Education on the Internet
Number 29: 10th July 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 25,160 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
Virtual School Library: This website reflects the fact that information is becoming digital and this implies changes in the way we access resources, communicate, handle meta-data, exchange, share and present information. In The Virtual School Library you can explore the possibilities of being providers of information instead of consumers, and the user shall be able to communicate, publish and distribute as easily as they can search and retrieve. The website claims it will help students to become more and more responsible for their own learning and the teacher progressively will become more of a mentor and guide.
Tooter4kids: This website is for primary school teachers who would like to use the Internet for lots of information. This site was produced and maintained by Mrs. Susan Stein. You can use the Teacher Resource Page for 100's of links to poetry, language, science, social studies, writing, etc. Themes On Line offers many themes that you could use in the classroom. It is unique because it offers graphics, introductions, vocabulary explanations, poetry, quizzes, and word searches. Writing4Kids is a page where kids can submit their writing and have it published online for all to see. The kids also have a Kids Literacy Page, Homework Helpers, Kids Friendly LInks, and Favorite Links, along with Math, and Language links that are a safe surf. Teachers can also enjoy the use of the Back to School Page and Enjoying Literacy.
ENIS is the European Network of Innovative Schools. For every Ministry of Education that takes part in the ENIS organisation, there is an ENIS Co-ordinator, who is responsible for the national network of innovative schools. This person lays out the agreed European criteria and procedures in his/her own Ministry, and identifies how they can be integrated into national policy. The best way to identify schools on a national level is determined by the Ministry, which certifies ENIS schools to be integrated into the European Network.
History
Virtual Museum: Using original documents, images, and film from the Public Record Office's 1000 year old collection, the 'Virtual Museum' provides a showcase for some of the treasures at the PRO. Visitors can explore everything from Famous Names to Crime & Punishment, and from War & Defence to Kings & Queens. They can find out surprising facts about famous people - including William Shakespeare, Robin Hood and Sir Elton John - as well as the extraordinary feats of ordinary people. Explore each century of the last millennium in the 'Millennium Galleries' and find out more about
the most famous documents at the PRO in the 'Icons' galleries.
Southampton's Archaeology Collections are now available online. The Archaeology Object Database is designed to increase access to the city's Designated archaeology collections and provides a virtual tour of the city's archaeology collection, which spans prehistoric Roman, Saxon and Medieval periods. The database is the result of three years extensive work documenting the collection. It is funded by the Resource/DCMS Designation Challenge Fund.
English
Teachit: The new version of this popular website continues to offer everything you like about Teachit: the 2000+ pages of English, Drama and Media teaching resources, the online lessons, monthly newsletter and web links. Accessing all of this free content is now easier because Teachit have changed the underlying site structure and added a keyword, text and author search function. Teachit also has a new subscription service, TeachitPLUS, which offers adaptable versions of top Teachit resources for under 40p per week.
Word Detective: This is the online version of the Word Detective, a newspaper column that answers questions about words and language. The Word Detective is written by Evan Morris and appears in newspapers in the U.S., Mexico and Japan. The Word Detective receives hundreds of questions every week, and Morris does not promise to answer every question he receives. If the question is answered, it will appear first in The Word Detective newspaper column and then be posted on this web page. You can also buy a hardback collection of The Word Detective columns from the site.
Business Studies
Biz/ed Newsletter: This is a unique feature of Biz/Ed in that it incorporates a current news item and develops this into a theoretical analysis. The piece draws on the glossary, diagram bank and chronology sections to allow students to download a range of materials relevant to the topic being discussed. In the periods immediately before public examinations two editions are published weekly and concentrate on the major topics included in the AS and A2 papers of both Business Studies and Economics.
Entrepreneur: This online version of the Entrepreneur magazine provides a wealth of information on starting, growing and managing a small business. The material is organized under the following headings: Starting Out, Homebased Business, Franchise Zone, Technology, Tools & Services, How-Tos, e-Business, Sales & Marketing, Money & Finance, Opportunities and Management. There is also an Ask the Experts section.
Modern Languages
Canal Rêve offers free on-line activities for learners of French. The website is designed as a TV programme in which you will find three different levels: (1) Interactive broadcasts such as music, cooking, weather forecasts, games etc, using multimedia and offering help when needed. They can be used either by isolated learners or by school groups. (2) Quarterly competitions, inviting participants to produce html documents in French on given subjects. Winners receive prizes (provided by a French publisher Didier). Every item of work is published on the Canal Rêve website. (3) A production department built up from pedagogical materials specifically intended to help learners and teachers working with Canal Rêve.
Multimedia Physik: A portal to school physics, mathematics, astronomy and science for teachers and students studying in German. Produced by Peter Krahmer at the University of Wuerzburg, the website had many links to English written pages.
Science
Polar Bears: Have you ever wondered how climate change is effecting polar bears? The WWF is funding research at the Norwegian Polar Institute to find out how species dependent on sea ice habitats are impacted by climate change. By tracking the movements of polar bears, we can learn more about how they use their habitat. Two bears, Gro and Louise, are tagged with radio collars, which beam their positions via a satellite to this website. By visiting the WWF's Polar Bear Tracker, students can follow the movements of the polar bears and find out how pollution, overhunting and the melting of arctic sea ice is effecting them.
Echo: This impressive website catalogues, annotates and reviews sites on the history of science and technology. The material is organized under the following headings: Earth Sciences, Physical Sciences, Life Sciences, Behavioral Sciences, Aviation & Space Exploration, Engineering, Computers, Consumer Technology, Industrial Technology and Military Technology.
Physical Education
Physical Education in Ireland: The site contains information which is of use to Physical Education professionals in Ireland specifically, but is also useful as a reference to Physical Education professionals from other countries. It's focus is the four new syllabi that are presently in the process of development in Ireland - the Junior Cycle syllabus, Senior Cycle syllabus, Leaving Certificate Applied syllabus and the Leaving Certificate syllabus. The latter is the one which is the focus of most attention/debate in Ireland at the moment as it represents the first time that Physical Education as a subject becomes a part of the formal certification process at Leaving Certificate level, the equivalent of A-levels in the UK. In addition there are some sample teaching materials available to help people get a flavour of the new syllabi and the site also contains information on the revised Physical Education curriculum for Primary schools (pupils aged 5-12 years) in addition to a links section where other sites that may be of interest to Physical Educators are reviewed.
Book Section
Computer Active Web Guide: The best website guide available and it only costs £4.99. Sections include Arts & Literature, Food & Drink, Music, TV & Radio, News, Reference, History, Finance, Cars & Bikes, Computers, Travel, Science & Nature, Kids, Education, Health & Fitness, Leisure & Hobbies, Home & Garden, Sport and Portals. There is also a CD that contains all the website reviews and directory listings. In addition, all of the URLs on the CD form clickable hyperlinks.
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.
