Education
on the Internet
Number
51: 1st January, 2003
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 30,665
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
spartacus@pavilion.co.uk
News
and Articles
Internet
Worldwide: The number of Internet users worldwide is expected
to reach 655 million by the end of 2002, according to the United Nations.
A new report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
(UNCTAD) indicates that developing countries accounted for almost
one third of new Internet users in 2001. UNCTAD reports that the number
of Internet users in 2001 rose 44 percent in Asia, 43 percent in Africa,
33 percent in Latin America, 33 percent in Europe and just 10 percent
in North America.
Klez.E
is the most common worldwide spreading worm. W32.Klez.H@mm often uses
a technique known as "spoofing." When it performs its email
routine. It can use a randomly chosen address that it finds on an
infected computer as the "From:" address, numerous cases
have been reported in which users of uninfected computers received
complaints that they sent an infected message to someone else. For
example, Linda Anderson is using a computer that is infected with
W32.Klez.H@mm. Linda is not using a antivirus program or does not
have current virus definitions. When W32.Klez.H@mm performs its emailing
routine, it finds the email address of Harold Logan. It inserts Harold's
email address into the "From:" portion of an infected message
that it then sends to Janet Bishop. Janet then contacts Harold and
complains that he sent her an infected message, but when Harold scans
his computer he does not find anything - as would be expected - because
his computer is not infected.
Online
Content: The majority of Internet users are prepared to pay for
online content according to a new survey from Burke's Peerage &
Gentry, the genealogical publisher. The survey also reveals that the
majority of subscribers and visitors to the site are middle and later
aged individuals, in senior management positions or retired and have
a higher than average income. 51% of site visitors completing the
Burke's Peerage & Gentry first user survey said they were prepared
to pay to access online content. 85% of current subscribers went on
to say they will renew their subscription at the end of their current
access period.
Internet
Services
Schoolzmail
is Internet based, all you need to use it is Internet access and a
browser (explorer or Netscape), no need for hardware or software updates.
It is multilingual, allowing partnerships with other schools worldwide
and giving eligibility for Comenius funding. The school has complete
control over the level of monitoring & filtering for all students
& within all areas. These can be changed as required during the
year. The account price includes full e-community building tools such
as chat, discussion and file sharing across the school, and even with
other schools where required. Again the school itself decides whether
these are set up and how to monitor them.
IncrediMail:
Have you ever found that the common task of sending and receiving
emails is dull, redundant and tedious? Ever wanted to send emails
that look livelier than standard emails? Would you like to add some
thrill and experience to your email, a message that goes beyond text?
IncrediMail will easily give you all that and much more and it's free
and can be downloaded from its website.
InternetSeer
is the largest free website monitoring company in the world. It currently
provides free website monitoring to over 1 million users worldwide.
As part of your free web site monitoring service, webmasters receive
immediate notifications when InternetSeer encounters problems accessing
your website. It also provides weekly performance reports.
Website
Directories
The
Internet Public Library (IPL): One of the most popular library
sites on the Internet. IPL visitors can read online books, magazines,
or newspapers; browse links to carefully selected websites for children
and teens; and receive personalized assistance from an award-winning
team of volunteer librarians. The website is operated by the School
of Information at the University of Michigan.
WelshQuest:
This search engine helps you find documents on this website and related
sites (BritQuest, ScottishQuest, IrishQuest). You tell the search
service what you're looking for by typing in keywords, phrases, or
questions in the search box. The search service responds by giving
you a list of all the webpages in our index relating to those topics.
The most relevant content will appear at the top of your results.
Schoolzone
School Search: Schoolzone claims that this is the UK's only complete
listing of schools, colleges and LEAs (these organisations can amend
or add to their details using a PIN). The Schoolzone website also
has a collection of 40,000 educational websites, all hand picked for
suitability and reviewed and categorised by UK teachers.
History
Gerrard
Winstanley: In January, 1649, Gerrard
Winstanley published
the The New Law of Righteousness. In the pamphlet he wrote: "In
the beginning of time God made the earth. Not one word was spoken
at the beginning that one branch of mankind should rule over another,
but selfish imaginations did set up one man to teach and rule over
another." Two months later Winstanley
and about thirty followers took over some common land on St George's
Hill in Surrey. Digger groups also took over land in Kent (Cox Hill),
Surrey (Cobham), Buckinghamshire (Iver) and Northamptonshire (Wellingborough).
Local landowners were very disturbed by these developments. Instructions
were given for the Diggers to be beaten up and for their houses, crops
and tools to be destroyed. These tactics were successful and within
a year all the Digger communities in England had been wiped out. This
website provides a good overview of the political and religious ideas
of Gerrard Winstanley.
CHCC
Project: Funded by the Joint Information Systems Committee, a
team of UK academics is developing the collection of Historical and
Contemporary Census data and related Materials (CHCC) into a major
learning and teaching resource. The project team is working to increase
the use of census datasets in learning and teaching by improving accessibility
to the primary data resources which are also being enhanced through
adding and linking other information. The team is developing resource
discovery tools via a Census portal which will provide access to an
integrated set of learning and teaching materials for teachers and
students (including tutorials, exercises and exemplar-based studies)
relating to a number of subject disciplines.
Accessing
Scotland's Past: The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical
Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) is currently running a project entitled
'Accessing Scotland's Past'. The project is a one year pilot project,
funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, exploring online access to archaeological
sites and historic buildings in two pilot areas of Scotland. RCAHMS
records and interprets the rich variety of sites and monuments and
buildings which together make up Scotland's built heritage. At the
heart of the NMRS lies the Architecture and Archaeology Collections.
These encompass a rich variety of material, including photographs,
aerial photographs, books and periodicals, site reports and archives,
maps, architectural drawings and models.
English
Literature
Fiction
Junkie is devoted to the art of skimming. Here you'll find a diverse
range of recently published books - or to be more precise, the first
couple of chapters. Although many online booksellers offer the chance
to read excerpts from books, only Fiction Junkie brings them together
under one electronic roof.
Fetch
Book Info: This website provides is a quick way to compare prices
of new and used books. Whether it's used college books, used textbooks,
new fiction books or new poetry books, it will find the book stores
providing the lowest available prices. Just enter the name of the
book you are looking for, and we will find book reviews, alternative
books and the store providing the best price after comparing dozens
of book stores.
Politics
History
of Liberty: Throughout history, liberty has inspired acts of great
courage. Samuel Adams risked his life to promote the cause of the
American Revolution, while Charles James Fox courageously defended
American Independence in the British Parliament. Lafayette led soldiers
into battle, endured brutal prisons and faced the most powerful rulers
in Europe. Daniel O'Connell championed the cause of Irish liberty
for four tumultuous decades. The astonishing Swede Raoul Wallenberg
saved almost 100,000 Jews from Nazi death camps. Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. defied death threats as he campaigned against segregationist
laws, renewing the "higher law" doctrine that laws just
be judged by moral standards. This excellent website, created by Jim
Powell, hopes to enrich the visitor's understanding of ideas, personalities
and events in the history of liberty.
CND:
A British nuclear-powered Trident submarine is out on patrol ready,
24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to fire sixteen nuclear-armed missiles.
Each submarine carries 48 independently-targeted nuclear warheads.
Each warhead has seven times the explosive power of the first atomic
bomb. The atomic bomb that was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima,
killing 140,000 civilians. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
campaigns non-violently to rid the world of nuclear weapons and other
weapons of mass destruction and has a large collection of factsheets
on its website that can be used in the classroom.
Advertising
History
Book Store: As
the Official Online Store of A&E, The History Channel and Biography,
we've always got something going on! Whether we are releasing new
videos or DVDs, or offering great sales and specials, subscribing
to our newsletter is the best way to make sure you are in the know.
WH
Smith: Books, music, DVDs, videos, games, adventures, stationary,
magazines from WH Smith. Other parts of its website includes an Education
Zone.
Available
from Amazon Books (order below)
