Education on the Internet
Number 26: 15th May 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 22,500 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
Learning Circuits: ASTD's website provides a collection of articles on e-Learning. It currently includes a fascinating article by Randall W. Kindley on Scenario-Based e-Learning. Kindley argues that scenario-based e-learning differs from traditional e-learning as it places the learner in real situations and requires behaviour choices rather than simple answers to knowledge questions. Other articles include E-Learning: Building the Ramp for Equal Access (Karen Beauregard), TechTools: Blogs (Jay Cross) and Retooling for E-Learning (Laura Moushey and James Kirk).
The Learning Citizen is an initiative sponsored by the European Commission with the specific objective of facilitating and enhancing lifelong learning for all members of society. The initiative brings together technologists, pedagogues, entrepreneurs, institutions and potential users in a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle this important issue. The clear goal is to develop sustainable, effective and universal solutions addressing learning needs across society. This website serves as a portal to a diverse collection of activities and initiatives taking place not only within the European Union, but elsewhere, most notably in the United States. Nine EU-funded projects have been clustered with the intention to stimulate the wide deployment of appropriate technology and to support the early adoption of best practice. The Learning Citizen newsletter is aimed at discussion, sharing and exchanging knowledge among various e-learning initiatives. The newsletter tackles topics related to e-learning such as the technology used, the standards being developed and adopted, the pedagogy adapted to the new media.
ICT Advice: The ICT Advice site is divided into sections: ' 'What is...', How to...', and 'Inspire me'. Each of these features detailed explanatory information on software, hardware, curriculum, management and more, tailored to your individual needs, depending on your role. Just select your role from the list and you will be presented with a page tailored with the information you might need. For instance, this month, classroom teachers will find help with developing their own ICT skills - using spreadsheets, e-mail and more. They'll also discover the latest news such as the online conference, Transforming Teaching and Learning, to be held in May.
History
Vietnam War Net: This directory website provides links to educational, entertainment, and research material relevant to the study of the Vietnam War. Sections include History, Media, Memorials, Organizations, Humor, Poetry, Quotations, Allies, Anti-War, Women, The Vietnamese, Political & Government Figures, African-American Soldiers, Trips to Vietnam, Fiction, Films, Short Stories and Documentaries.
The Tomb of Tutankhamen: In February, 1923, the National Geographic Magazine published an illustrated article by Maynard Owen Williams on the Tomb of Tutankhamen. The article and photographs now appears on this National Geographic website. The material is organized under three headings: Arrival in Luxor, The Official Opening and Entering the Tomb. There is also a filmed supplement, Mysteries of Egypt.
The Dating Game: Russel Tarr of Active History has created a new website for students revising for exams. Called the Dating Game, it gives you two minutes to guess the dates of as many historical events on your chosen topic as possible. An incorrect guess will result in being told to guess 'higher!' or 'lower!' whilst a correct guess improves the quality of your 'date' for the evening!
English
English Teacher File: The purpose of English Teacher File is to help the English teacher to find quickly, and often without leaving the school, an increased variety of aids and resources. Whether s/he's working in a large inner city school or alone in isolation somewhere, the only requirement to obtain these aids is an Internet connection. The Internet has made assistance readily available as you'll see when you start following some of the links, whether you're at home or at your school. As well, any links you wish to add will be welcomed as long as they serve the needs and/or interests of teachers of English worldwide. There is also a file drawer which you are invited to visit and to take from it what you wish. It will be a source from which to obtain tests, quizzes, chapter reviews, critical notes that others have used successfully and whole lessons other teachers worldwide are willing to share.
Mediaknowall is a fast growing website aimed at Media Studies students. There are extensive notes on a whole range of topics, plus links to sites for further research and reading. You will find a whole range of pages, covering key concepts such as representation, audience, ideology etc, as well as more specialist areas. There is a full 'History of Horror Movies' section, and a growing set of notes on major science fiction films.
Art
Acces Art: This website is run by Paula Briggs and Sheila Ceccarelli of the Arts Education Exchange, a non-profit making organisation based in Impington. Access Art has created a series of animated online workshops illustrating ideas from artists working in England. The online workshops are aimed at all ages and include sections on drawing, making sculpture and photography. New workshops are planned for later this year on colour and architecture. Aimed at people of all ages, the resources are highly visual and interactive. Each workshop contains advice for teachers who want to use the material in their lessons, or tips for people to take away from the computer and have a go at the technique themselves.
Art History Resources: An impressive directory website of Art History resources on the web. The material is organized under the following headings: Prehistoric Art, Ancient Egypt & Near East, Ancient Greece and Rome, Art of the Middle Ages, 15th Century Renaissance Art, 16th Century Renaissance Art, 17th Century Baroque Art, 18th Century Art, 19th Century Art, 20th Century Art, Prints & Photography and Research Resources.
Design & Technology
Ero Aarnio: Have you have ever seen the following films’ 'Tommy', 'Dazed and Confused' and 'Moon Zero Two' or the cult sixties series, ‘The Prisoner’? If your answer to this question is yes then you would have probably seen some of the radical furniture designs of Eero Aarnio. This new addition to the ‘Design and Technology Department’ examines the work of Eero Aarnio. He started working with plastics in 1960 and opened his own design office in 1962. He created two of the most famous chairs of the decade, the 'Ball' or 'Globe' chair and the 'Pastilli' or 'Gyro' chair for which he was awarded an A.I.D. Aarnio has now returned to traditional materials like wood.
Techitout: Everything for Design and Technology in 5 sections with its own search engine. Contents, Exams, Projects, Resources and Skills. Already it has 190 Searchable pages, 100 Pictures and 100 Edited related links. For two years, Tony Bell has been designing a simple logical system for storing and retrieving all Design and Technology data. An expanding series of pigeon holes. Eventually the Skills section will include short instructional Video clips.
Science
Energy Chest: Energy Chest has been funded by Esso UK a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, one of the world's leading petroleum companies. It has been developed by CREATE, an organisation for the promotion and co-ordination of energy education in UK schools and colleges. Energy Chest is a colourful site packed with information and activities for 8-11 year olds and 11-14 year olds. These include measuring different temperatures around the school and identifying the different types of lighting in the school. The site encourages pupils to offer feedback on how they see energy being used. There are notes for teachers and links to other energy and environmental sites.
Andy Darvill's Science Site: This website contains materials that Andy Darvill has written for use in lessons, downloads, information about other software, and revision tips. The website covers chemistry, physics and biology. You can find your way around it all using the bar at the top of each page. If you're looking for something in particular, try the site map. There is also a good page of links to other science websites.
Geography
Global Gang: Developed by Christian Aid, the Global Gang website has been created to help teachers to bring global issues into the classroom. The site is designed for children aged between 8 and 12 and has plenty to appeal to this age group, including pet pictures which children have sent in. Other sections include Real Life, Global Gossip, Games, On the Ball and What's Up. Planet Teacher, has notes for teachers on topics such as healthy living (including a feature on clean water in Kenya), and 'chocolate can be good for you' (all about Fair Trade issues).
Ordnance Survey: The education department of the Ordnance Survey organisation has a new website to support learning at all levels from Primary to Higher Education. There is a selection of free on-line and downloadable resources, including historical maps. There are also ideas for using maps in the classroom. The Understand Mapping pages include a glossary of map reading terms, a guide to GIS (geographical information systems) and help with developing map-reading skills.
Book Section
Top Websites for Homework: Whether you're trying to solve a maths problem, research coursework assignments or looking for project ideas, you will find it on the Internet. All the sites mentioned here are recommended by Learn, The Guardian's newspaper's online resource for schools. Each entry includes the hyperlink location and URL address along with a brief description of the site. In addition, sites are ranked in order of difficulty. Sites that are easy to navigate and present basic but essential information in the simplest way are listed first.
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.
