Education
on the Internet
Number
96: 12th November, 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 40,410
subscribers to the newsletter.
All
reviews are added to our web
directory. There are sections on Internet
Services,
Online
Seminars,
Primary
Education,
English,
Mathematics, Science,
Modern Languages, History,
Geography, Design
& Technology, Business
Studies, Special
Needs,
Media Studies, ICT,
Sociology, Music,
Politics, Economics,
Photography,
Art & Design, Theatre
Studies, Physical Education and
Religious Studies.
John Simkin
spartacus@pavilion.co.uk
Online
Seminars
Assessment
in History: Drawing a number of interesting discussion threads
already undertaken on the school history forum, and the author's belief
in the wisdom of the Manx soothsayer who once told him "you can't
make a pig any fatter by weighing it every day", this seminar
seeks to open a debate on the role of assessment in the school history
classroom and outlines some aspects of what the author regards as
sound practice with examples from his own practice being cited. Issues
for debate and discussion include, how best to use the National Curriculum
attainment target for history, how to communicate the attainment target
to students, when to assess and in what context. There is also scope
for the debate to widen to how we use ICT for testing and assessment.
If you have views on this subject, register
with the History Forum and join the debate.
News
and Articles
ESD:
Education for sustainable development (ESD) is an approach to the
whole curriculum and management of a school, not a new subject. It
has its roots in environmental education and development education.
As a result, many of the building blocks of education for sustainable
development are already present in every school. This website has
been designed to help teachers, curriculum coordinators, school managers
and governors to develop approaches to education for sustainable development.
National
Curriculum Online: This site links every National Curriculum programme
of study requirement to resources on the Curriculum Online (English,
Mathematics, Science, Design and Technology, ICT, History, Geography,
Modern Foreign Languages, Art and Design, Music, PE, Citizenship,
Religious Education and PSHE) This site also has information about
the National Curriculum from the teacher handbooks and guidance and
ideas on teaching.
Groupware
Tool for Schools: European Schoolnet has just released a new groupware
tool for schools, which has been specially customised for children
and teenagers. It was produced as part of the Zap portal for children
and teenagers, which is launched by the European Collaborative Learning
Environment (EUNCLE) research project. EUNCLE is a project supported
by the European Commission's Safer Internet Action Plan.
History
Donner
Party: In
the years between 1840 and 1848 an estimated 2,735 people migrated
overland from Missouri to California. With good weather the 2,000
mile journey would take about five months. It has been estimated that
in 1846 around 250 wagons and 1,500 people assembled at Independence,
Missouri.
This was also the year of
the Donner Party, the worst disaster in wagon train history, when
forty-two emigrants and two Indian guides died on the journey. This
website uses the letters, diaries and memoirs of the people who took
part in this journey to tell this dramatic story of heroism, murder
and cannibalism.
Chartist
Ancestors: Millions
of people signed the three great Chartist petitions of 1839 to 1848.
Thousands were active in those years in the campaign to win the vote,
secret ballots, and other democratic rights that we now take for granted.
Chartist Ancestors is a resource for family historians and others
with an interest in the Chartist movement of the 19th century. It
lists the names of those involved in Chartist organisations, and those
arrested and charged for their activities. Where names are provided,
the site also seeks to place the events in context.
Maths
Maths
Zone: This site aims to bring collect together and order a range
of free resources discovered on the Internet, which can be used for
teaching Maths in Primary Schools in the UK. Resources from various
sites are placed together in sections to form a compelling bank of
interactive games and activities for teaching Numeracy in Primary
Schools. There is also a section for those teaching students aged
11-16.
MathSphere:
The MathSphere website
has an impressive collection of resources for mathematicians. This
includes mathematics worksheets and test papers. There is also wide
coverage of the national curriculum, the numeracy hour and homework.
Topics include addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions,
square numbers, cubic numbers, data handling and geometry.
Geography
Geological
Timechart: Reference material setting out the geological timescale
and geochronological terms used by the British Geological Survey)
. The BGS Geological Timechart aims to provide colourful reference
material for use in schools, colleges and the home, setting out the
geological timescale and geochronological terms used by the British
Geological Survey.
Virtual
Geology: Rocks form the Earth's hard outer layer or crust. They
are a mixture of different minerals such as quartz, calcite, feldspar
and olivine. Although there are hundreds of different kinds of rocks,
they fall into just three main groups : igneous, metamorphic and sedimentary.
This simple grouping is based on how the rocks formed. The Virtual
Geology Menu so far includes Igneous Rocks, Metamorphic Rocks and
Sedimentary Rocks.
Science
LearnNet
is for the use of teachers and students of chemistry at all levels.
The network provides access to products and information relevant to
the study of chemistry. Many resources are available free only on
LearnNet. The entries are classified by experts in chemistry teaching
to ensure that the best interests of the users are attended to at
all times. LearnNet is an approved content provider for the UK's National
Grid for Learning and Curriculum Online.
Groundwater:
In this module students develop understanding about groundwater resources
and the impact that humans and the forces of nature have on groundwater
depletion. Through a series of individual and cooperative group activities
the students investigate the relevance of fresh, accessible groundwater
to them. Groups then compare the water quality of different sources
of drinking water by conducting water quality tests on drinking water.
ICT
ICT
Teacher's Guide: An updated ICT Teacher's guide for key stages
1 and 2 has been sent to all primary schools in England. It includes
a range of new integrated tasks for existing units, showing how key
ideas, skills and techniques in ICT can be applied and developed in
other subjects. If you have not received a copy you can download it
from the Standards Unit website. To help teachers make the most of
the schemes, the people from the Standards Unit have added examples
of how primary school teachers are customising them. You will also
find examples of how teachers have adapted units in different subjects
to reflect their particular circumstances and to better meet pupils'
needs and abilities.
EDU
Forum: The site, created by Simon Morgan of St. Alsager School
provides free high quality ICT resources for both teaching and supporting
ICT in secondary education. To this end, you will find a variety of
practical tutorials covering such things as introducing the Internet,
presentation skills using Word, core areas of Key Skills IT and much
more. Recent additions to the Resource Section includes Top Tips,
Open Flexible Learning and Y7 ICT tests.
Internet
Services
Ezilon:
This search engine was founded to allow individuals and companies
around the world to easily access information with emphasis on Western
Europe. Ezilon combines the power of search engine and directory that
allow quick access to relevant information at the time needed. Its
main focus on quality rather than quantity. The search engine only
accepts website submission from the European Union Member countries
and from any other websites around the world with information pertaining
to Western European interests.
Education
Index Web: This website, created by Hobsons, an international
college and career publisher, claims to provides a guide to "the
most useful education-related sites on the Web." The website
can be browsed by subject or by lifestage, from prenatal and infant
all the way to college and continuing education. Since it went online
in September 1996, the Education Index has grown to more than 3,000
sites in 66 different categories.
Book
Section
World
War II Medal of Honor Recipients:
The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against
an enemy force that can be awarded to personnel in the United States'
Armed Forces. From the early fighting in the Philippines through the
D-Day landings in Northwest Europe to the final assaults in the Pacific,
this book looks at the brave US soldiers and airmen who were awarded
the Medal of Honor for their actions in the face of danger. It tells
the exciting combat stories of such famous figures as the film star
Audie Murphy, one of the most decorated US soldier of WWII, alongside
less well-known awardees. (Robert Hargis & Starr Sinton, Osprey,
ISBN 1 84176 614 3, £10.99)
Available
from Amazon Books (order below)
