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 19,000
subscribers to the newsletter.
Tutors-Online
is a directory of teachers and tutors. Having access to a computer
is not a prerequisite; the service is also available by telephone
or post. Tutors-Online offers 'tutors' and 'students' to teach and
learn on their terms. Viewing tutor profiles within the directory
affords the student an opportunity to gain more in depth information
of their selected tutor - this being the tutors personal ‘window’.
The directory makes it easy for all educational organizations to access
unusual and obscure subjects; to encourage day workshops, talks and
demonstrations. Subjects covered includes Maths,
English, Geography, History and Science; Languages, Music, Arts and
Special Needs; Sociology and Therapies; Skills, Sports and Pastimes.
Biography:
The American television show Biography is one of the most popular
shows on the A&E Network. Now in its thirteenth season, it is
also one of the longest running documentary television programs. It
offers new thematic
prime-time programming, from Great Women, Great Entertainers, Wealth
& Power, Action Heroes, Lives of Crime, Leaders & Legends,
to Lifespan - a four-hour Sunday evening special on one of civilization's
greatest figures. The show has an impressive companion website, with
detailed biographies of more than 25,000 people. Each biography includes
a chronological list of achievements, and links to other biographies
of "related people."
European
News: Echoes of the Rights of Man and Tom Paine can still be heard
in the aims of Lewes Links. The organisation emerged from a merging
of several voluntary groups in the East Sussex county town of Lewes
- where the 18th century philosopher and revolutionary Tom Paine lived
and worked for a time. The Lewes Links website describes Lewes and
its history in several central and eastern European languages. It
reports on the achievements of ten years trying to forge a variety
of links with former Iron Curtain countries. As a contribution to
understanding current affairs in these newly independent nations there
is a compendium of recent news from 21 central and eastern European
regions, updated regularly. Running topics throw light on historical
problems, on current issues such as their aspirations to join the
EU and NATO, and on current internal and international politics.
History
Kennedy
Assassination: Ever since the death of John F. Kennedy on 22nd
November 1963 investigators have speculated on the people responsible.
This website provides a collection of articles on the subject including
The Special Group (Sue Morrison), Jeff Orr (Cover Up), Dirty Politics
(Mark Edwards), Magic Bullet (Mary Tracy), Vietnam Connection (Mat
Wilson) and Secret Service (Vince Palamara).
Julius
Caesar: The Death of Julius Caesar is an online activity aimed
at students beginning their study of history in a secondary school.
Students are introduced to historical interpretations and bias within
their investigations and have their knowledge checked using the online
tests. Extension activities and resources are provided at the end
of this activity.
Rudiments
of Wisdom: Medicine: Tim Hunkin trained as an engineer, but then
became a cartoonist, drawing the Rudiments of Wisdom Encyclopaedia
for the Observer newspaper for 14 years. These educational cartoons
later appeared in book form and now they are available free on Tim
Hunkin's website. This includes a good section on the history of medicine.
Subjects covered include Anaesthetics, Antiseptics, Bacteria, Bubonic
Plague, Cancer, Cholera, Homeopathy, Influenza, Surgery and Vaccination.
English
Literacy
Lessons: Joy Simpson's website dedicated to literacy planning
for years 8 to 11. Each year group is divided into terms and planning
relating to the range for the term is listed covering fiction, non-fiction,
poetry and plays. Each block of work is planned according to the latest
ideas from the National Literacy Strategy and the DfES and shows the
ways in which literacy teaching can be creative and fun for pupils.
If you would like to reduce the amount of time you spend planning
on a Sunday evening then visit the site and download the free lessons
and resources.
International
Educational Services: The introduction and use of computers for
students presents an immense opportunity for teachers and students
to be innovative, to enhance and extend their classroom experience!
The International Educational Services website based in New Zealand
contains English teaching resources for age 11 to 17. This includes
units on novels, poetry, genre, drama and English skills. Units can
be ordered and downloaded off their website. International Educational
Services also provides a free online English resources newsletter
with sample units and free puzzles.
Maths
Waldo's
Maths Pages is a secondary level maths site, which uses Java (tm)
applets to demonstrate different mathematical topics. It is aimed
at Key Stage 3 (11 to 14), GCSE (14 to 16), but mostly AS/A2 Maths
and Further Maths (16 plus). Its content is 100% original and the
creation of a maths teacher (and self-taught programmer) in Kent.
The programs are used by him and others as classroom aids, and as
investigative resources for pupils individually. New material and
improvements are being added all the time, and suggestions from teachers
and pupils for future inclusion are always welcome.
Quantum
Brain Benders: This website provides a series of highly entertaining
math-based puzzles. Each puzzle consists of three rows of numbers.
The skill level - easy, difficult or braniac - determines how many
numbers are in each row. The task of the student is to find a string
of numbers that add up to the "finish" number provided in
the puzzle.
Media
Studies
Masters
of Photography: A collection of articles on the world's leading
photographers. This includes Ansel Adams, Berenice Abbott, Alvin L.
Coburn, Imogen Cunningham, Walker Evans, Arthur
Fellig, Lewis
Hine, Dorothea
Lange, Jacob Riis, W. Eugene Smith, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz,
Paul Strand, Timothy O'Sullivan, Edward Weston and Clarence White.
Women
Photographers: A website produced by the California Museum of
Photography that includes images by some of the best-known names in
the history of the medium as well as significant or exemplary images
by other less famous photographers. There are illustrated articles
on Frances Johnson, Julia Margaret Cameron, Gertrude Kasebier, Alice
Boughton, Berenice Abbott, Marion Palfi, Alma Lavenson, Imogen Cunningham,
Susan Meisalas, Barbara Morgan, Mary Ellen Mark, Rosalind Solomon
and Olivia Parker.
Film
Education is a registered charity supported by the film industry
and the BFI in the UK. The website's aim is to encourage and promote
the study of film and other media within the Curriculum through online
resources, CD ROMS, downloadable study guides and educational video
packs. In addition to providing a range of free educational materials,
the site also includes information on INSET courses, workshops, seminars,
free screening events and television programmes. The Film Library
section, currently one of the site's most visited areas is a comprehensive
list of titles recommended by Film Education by Key Stage and subject
area and includes downloadable study guides for many of the films
listed.
Science
Environment
Challenge: The National Grid for Learning environment challenge
is an online event for children and adults which tests their knowledge
of 'green' issues and encourages them to think about how their day-to-day
lives impact on the environment. The challenge focuses on recycling,
energy and conservation, and there are levels for under 11s, 11-16
year olds and adults. Users will be given activities to carry out
on and off line, including quizzes, games and experiments, and they
will be able to use NGfL-approved resources to help them complete
the tasks. A special environment challenge certificate will be awarded
to everyone that successfully completes the experience before 28 March,
and they will also be entered in a draw to win a tree. The trees will
be dedicated at woods managed by The Woodland Trust, the UK's leading
woodland conservation charity.
Earth
Teacher Science is a free online education site featuring lesson
plans, educational downloads, free stuff, product links, and more.
This interactive site is perfect for parents who want to improve their
child's learning, teachers who want to be innovative in the classroom,
and students who need homework help or just to have fun. The science
search engine saves time for everyone and the science java applets
for teachers allow for the creation of technology integrated lessons.
ICT
EDU
Forum: The site, created by Simon Morgan of St. Alsager School
provides free high quality ICT resources for both teaching and supporting
ICT in secondary education. To this end, you will find a variety of
practical tutorials covering such things as introducing the Internet,
presentation skills using Word, core areas of Key Skills IT and much
more. Recent additions to the Resource Section includes Top Tips,
Open Flexible Learning and Y7 ICT tests.
Cyberhunts:
Produced by ICTeachers, Cyberhunts are question-based guides through
a series of websites on a particular subject. Cyberhunts available
from this website include, Literacy Cyberhunt, Ancient Greece, Ancient
Egypt Cyberhunt, Art Picturehunt, Britain Since the 1930s, Harry Potter,
Human Body, Cyberhunt Maths, Lord of The Rings, Millennium Cyberhunt,
Olympics Cyberhunt, Rainforests, Rivers, Romans, Saxons & Vikings,
Tudors, Victorians and Solar System Cyberhunt.
Religious
Studies
Church
of England: A
good source of factual information about the Church of England. Sections
include 'History of the Church of England', 'What it means to be an
Anglican', 'The Church of England's Liturgy', 'Organisations of the
Church of England' and 'Relations with other denominations and faith'.
Teachers will find 'The Church of England's view on…" particularly
useful. After putting the subject in its historical context, it uses
statements from official documents explain the latest thinking on
subjects such as animal welfare, hunting, factory farming, abortion,
alcohol, drugs, genetically modified organisms, contraception, homosexuality,
capital punishment, divorce, etc.
Hindu
Universe: The
Hindu Universe has been created by the Hindu Students Council, an
organisation based in Boston. A web directory designed in the style
of Yahoo, enables you to quickly obtain information on different aspects
of Hinduism. The material arranged under the following categories:
Arts, Customs, Worship, Books & Resources, Dharma & Philosophy,
Hindus Around the World, History, Temples & Organisations, Languages,
Interfaith Relations, God, Sages & Gurus, Sciences, Scriptures
and Social & Contemporary Issues.
World
Religions: This website is for Secondary school pupils and teachers.
It covers the main six world religions, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism,
Islam, Sikhism and Judaism. There are introductions on each religion,
plus additional sections for pupils who wish to go into greater depth
on any of the religions. There are links for each religion to external
sites of interest. For teachers there are teacher resources and interactive
lessons for Y8 (Creation, The Hajj, World Festivals) and Y9 (The Resurrection).
The resources can be used in school or you can use them as part of
their homework tasks. The site also covers the Edexcel GCSE Short
course and aspects of the Philosophy & Ethics A level.
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.
