Education on the Internet
Number 31: 14th August 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 25,962 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
Adventure Learning Foundation: This comprehensive site takes students and teachers, as virtual participants, on real and virtual expeditions around the world. Through a collection of original pictures and journal excerpts, visitors can follow in the footsteps of travelers exploring the natural environment, culture, and peoples of different continents. Past expeditions include Alaska and Yukon, Baja California, American Southwest, Southern Africa, Mexico and Peru. Each expedition is accompanied by a mixture of information, links, and classroom activities.
Certificate in eLearning: A new programme of study leading to the Certificate in eLearning, Teaching and Training is now available at the University of Greenwich. The four courses that make up the Certificate are resource-based and represent a range of approaches to eLearning that model current best practice. The programme is delivered online using a range of tools, learning, teaching and assessment methods. Participants work as individuals, in small and larger groups undertaking research, portfolio production, reflective and analytical writing, and evaluative and collaborative tasks. The programme will be relevant to any teacher or trainer, irrespective of geographical location, who has an interest in or requires an understanding of the theory and practice involved in the design and delivery of eLearning.EdResearch Online: EdResearch is a freely searchable web database. It includes 11,000 records from the Australian Education Index, covering all educational sectors. 8500 of the documents are available on the web for free with the remainder available for a copyright fee.
History
Victoria Woodhull: In 1872 was nominated as the presidential candidate of the Equal Rights Party. Although laws prohibited women from voting, there was nothing stopping women from running for office. During the campaign Woodhull called for the "reform of political and social abuses; the emancipation of labor, and the enfranchisement of women". Woodhull also argued in favour of improved civil rights and the abolition of capital punishment. The supporters of President Ulysses Grant decided to attack Victoria Woodhull's character and she was accused of having affairs with married men. It was also alleged that Victoria's previous husband was an alcoholic and her her sister, Utica Claflin, took drugs. Woodhull became convinced that Henry Ward Beecher was behind these stories and decided to fight back. She now published a story that Beecher was having an affair with a married woman. Woodhull was arrested and charged under the Comstock Act for sending obscene literature through the mail and was in prison on election day. Over the next seven months Woodhull was arrested eight times and had to endure several trials for obscenity and libel. She was eventually acquitted of all charges but the legal bills forced her into bankruptcy. This website provides an account of Victoria Woodhull's life and extracts from her speeches and articles.
Curse of Tut: Fact or Myth: This website was created by the students at the John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, New York and a group of students in Brazil. The website enables students to learn about the fascinating life of King Tut. Students can learn the facts behind the myth and decide for themselves about the truth of the curse. They can also decode the hieroglyphs to write their names. USA Brazil SchoolLink, which fostered this project, taps the multicultural capacities of the web. Teachers will enjoy the spatial reasoning required to solve the Lock Key puzzle.
Spanish Civil War Directory: A collection of websites on the Spanish Civil War sorted by language (Spanish, English, Italian, French, Portuguese, Catalan and Galician) and by subject (General Websites, International Dimension of the War, International Brigades, Anarchism, Local History, Military Aspects, Women’s History, Posters and Photographs and a particular selection of “essential” websites. The front page and the “essential” websites page are in English and Spanish, the rest only in Spanish.
English
Language Laboratory: This website uses Merlin, an animated interactive Microsoft Agent Character, to provide a basic overview of the eight parts of speech of English grammar. To access the site, the user must have Version 4.0 or better of Internet Explorer with Microsoft Agent installed, plus the Microsoft agent named Merlin, freely available from Microsoft Corporation from their website.
Roald Dahl: An educational website dedicated to the work of Roald Dahl. It includes biography of Dahl, timelines, pictures, articles, games, polls, downloads, greeting cards, auctions and contests. In the Classroom area there are resources under the headings Student Help and Teacher Ideas.
Modern Languages
Español con Carlitos: A website where you can learn Spanish for free. Carlitos is your guide through the Spanish language and culture. You find interactive exercises and telecollaborative activities in Spanish. Three times a year you can participate in an event: build your website to a certain theme and win a prize! The site also offers grammar support (Ayuda grammatical, access from the Sitemap) and guidelines (Objetivos) with detailed information to each of the activities.
Art
Red, Yellow, Blue: The latest resource created by award-winning AccessArt that enables young children to explore colour and colour mixing. The resource was created by Paula Briggs and Sheila Ceccarelli from AccessArt (both of whom are graduates of the Royal College of Art Sculpture School), and based upon practical teaching which took place at Greenhedges School in Cambridgeshire. Red, Yellow, Blue is designed to be used by children, even those with a limited experience of IT. Text is limited - the resource is navigated by colour, sound and object based animations. Each child can create his or her learning pathway - there is no right or wrong route. Just as importantly, there is no end; the journey is cyclical and children can spend as long as they like with the resource. The interactive animated resource is also accompanied by a text-based printout which introduces teachers and parents to some practical methods of exploring colour in the home/school or community.
Letters of Vincent van Gogh: Archive of the complete letters of Vincent van Gogh. Most of the letters are from Vincent, some are to him, or among other people. Search by word, or browse by topics such as alcohol, appearance, attitude, food, health, phobia and state of mind. The website is currently expanding the number of annotated subjects.
Book Section
Voyages of Delusion: The Enlightenment years of the eighteenth century represented a determined attempt to dispel myth, superstition and ignorance - yet they also witnessed increasingly irrational efforts to find a navigable passage through the icy seas of the Arctic from Hudson Bay to the wealth of the Pacific Ocean. Based on extensive research, Voyages of Delusion explores the adventures and mishaps of the successive voyages, the role of the Hudson Bay Company whose monopoly gave it control over trading opportunities in the far north, and the increasing interest of national governments in the possibility of a navigable passage. (Glyn Williams, HarperCollins)
