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 22,820
subscribers to the newsletter.
VISIE
Conference: Participants
from a dozen of European countries will attend an international conference
in June (13th to 16th). By hosting the VISIE conference the Dutch
Ministry of Education stresses the importance of computer technology
for the Dutch and European educational systems. VISIE will be aimed
at participants in the European Schoolnet (EUN), especially the EUN
Virtual School participants, and a selected number of Dutch educational
participants and experts. The conference will bring together the different
departments of the EUN Virtual School and the different departments
of the Dutch national Virtual School as Kennisnet and joined networks
related to Virtual School concepts from all over Europe such as Digischool,
European Network for Innovative Schools (ENIS), Compact and UNESCO
ASPnet" in an awe-inspiring and interactive conference on education.
VISIE is initiated and organised by e-linQ a young project organisation
that focuses on implementation of ICT in education and internationalisation.
The general purpose of the conference will be to explore the different
aspects of the concept of a virtual School as a hands-on example of
the e-Learning environment for the future.
getCITED
is a free, online, member-controlled academic database, directory
and discussion forum. Its contents are entered and edited by members
of the academic community. By putting its content in the hands of
its members, getCITED makes it possible to enter in and search for
publications of all types. This means that, in addition to the books
and articles accessible with other databases, book chapters, conference
papers, working papers, reports, papers in conference proceedings,
and other such research outlets can all be entered and then searched
for within getCITED. In addition, getCITED makes it possible to link
publications with all the publications in their bibliographies, thereby
making possible a wide variety of publication and citation reports.
European
Schoolnet is a unique international partnership of 23 European
Ministries of Education developing learning for schools, teachers
and pupils across Europe. It provides insight into the use of ICT
(information and communications technology) in Europe for policy-makers
and education professionals. This goal is achieved through communication
and information exchange at all levels of school education using innovative
technologies, and by acting as a gateway to national and regional
school networks.
History
Parliamentary
Reform:
A comprehensive encyclopedia on the struggle
for the vote in Britain. Each
entry contains a narrative, illustrations and primary sources. So
far there are sections on: Parliament in the 18th Century (6), Moderate
Reformers: 1700-1820 (18), Radical Reformers: 1750-1820 (8), The Scottish
Martyrs (6), Revolutionaries: 1700-1820 (8), Early Reform Groups (8),
Parliamentary Reform: Artists and Writers (12), Newspapers & Parliamentary
Reform (14), Parliamentary Reform: The Monarchy (4), Important Events:
1800-1820 (10), 1832 Reform Act (18), Politicians and Reform: 1832-1890
(18), Chartist Biographies (30), Chartist Tactics (10) and Parliamentary
Reform Acts (8).
Encyclopedia
Titanica: This website is a unique resource for anyone interested
in the Titanic. Over 2,100 individual passenger and crew biographies,
regularly updated passenger and crew listings, exclusive research
articles and ongoing discussions about the Titanic.
School
History Revision: A new section of Andrew Field's excellent School
History website is designed to help pupils revise for their history
exams. The website covers four topics in detail (World War I, USA
1929-41, Superpower Relations and Impact of war 1900-50) together
with useful links for other areas. The revision section includes innovative
new revision diagrams where pupils can revise and recap essential
information. A blank diagram is shown on screen - pupils can type
in their own notes and print out the results. Extensive help is automatically
available to complete the diagrams. Pupils can either use this as
a recap and revision aid or to learn additional information.
English
Experience
of War: An anthology of over 100 extracts, both prose and poetry,
dealing with war - with particular reference to the First World War.
Maintained by Steve Brown, the website includes work by Rupert Brooke,
Julian Grenfell, John McCrae, Isaac Rosenberg, W. B. Yeats, Siegfried
Sassoon, Wilfred Owen, Edmund Blunden, Edward Thomas, Charles Hamilton
Sorley, Robert Graves, Rudyard Kipling, Ivor Gurney and Carl Sandburg.
Glossary
of Technical Theatre Terms: This website produced by Theatre Crafts
includes a list of over 1250 definitions. The material is listed under
Lighting, Sound, Stage Management, Costume, Stage Design, Rigging,
Theatre Building, Directing, Theatre Jobs, Administration and Forms
of Theatre. A useful website for any teacher or student who wants
to develop detailed knowledge of theatre terms.
Maths
EasyMaths: Produced by Echelon
Systems, this website provides free Maths Tutorials. The notes can
be used as a gentle introduction to topics the student is not familiar
with, or as mathematics revision notes. Students can try out some
real exam-style questions, then look at the model answers to see how
they did. The practice maths problems include tips on solving them.
To help students relax when revision gets too much the website also
features a collection of magic, jokes, games and puzzles.
GCSE Maths Revision Website:
A site providing comprehensive and concise revision notes for students
studying mathematics at GCSE level, particularly aimed at higher tier
candidates. The site includes all areas of the GCSE Mathematics course
and the site is easy to read and navigate and contains no advertisements.
Included in the site is a section on number, which contains topics
such as fractions, percentages, ratios and proportion. The algebra
section deals with ways of manipulating algebraic expressions and
solving equations using a variety of different techniques. There is
also a section on shape and space, which details the circle theorems
and theorems relating various angles. Areas and volumes are also addressed,
along with details of how shapes can be transformed. There is a small
section on graphs, which explains how to draw and analyse graphs of
various functions along with travel graphs. The statistics section
includes all of the relevant topics, such as probability, histograms
and standard deviation. Finally, there is a section on trigonometry
which explains all you need to know about sine, cosine and tangent,
along with Pythagoras's famous law for right-handed triangles. The
site also includes practise questions, with answers, along with some
advice for those doing GCSE coursework.
Design
& Technology
Bad
Designs: A scrapbook of illustrated examples by Michael J. Darnell
of things that are hard to use because they are badly designed. Objects
are listed under the following categories: Things that don't work
the way you expect. Things that are hard to see. Things that don't
work well together. Things that get in your way. Things that are hard
to handle. Things that are hard to remember. Things that don't fit
you. Things with ergonomic designs. There are also sections on Signs,
Names and Labels, Displays and Controls.
Philippe
Starck is on of the best-known contemporary designers in the world.
He has not only received public acclaim for his amazing building interior
designs but has also proved to be an accomplished architect and product
designer. This website produced by Andrew Davis allows you to examine
the variety of projects that Starck has been involved in from the
mid sixties to 1991.
Science
A
Critical Decision: This educational organization provides research
and thought-provoking insight on the relationship of science within
society and its effects upon the environment and biodiversity (our
life-support system). The organization also provides a nature gallery
(with many stunning photographs) for visitors to enjoy. Bill Gladish,
the man behind this website, writes, "As a concerned citizen
(with a background as a military officer), I'm hopeful that you will
find the information useful in your personal and professional life.
If these issues are not addressed soon, all of us will suffer greatly
(especially young citizens)."
Science
Year: Science Year is a 12 month packed calendar of events, projects
& resources designed to stimulate the imagination about science
& technology. It’s for everyone, but it’s focused particularly
on people between the ages of 10 and 19 and the adults around them
- especially their teachers. Science Year is not about test-tubes,
voltmeters and bunsen burners though. It’s about raising awareness
of the wide and wonderful world of subjects and careers that are underpinned
by science and technology. Working
with other science-related organisations, projects and teaching resources
have been developed to promote and enhance science, technology and
engineering during Science Year.
Search
Engines
BBCi
Web Search: The BBC has launched its own online search engine.
The new service allows users to search the entire web from within
the confines of the BBC website. The search-engine, developed in-house
by the BBC in conjunction with Google, is designed to be particularly
useful for those new to the web. Ashley Highfield, the director of
BBC New Media argues that "the BBC, with its 80 years of know-how
and editorial expertise, is ideally placed to provide a UK-focused
search engine that will not be tainted by paid-for results."
Google
Answers: Everybody has questions. In most cases, Google search
is an incredibly fast way to answer them. But some questions are trickier
or more time-consuming than others. To help users over those hurdles,
Google has launched Google Answers, a service powered by human researchers
with search expertise. When you post a question, you say what you're
willing to pay and how quickly you need a reply. To spread the benefit
around, your answer is posted to the Google Answers site. Google Answers
boasts a research team with expertise in areas from biochemical engineering
to public policy.
Book
Section
1000
Really Useful Websites: For beginners the internet can be totally
frustrating. There's just too much out there to confuse you and rob
you of a useful experience. With this book, you can make sure that
doesn't happen. Kevin O'Driscoll continues to research new sites to
make this collection ever more useful. These are then published on
the Foulsham website before being added to the next edition of the
book.
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.
