Education on the Internet
Number 2: 10th October, 2001
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 14,667 subscribers to the newsletter.
John Simkin
Women Veterans: Barbara Wilson, a former captain in the USAF has produced Women Veterans, a website that explains the role of US women in warfare. This includes Women in Vietnam a website dedicated to explaining the role of the 10,000 women who took part in this conflict. Captain Wilson explains that for many years "accurate records on how many women were there, what decorations they earned, where they served and most important - what after effects they have suffered - and continue to suffer" were unavailable. Women in Vietnam attempts to answer these questions about the 10,000 women who took part in the war.
Martin Luther King Jr. Project: The King Papers Project is a major research effort to assemble and disseminate historical information concerning Martin Luther King, Jr. and the social movements in which he participated. Initiated by the King Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta, the website includes sections on papers, speeches, sermons, autobiography, chronology and articles.
Deutsches Afrika Korps: Paulo Henriques from Portugal has created this detailed website on the Deutsches Afrika Korps during the Second World War. As well as providing biographies and photographs of the leading commanders there are also articles on the War in Africa, The Italian Army, Afrika Korps History, Life in the Afrika Korps, Afrika Korps Units and Symbols, Afrika Korps Uniforms, Afrika Korps Guns and Afrika Korps Songs.
English
William Shakespeare: Created and maintained by Jeremy Hylton at the Corporation for National Research Initiatives, this website contains the electronic version of the Complete Works of Shakespeare. A powerful search-engine enables the user to search all the material for selected words or phrases. There is also a chronological and alphabetical listing of the plays, a collection of the most popular Shakespearean quotations, and a detailed glossary. Another section deals with the most frequently asked questions by users. The discussion area is very popular and often involves pleas for help with essay titles such as "Comic Female Monologues" and "Triumph and Tragedy in Shakespeare's Life". There is also a comprehensive list of other Shakespeare resources on the Internet.
The Victorian Web: The Victorian Web is the result of Brown University's Institute for Research in Information and Scholarship Intermedia Project. At the moment there are 44 British writers on the website. This includes Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Robert Browning, Lewis Carroll, Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, Robert Louis Stevenson and Lord Tennyson. Each author has an overview page where the material is listed under the following headings: Biography, Works, Victorianism, Science, Literary Relations, Visual Arts, Themes, Setting, Characterization, Image & Symbol, Narration, Genre, Religion and Philosophy and Related Websites. These sections might include one page of information or a list of twenty or more pages. This site is a great research archive and fully deserves the many awards it has received.
Robert Louis Stevenson: The Robert Louis Stevenson website is managed by Richard Dury at the University of Bergamo. The website receives considerable support from the Robert Louis Stevenson Society based in Australia and Edinburgh's Robert Louis Stephenson Club. Material is listed under the following headings: Life and Works, E-Texts, Images, Museums and Library Collections, Events, Bibliographies and Links.
Mathematics
MathMagic: MathMagic has been created by Alan A. Hodson from El Paso, Texas. Hodson points out that he is trying to "provide strong motivation for students to use computer technology while increasing problem-solving strategies and communication skills." A facilitator (teachers, parents, librarians, etc.) register teams of mathematicians with the MathMagic project. Mathematical challenges are posted on the website and each registered team is paired up with another team and engage in a problem-solving dialogue. When an agreement has been reached, the solution is posted on the website.
Puzzles and Fibonacci Numbers: An excellent website produced by the School of Electronic Engineering, IT and Mathematics at the University of Surrey. One of the features of the website is a series of puzzles involving Fibonacci Numbers. Subjects include brick wall patterns, bee lines, seating plans and jigsaws. There are also sections on Fibonacci Numbers and Nature, The Golden Section in Art, Fantastic Flat Phi Facts, Architecture and Music, Fibonacci Forgeries and Who was Fibonacci?
Houghton Mifflin: Brain Teasers: Brain Teasers is part of the book publishers, Houghton Mifflin's Mathematics Centre. New puzzles are posted every Wednesday. Solutions are given the following week. All students who submit the correct answer are entered into a weekly draw for T-shirt prizes. The website provides an archive of previous Brain Teasers. As well as brain teasers, the Houghton Mifflin also has a useful Mathematics Project Centre.
Design & Technology
Design & Technology Online: D & T Online website provides free access to a wide range of design and technology materials, resources and software for students to use as they engage in design and technology activities as part of the UK National Curriculum. In some cases the material will be relevant to science and mathematics as well as design and technology. So far there are sections on electronics, packaging, environments, food, pneumatics, mechanisms and manufacturing projects.
Marcel Breuer: Marcel Breuer regularly exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art but he was most famous for his classic piece the 'Wassily Chair'. This was designed for his mentor the great painter Wassily Kandinsky and was inspired by the shape and form of a bicycle handlebars. Breuer was both a furniture designer and architect. A student of the famous German 'Bauhaus School of Design'. Breuer designed modern classic furniture made from chrome plated tubular steel, in his opinion 'essential for modern living. A amongst other things a description and images of the Whitney Museum of American Art designed by Breuer are provided.
Science
BUBL Science Reference Library: The 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 Science main page has ten categories: Natural Sciences, Astronomy & Allied Sciences, Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Paleontology, Biology, Plants, Animals and Mathematics. These provide links to further categories. For example, Physics, is broken down into eleven categories from Physics: General Resources to Modern Physics. Each website listed has a brief review with information on the people and organization that have created the website.
WebElements: This excellent site has been produced by Mark Winter at the University of Sheffield. Students select the element they are interested in from a list of 112 or from the periodic table provided on the home page. There is a wealth of information on each of the elements listed. For example, the entry for iron includes history, description, atomic weights, iron: the atom, iron: the element, iron compounds, and iron around us. The atomic number, atomic weight and CAS Registry number is also supplied. You are even provided with the French, German, Italian and Spanish words for iron.
The Mineral Gallery: Amethyst Galleries of Dayton, Ohio sells minerals, fossils and jewelry over the Internet. To increase the number of people visiting its website, Amethyst has produced a very useful mineral encyclopedia. For each entry there is a photograph and about 300 words of background information on the mineral. This is followed by data on the colour, luster, transparency, crystal system, crystal habits, cleavage, hardness, specific gravity, etc. Amethyst have also produced a Jewelry Gallery and are currently working on a Fossil Gallery.
Geography
Global Earthquake Response Centre: The Global Earthquake Response Centre provides news on the latest earthquakes. The website also contains an education section. This includes practical advice for schools about what to do if there is an earthquake in your area and resources for those who want to teach about the subject in the classroom. The website also provides links with other 'Earthquake Information Centres' and sites that are concerned with specific earthquakes.
Volcano World: Volcano World website is managed by the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. One of the services provided is a constantly updated list on current volcanic activity. The website has an excellent section on 'Learning about Volcanoes'. The website also has an impressive collection of online teacher's guides and lesson plans.
Greenpeace: On its home page Greenpeace tells us that it is "an independent, campaigning organization which uses non-violent, creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems, and to force the solutions which are essential to a green and peaceful future." The website provides the latest information on the "pollution and abuse of the earth's ocean, land, air and fresh water." This includes press releases and overviews of their current campaigns. There is also a very useful archive section that contains articles, photographs and sound recordings on global environmental issues.
Modern Languages
German Electronic Textbook: The German Electronic Textbook provides a grammar and pronunciation guide. Topics covered include: Nouns and Noun Modifiers, Pronouns, Word Order, Prepositions, Adjectives & Adverbs, Conjunctions, Verbs: Present Tense, Verbs: Subjective Mood and Verbs: Passive Voice.
German for Beginners: A website that contains some useful material for students just starting a study of the German language. Sections include Beginners Grammar, Exercises and Links. The website also enables you to listen to useful German phrases and provides a comprehensive series of links to English-German dictionaries.
WebMuseum: Paris: WebMuseum's is a good place to visit before taking a school trip to Paris. Sponsored by BMW, the website provides a virtual tour of Paris. You have the choice of "walking around on your own" or taking a "historical guided tour". Some of the tours offered include 'Paris and its River', 'La Tour Eiffel' and 'The Crypt of Notre Dame'. The most impressive feature is a virtual tour of the Louvre. The site is in English and is therefore more useful for students of French history and culture than the French language.
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.
