Education
on the Internet
Number
56: 5th February, 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 32,256
subscribers to the newsletter.
All
reviews are added to our web
directory. There are sections on Internet
Services,
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
Socrates
is an EU education programme. It aims to raise standards and achievement
in all levels of education by encouraging and supporting European
co-operation on a range of projects, initiatives and professional
development opportunities. Socrates is administered on behalf of the
UK education departments by a network of organisations which together
form the National Agency for the programme. The UK National Agency
provides information, support and advice for the UK education field,
and consists of the following bodies: The British Council, the National
Foundation for Educational Research and the UK Socrates-Erasmus Council.
Pari
Center: The Pari Center for New Learning is located in the medieval
hilltop village of Pari, south of Siena in Italy. The Center was created
by F. David Peat and Maureen Doolan and is concerned with community,
art, science and the sacred. It runs international conferences and
courses and has an active program of short and long term visitors.
The Center has a library and is creating a small museum. The website,
which is updated on a very regular basis, posts reports on its conferences,
courses and other events; its library contains papers on science,
culture, economics, ethics, science and religion, creativity and education.
Thanks to a grant from the Metanexus Foundation the Center is also
engaged in dialogues between science and religion. Its research projects
include corporate ethics and a consideration of new economic models.
GCSE
& ICT: Peter Whittaker has been the headteacher of Hall Green,
a comprehensive in Birmingham, for 13 years. During this period the
proportion of pupils passing five or more GCSEs at grades A to C has
risen from 17 per cent to 71 per cent. Whittaker believes much of
this improvement is due to the school's use of computers.
Chalkface
Project: Recent studies show that mixing e-learning with traditional
classroom learning can lead to significantly improved results. The
Chalkface Project is so confident of its new web-based course covering
the complete GCSE Double Award in Applied Business that it is offering
to refund the cost of the course for every student who does not achieve
a Grade C or above at the first attempt, under any examination board.
The course is eligible for e-learning credits and is free to preview
on the Chalkface website.
History
Welsh
History: NGfL Cymru provides both online teaching and learning
materials and a network of links to selected websites which offer
high quality content and information relevant to teacher and student
needs. The section on Welsh History includes lessons on Tudor Wales,
Civil War in Wales, Chartism in Wales, The Rebecca Riots and Working
Children in the 19th Century.
Vietnam
War Interactive Portfolio: This website contains over 80 photographs
taken in Vietnam between 1969 and 1970, while E. Kenneth Hoffman was
stationed there as a military photographer. Categories include Children,
Montagnard Tribesmen, Military, Vietnamese people, Protest & et
cetera, and Shrines. Using HyperNews software, visitors have the opportunity
to contribute their own comments about the images or the war. Or,
they can react to the comments left by others. Over 5000 comments
have been recorded since the site was created in April of 1996.
Nordic
Underwater Archaeology: If you like history and scuba diving,
this topic may be something for you. The Baltic Sea, in Northern Europe,
is a cold brackish sea where wood is preserved for centuries. Many
sunken ships still wait to be discovered, there and worldwide. This
website aims to be a reference and contact list for anybody involved
in underwater archaeology, particularly in Northern Europe, and to
inform about our maritime heritage, and how to take care of it. Resources
available here include hundreds or articles, as well as a glossary;
pointers to archives, literature, journals, and conferences; information
on search and investigative tools and techniques; and information
on current projects.
English
Wikipedia
Encyclopedia: Wikipedia is an international, open content, collaboratively
developed encyclopedia. The project started in January 2001 and currently
covers a vast spectrum of subjects and has over 100,000 articles in
English as well as about 37,000 articles in other languages. The Literature
Encyclopedia includes sections on Genres, Literary Techniques, Literary
Figures, Literary Themes and literature by country or language.
John
Keats: A comprehensive study of the life and works of John Keats.
The website includes a biography, a chronology of his life and work,
in-depth studies (Byron on Keats, Shelley on Keats, Fanny Brawne,
Keats and Rome), selections from his letters, contemporary descriptions,
latest news on John Keats (new biographies etc.), critical opinions,
images, bibliography and links.
Geography
Reclaiming
the Everglades includes a rich diversity of unique or rare materials:
personal correspondence, essays, typescripts, reports and memos; photographs,
maps and postcards; and publications from individuals and the government.
Major topics and issues illustrated include the establishment of the
Everglades National Park; the growth of the modern conservation movement
and its institutions, including the National Audubon Society; the
evolving role of women on the political stage; the treatment of Native
Americans; rights of individual citizens or private corporations vs.
the public interest; and accountability of government as trustees
of public resources, whether for the purposes of development, reclamation,
or environmental protection. The materials in this online compilation
are drawn from sixteen physical collections housed in the archives
and special collections of the University of Miami, Florida International
University and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.
Geography
Pages: A large site featuring Geography resources, images and
classified weblinks for Key Stage 3, GCSE and 'A' level, plus some
Primary and SEN materials. Contains the details of a research project
carried out on the use of the Internet by Geography teachers. Updated
weekly, and produced by a teacher from Norfolk, UK. Recently, for
example, had a section on the East Coast Floods of 1953. Also has
a Panic button for his students to press if they get stuck on their
work!
Art
Painting
the Weather: This online exhibition draws together the most striking
weather-inspired works housed in collections around the UK. The website
features 100 paintings by 80 artists including Monet, Dürer,
Degas, Renoir, Reynolds and Van Gogh. There are special in-depth commentaries
on 15 key works and routes into the show by theme, artist and where
you live. You can examine the paintings in detail with a high quality
zoom and send e-cards. Visitors
can also listen to an audio tour conducted by Neil MacGregor, Director
of the British Museum.
Salvador
Dalí Museum: This museum is the permanent home of the world's
most comprehensive collection of the renowned Salvador Dali's work.
Compiled by the A. Reynolds Morse and Eleanor Morse over a 45-year
period, it is celebrated for its 95 oil paintings, and features excellent
examples from Dalí's four major periods - Early (1917-1927),
Transitional (1928), Surreal (1929-1939), and Classic (1940-1970s).
With oils spanning from 1917 through 1970, the collection provides
an excellent overview of Dalí's major themes and symbols. Characterized
by its diversity, it includes the Impressionist and Cubist styles
of his early period, abstract work from his transition to Surrealism,
the famous surrealist canvases for which he is best known, and examples
of his preoccupation with religion and science during his classic
period. In addition to the 95 oil paintings, the collection includes
over 100 watercolors and drawings, 1,300 graphics, photographs, sculptures
and objects d'art, and an extensive archival library.
Politics
UN
Security Council: In the second-half of the nineteenth century
liberals in Britain were united in believing that you could not have
a true democratic system unless elections were by secret ballot. It
was argued that if employers and landlords knew how people voted they
could punish them if they did not support their preferred candidates.
Or more importantly, those in power could pay their workers and tenants
to vote for their candidates. This problem was solved in 1872 when
William Gladstone's government brought in the Ballot Act which guaranteed
a secret system of voting. Today
liberals appear to be united in arguing that a military invasion of
Iraq should only take place if it has the support of the UN security
council. This article in the Guardian newspaper explains how the vote
of the security council will be no more democratic or less corrupt
than elections held in Britain in the early part of the nineteenth
century.
Pioneers
of European Unity: It has been argued that the inevitable war
against Iraq will not only be about oil but America's increasing influence
over a Europe which has become a dangerous rival in political and
economic matters. In this interpretation of recent events, a divided
Europe is just as important as the control of Iraq's oil supplies.
This website looks at those political figures who genuinely believed
that the best way of maintaining world peace was by creating a united
Europe.
Active
Citizenship: To mark the introduction of Citizenship in the National
Curriculum, the DfES in association with Barclays is running a competition
to celebrate 'Active Citizenship'. Are your students involved in the
life of your school, neighbourhood or local community? Tell the DfES
about it and your school could win prizes to enhance your understanding
of active participation. The first prize is a trip to Brussels, the
historic city that is home to the European Parliament. The prize winner
can take three friends and/or relatives.
Switzerland
and the EU: As part of the Spring Europe project Roger Scupham
has created an Internet discussion forum on the relationship between
Switzerland and the EU. Scupham raises several questions including:
How would membership affect the cherished Swiss principle of neutrality?
How would the economy, culture and global position of Switzerland
change if Switzerland were 'in Europe'? It was only a year ago that
Switzerland finally voted to join the United Nations, but are they
ready for the next step?
Internet
Services
POP
Peeper is a free utility that runs in your Windows task bar and
alerts you when you have new email on any of your POP3, Hotmail, MSN
or Yahoo accounts. You can also use POP Peeper to read and delete
your email. POP Peeper supports HTML email, so you can see your email
the same way as you would in your email client.
Web
Ferret: The latest
version of this popular software is designed to assist users in finding
the information they need by utilizing several search engines. Helpful
features include the ability to query a number of different search
engines, along with the ability to validate selected results, save
search histories, and filter out pornography and inappropriate language.
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