Education on the Internet
Number 18: 13th February, 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. Currently there are 17,536 subscribers to the newsletter.
All reviews are added to our web directory. There are sections on Primary Education, English, Mathematics, Science, Modern Languages, History, Geography, Design & Technology, Business Studies, Media Studies, ICT, Sociology, Music, Politics, Economics, Photography, Art & Design, Theatre Studies, Physical Education and Religious Studies.
John Simkin
Teaching Modern Languages: The European Forum of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and a team of European colleges are seeking to develop new approaches to teaching languages. The objective is to improve teaching by selecting and visualizing language teaching methods with an emphasis on communication activities. This approach is based on a number of EU reports showing a need for better language teaching methods. But it is also believed that a visual demonstration of suitable methods will be an advantage to vocational language teaching in general. The aim is to develop ready-to-use materials, a video library (on DVD) for language teachers to see the methods used in real classes with instructions and hints for better use of other existing materials. In addition, there will be a guide manual with descriptions and ready to copy materials.
Educate your Dyslexic Child at Home: This website has been set up to provide parents with a comprehensive and up-to-date guide to educating dyslexic children at home. The site includes plenty of practical advice, useful not just for the parents of dyslexic children but for any parent whose children, schooled or otherwise, need help with the basics of the three Rs. The site has extensive guidance on teaching reading, important and surprising research information, full referencing and a compendious resource section.
Online Educa Berlin 2002: The 8th International Conference on Technology Supported Learning & Training, Online Educa Berlin 2002 is Europe's leading eLearning meeting place and will take place on 27-29 November 2002 at the Inter-Continental Hotel. Online Educa Berlin has become the key networking event for eLearning strategists and practitioners from around the world. The annual conference attracts more than 1400 top-level decision makers from government, industry, business, commerce and the higher education sector from over 60 countries. Online Educa Berlin is one of the largest gatherings of eLearning professionals in Europe and enables participants to develop multinational and cross-industry partnerships and increase their knowledge and expertise in the field. Deadline for receipt of proposals for presentations, panel discussions and workshops is April 15.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Library: The Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Museum, and Digital Archives, is an on-line resource devoted to fulfilling Franklin Roosevelt’s dream of making the records of the past available "for the use of men and women in the future." Through this site, scholars, teachers, students and members of the general public can now gain access to a portion of the rich collection of documents, photographs, sound and video recordings, finding aids, and other primary source materials found at the library in Hyde Park, New York.
The White House: The official website of the White House provides a large number of detailed biographies of people associated with this important building. The material is organized under the headings of President, Vice-President and First Lady. There is also a online tour, a trivia quiz and information on the paintings in the White House.
Joe Hill: When Joe Hill heard he was to be executed by firing-squad on 19th November, 1915 he sent a message to Bill Haywood of the Industrial Workers of the World saying: "Goodbye Bill. I die like a true blue rebel. Don't waste any time in mourning. Organize." This PBS online story of Joe Hill explores the history of the nation as it struggled with issues of justice, opportunity, and the American Dream.
English
Writers in the USA: 1860-1960: Brief biographies of sixty-four writers born in the United States. This includes novelists and playwrights such as Louisa May Alcott, Sherwood Anderson, James Baldwin, Edward Bellamy, Ambrose Bierce, Mary Borden, John Jay Chapman, Stephen Crane, Theodore Dreiser, Ralph Ellison, Hamlin Garland, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Dashiell Hammett, Lillian Hellman, Ernest Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London, Edwin Markham, Arthur Miller, Frank Norris, Clifford Odets, Eugene O'Neill, Dorothy Parker, David Graham Phillips, John Dos Passos, Upton Sinclair, Gertrude Stein, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mark Twain, Edith Wharton, Edmund Wilson and Richard Wright.
To Kill a Mockingbird: This website based on Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was developed by Linda Taggart-Fregoso in the Schools of California Online Resources for Educators (SCORE) Project, funded by the California Technology Assistance Program (CTAP). The novel depicts the themes of misunderstanding and prejudice and this unit presents an opportunity for students to explore these concepts. This unit asks students to consider the following questions: Why do good writers use symbolism in their writing? Why is point of view an important technique to consider when writing? Why is it difficult to persuade others to be just and courageous? How do you support interpretations? What makes a good piece of persuasive writing?
Music
African Music Library: The International Library of African Music is based at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. You can take a tour of the library or search the archive. This includes the Sound of Africa and the Music of Africa. A sound sampler of African instruments is also under construction.
Internet Chinese Music Archive: The Great Empire of China website provides a large collection of Chinese music under the headings: Traditional Music, Modern Music, Popular Music, Ceremonial Music, Music from Other Places (Hong Kong and Taiwan) and Anthology.
Design & Technology
Classic Packaging: Are you studying Graphic Design and Packaging? If the answer is yes, you may be interested in the new Classic Packaging section from the Design Technology website. This new section of the site is under construction but already offers detailed descriptions of such classic packaging as ‘The Oxo Cube’, ‘The Brasso Polish Tin’, ‘The Kiwi Shoe Polishing Tin’, ‘The Coca-Cola Bottle’ and ‘The Plastic Carrier Bag’.
LEGO: Do you ever wish you had an infinite bucket of LEGO bricks for your children? With BrickBuilder, you can create anything you can imagine, using dozens of different virtual bricks and you'll never run out! (requires Macromedia Flash.) This is one of the many interactive activities and problem-solving puzzles included on the official LEGO website.
Science
Beyond Discovery: The Path from Research to Human Benefit is a series of articles that identify and trace origins of important recent technological and medical advances. Each story reveals the crucial role played by basic science,
the applications of which could not have been anticipated at the time the original research was conducted. The articles are produced through a close collaboration between professional science writers and prominent scientists who have been directly involved with the discoveries being described. Each article is further enhanced on our Website to include a timeline and a rich collection of links that provide additional details. Articles are composed of multiple short HTML pages with a number of hyperlinks within the text to related sites. Downloadable.pdf versions of the articles are also available.
The Laboratory: This website has been developed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The Laboratory is an constantly evolving site which gives educators and chance to try out new ideas for teaching children science. There are regular features such as 'Weird News from the World of Science', 'Cool Experiments to do at Home', 'You Asked: Your Wacky Questions' and 'The History of Invention'.
Trees Are Terrific: Schools Online is a web site packed full of imaginative curricula and teaching ideas from the professionals at University of Illinois Extension. The site is constantly growing with new sites added regularly with the newest being Trees Are Terrific for 5 to 8 year olds. It teaches children the basics of trees and their importance to our lives.
Geography
Ask an Earth Scientist: The Department of Geology & Geophysics at the University of Hawaii, has produced an excellent Ask an Earth Scientist website. Questions and answers are listed under the following subjects: Volcanoes, Earthquakes & Seismology, Environment & Hydrology, Sediments & Sedimentary Rocks, Igneous Rocks & Minerals and Natural Hazards.
San Francisco Earthquake: The Museum of the City of San Francisco website provides several online exhibitions. This includes a detailed account of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire. Sections include Timeline, Newspaper Clippings, Eyewitness Accounts, San Francisco Fire Department Report, Police Department Report, Map of the Earthquake, Seismograph Readings, Engineering and Scientific Reports, Relief & Recovery Efforts and Photographs of the 1906 Disaster.
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.
