-lists and rankings. Although based in the US there is some information on events in Europe. There are also a set of good links to other sites on orienteering and rogaining.
Soccer Skills: A selection of links to websites that provides information on the techniques, tactics and training methods of modern football. There are sections on Kicking Technique, Heading Technique, Passing Skills, Tackling Methods, Set Plays, Dribbling Skills, Control Skills, Fitness, Nutrition and Sport Psychology.
Physical Education: Schemes of Work: The Standards Site is managed by the Department for Education and Employment's Standards and Effectiveness Unit (SEU). The main objective of the site is to supply teachers with "guidance and tools to help schools improve effectiveness, raise standards and reduce workload". This includes a large selection of schemes of work for Physical Education.
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.
