John Simkin

According to Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. (Robert Kennedy and His Times pages 664-665). Robert Kennedy contacted Jim Garrison (since RFK took seriously the notion of a domestic plot), and that he was concerned with the possibility that the CIA may have had involvement in the assassination.

Other possibilities include:

History Dialogues: Put students in pairs and get them to debate important issues from the past. For example, a discussion between a supporter and opponent of universal suffrage in 1910.

Causes and Consequences: The teacher starts a thread such as “What caused the outbreak of the First World War?” Students then add one individual reason at a time. These might be disputed by other students therefore creating a debate on the issue. At the end of the exercise the students could make their own list on paper.

Historical Hypothesis: The teacher starts a thread with a controversial statement such as: “If Hitler had not ordered the invasion of the Soviet Union the UK would have been defeated by Germany.” The students are then invited to add information that supports or opposes the original hypothesis.

Expert Panels. A group of experts answer questions from students or become involved in a debate over a particular issue. For example, the intended session on the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

In this excellent seminar Richard explains the various ways that online forums can be used by the history teacher. This includes: History Help (teachers provide learning support on a needs basis); Historical Debates (students discuss and construct and deconstruct interpretations of contentious events in history); Empathetic Simulations (students take on the role of historical characters); Remote Seminars (guest teacher leads a discussion with students on a topic of their particular expertise); Oral History (students interview an individual who was an eyewitness to event of historical importance); Remote Group Work (students prepare for a class activity by sharing ideas in a private online area).

Some of these approaches could obviously be used in other subject areas. For example, Help, Debates, Remote Seminars and Remote Group Work could be used by most subject teachers. Whereas others (Empathetic Simulations and Oral History) are more appropriate for history teaching. I would be interested in hearing if other subject specialists can come up with any other different ways that online forums can be used in education.

"However, you are on dodgy ground when you name Charlie Nicoletti, John Rosselli and James Earl Files as the killers. This is of course based on Files’ confession to Bob Vernon while serving a 30 year sentence for attempted murder. Files, a long-term conman, was attempting to obtain money for his story (he was paid $50,000 via his sister by Dick Clark/MPI). Several investigators have shown that Files story is a fabrication. For example, Edward Jay Epstein has established from telephone records that Files was in Chicago, not Dallas, on November 22,1963. "

Very very sloppy journalism, John Simkin. You post THREE LIES, without even checking with me , while you know I am representing the accuracy of James Files.

The three lies are:

1) Files was NOT paid 50 K and NEVER attempted to get money for his story.

2) Only ONE "reseracher" has tried to show and his name is indeed Edward Jay Epstein. He is a know CIA disinfo writer and has used fabictaion and lies to discredit Files.

3) Epstein has NOT shown that Files was not in Dallas. He has put out a fabricated story under the disguise of his "authority"

I thought this forum would try to be accurate?

As I have stated earlier there have been several “confessions” from people claiming to be involved in the plot to kill Kennedy. This includes James Files, Robert W. Easterling, Billie Sol Estes, Robert Morrow, Charles Harrelson (later retracted), Gerry P. Hemming, Chauncey Holt, Frank Ragano, Christian David, Kerry Thornley, Loy Factor and Roscoe White (via his wife).

The problem with these “confessions” is that they always name people who have already been implicated by other researchers. In fact, their names can be found in just one book, Anthony Summers’ Conspiracy (1980). The other problem with their confessions is that they only name people who are dead.

One has to ask why they are making these confessions. A false confession is not an unusual occurrence in high profile murder cases. The police always complain about how too much time is taken up with these false confessions. Apparently, certain individuals have a strong desire to obtain their moment of fame by confessing to murder.

In the Kennedy case there is another strong reason for people to confess to their role in the assassination. You can make a lot of money by telling your story to a journalist. This is an attractive proposition to someone who is currently serving a life-sentence (Files was given a 30 years prison sentence in 1991). Files has constantly argued he has not received any money for this information. However, John R. Stockwell has claimed that Files’ daughter was paid $50,000 immediately after the video project was sold to Dick Clark/MPI.

Evidence has also emerged that Files read a copy of Anthony Summers’ book Conspiracy before he made his confession. Files claims he did not finish the book because he found it boring. However, it appears to be no coincidence that all the people mentioned in Files’ story also appears in Summers’ book (including information that they were dead by the time the book was published).

Files does not provide any documentary evidence that proves he was definitely involved in the assassination. He claims that he does possess this evidence but he will only make it available to researchers after he is released from prison (an unlikely event considering his 30 years sentence in 1991).

Several researchers have spent a great deal of time investigating Files claim. They have accumulated a great deal of evidence to show that his testimony includes several lies. Even Bob Vernon has admitted that Files has been guilty of telling several lies (he also has some unpleasant things to say about you):

http://www.jfkresearch.com/forum/index.php...t=1276&linear=1

It could be argued that it is not important that Files has lied about his service in the 82nd Airborne in Laos. Or that he was simply mistaken about when Sam Giancana took over the Mafia family from Tony Accardo (although he does raise serious doubts about the truth of his relationship with Giancana).

His claimed relationship with David Atlee Phillips is also difficult to believe. As it is pointed out: “Phillips was a propaganda specialist. Not a paramilitary man. It is very doubtful that he would be the controller of a Mafia shooter who was training Cubans.” Even if Phillips did organize the assassination he is unlikely to have given his real name to someone like Files. It seems to me that the only reason Phillips is added to the story is because he is named in Summers’ book as being a CIA agent that was possibly involved in the plot.

The main argument against Files’ confession is that it bears little resemblance to what we know about a Mafia contract killing. Why would a Mafia killer leave forensic evidence (the famous bitten shell) at the scene of the crime? For a discussion of this issue see:

http://www.jfkresearch.com/forum/index.php...&t=275&linear=1

We also know that Mafia hits are meticulously well-planned. Yet Files tells us that two hours before the assassination the following conversation took place: “He (Nicoletti) asked me then were do you think would be the best place for me? "I said, well, I think the Dal-Tex building...." This in itself makes the whole story preposterous.

There is of course some important evidence that indicates that Files is lying about his involvement in the killing. This includes the research of Edward Jay Epstein. He established from telephone records that Files was in Chicago, not Dallas, on November 22,1963. Your reply to that Epstein “is a know (sic) CIA disinfo writer and has used fabrication and lies to discredit Files.” We know nothing of the sort. Epstein is a respected journalist who helped undermine the Warren Commission Report with his book, Inquest: The Warren Commission and the Establishment of Truth (1966). Epstein in fact does believe that there was a conspiracy to kill JFK. He has also argued that the CIA were probably involved in the cover-up of the conspiracy (hardly the views of a CIA disinformation agent). It is just that Epstein, like virtually all other serious researchers into the assassination, does not believe that Files was part of this plot.

It is of course a common tactic of some people to describe writers as CIA agents when they provide information that undermines their own particular conspiracy theory. Maybe I will be described as one after reading this posting. There is of course another way of looking at the situation. Maybe the CIA/FBI are using people like James Files, Robert W. Easterling, Robert Morrow, Charles Harrelson, Chauncey Holt, Kerry Thornley, Loy Factor, etc. to discredit those involved in researching the death of JFK. If that is the case, it has been a highly successful operation.

Does inclusion actually deny students the equal opportunies that the policy claims to promote.?

I would favour a compromise solution with properly funded outreach support . Where special school placement is necessary working links between them and the mainstream schools can produce effective reintegration as long as the support is ongoing.

I agree but this has major funding implications. The decline is the standard of student behaviour is a complex issue but I am convinced a major factor in this is the government policy of keeping children with behavioural difficulties in mainstream schools. As one delegate at the conference said, teachers are being forced to “sideline teaching in favour of trying to coerce unwilling and, increasingly, aggressive children into behaving in an appropriate manner, or, if all fails, just keeping them in the classroom.”

Just one severely disturbed child in a class has a tremendous impact on the rest of the class. How many excellent teachers have left the profession because of the behaviour of these children? This is a particular problem for the committed teacher who is bound to feel a deep sense of failure when faced with such an impossible situation.

I was interested to read that Lucien Sarti died in 1972, which I have heard elsewhere. I'm almost sure I saw him, or one of the other shooters breing interviewed in 'THe Killing of Kennedy'. I remeber it because he said he was in jail at the time.

Does anyone else remember?

Lucien Sarti was killed by Mexican police in Mexico City on 27th April, 1972. The man you probably saw was Christian David, a fellow member of the Marseilles mob. He was interviewed by the journalist Stephen Rivele. His material was used in the 1988 television documentary, The Men Who Killed Kennedy. As well as Lucien Sarti he also named Sauveur Pironti and Roger Bocognani as being involved in the killing. However, Pironti and Bocognani both had alibis and Rivele was forced to withdraw the allegation.

Recently Rivele commented that: "I believe that Sarti was involved, but apparently I was wrong on the other two. If I were working on the case today, I'd look at Paul Mondoloni of Montreal... Two points I would add: I saw a documentary TV show last year about the KGB's investigation of the assassination, and was amazed to learn that they came to the same conclusion as me. Second, I was contacted two years ago by a former CIA agent (who worked in the mind control program among others), who told me that I was right about the assassination. Small comfort but better than nothing."

Last year some members of the Virtual School began working together on a cross-curricular project on aviation. We used the forum to invite others to join us. The team now includes people from various areas of the curriculum (Design & Technology, History, Science, Geography, Modern Languages, Special Needs). We also have teachers from the UK, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands involved in the project. In March we had a meeting in Toulouse that involved a tour of the Airbus factory to see the production of the A380. This has been a great success and would still like to hear from other people who would like to get involved in the project. I thought it might be a good idea to see it we could create a new cross-curricular project via the forum. Any ideas?

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=19

Newsletter 11

Second World War Project

Some members of the forum are trying to set up and question and discussion area on the Second World War. Please let us know if you have any elderly relatives who would be willing to answer student questions on this subject. I have four elderly relatives who have agreed to take part (one soldier who fought in Middle East, two women who endured the Blitz and a child who was evacuated). We are especially keen to get people from a wide variety of different countries to take part. For example, it would then be possible to have people from several different countries answering questions on subjects such as air raid shelters and food rationing. I am sure students would find the activity very stimulating.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=622

Women and the Forum

On 9th April Jay Walker commented on the forum: “At a quick count it seems there are about twice as many men registered on this site as women. And in real terms, far more regular male posters. Is this because men are more IT-centric or because the discussions do not interest women? The Kennedy pages are interesting but almost entirely male posters. What do women want to discuss? I'd be interested to know.” There has been a good response to this posting. However, it would be good to hear from as many people as possible about this important topic.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=605

Cross-Curricular Project

Last year some members of the Virtual School began working together on a cross-curricular project on aviation. We used the forum to invite others to join us. The team now includes people from various areas of the curriculum (Design & Technology, History, Science, Geography, Modern Languages, Special Needs). We also have teachers from the UK, France, Sweden, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands involved in the project. In March we had a meeting in Toulouse that involved a tour of the Airbus factory to see the production of the A380. This has been a great success and would still like to hear from other people who would like to get involved in the project. I thought it might be a good idea to see it we could create a new cross-curricular project via the forum. Any ideas?

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=19

Biographies and Signatures

Can I ask again for people to add their biographies. We do not encourage anonymity on the forum. It is a membership requirement that members let us know who they are by adding their name and educational organization to their signature and by posting a brief biography at:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=530

We therefore ask all those members who have not yet done so, to add both your biography and your name to the signature. To do this:

Select My Controls (top, right of the screen).

On the left-hand side click ‘Edit Signature’ (under Personal Profile). In the box provided add your name. You may wish to add your country and your educational organization (plus the URL of website).

Membership

We now have 577 members. Reading the biographies section it seems we now have members from Britain (76), USA (16), France (13), Australia (10), Spain (8), Sweden (5), Netherlands (5), Canada (5), Italy (4), Greece (3), Finland (2), Brazil (2), Belgium (2), China (1), Denmark (1), Germany (1), Poland (1), Serbia (1), Belarus (1), Israel (1), South Korea (1), Sudan (1), Ireland (1), Philippines (1), Austria (1) and Hong Kong (1).

Newsletters

Past copies of newspapers can be found at:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=163

Debates

At the moment, the following issues provide opportunities for good debate. I would welcome your contributions to these and other debates taking place on the forum.

Women and Computers

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=605

New Ways of Learning

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=622

Education for Development

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=630

Chemistry is Dead

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=585

Obesity in Schools

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=628

JFK Assassination and the Deaths of Witnesses

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=603

Political Cinema

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=633

Elections in Iraq

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=596

Bush and the Road Map

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=626

Robert Kennedy and the Death of JFK

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=512

Birth of Rock and Roll

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=632

Madrid Bombing

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=504

Post WWII European History

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=536

I can just remember WWII. I was 3 years old when the war ended. My parents were living in Kent at the time, a couple of miles away from the West Malling airfield. I can remember barrage balloons in the sky all around us. I can remember searchlights and the air raid warning sirens. (Graham Davies)

Graham, you seem an ideal person to join our panel. Maybe it would be a good idea to re-register using a photograph of you as a child.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=624

When do you want to launch this activity? (JP Raud Dugal)

I think we will have to wait until we have a reasonable number of people willing to answer questions and to engage in debate about their experiences. I have had several offers of help by email and hopefully in a few weeks we will have enough people to get in going (20?). I will advertise the idea in today’s forum newsletter and in my other two newsletters (Teaching History Online and Education on the Internet).

We can run the debate for adults on this part of the forum. I hope to make it available on the student forum as well. That creates issues about registration. See

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=612

When Dale Spender talks about the ways in which women historically have been marginalized in the literary canon, she talks from an informed position, and is both convincing and plausible.

But she is far less convincing in explaining what is happening now, with technology that she perhaps does not use. My observations are about younger people precisely because this is where one may see trends emerging. As the technology becomes usable, rather than an end in itself, and as men and women (in the developed world) have more or less equal access (in terms of decisions about how to spend disposable income), then her bleating becomes less plausible.

As I look around me, I see both young men and young women using telephones, especially mobile phones for text messaging. When it comes to use of Instant Messaging on the computer, then that's equally ubiquitous among young women and young men (as judged by the 6th forms of schools around here). If there are contexts where they are conspicuous by their absence, then that is partly explained by their being elsewhere - but I am suggesting that this elsewhere may well be some kind of digital interaction. It's just that some women don't feel so much need to tell the rest of us about it.

I'm afraid that when Ms. Spender suggests that women are being excluded from the use of the new technology she talks nonsense in a strict and factual sense. That is, the National Curriculum in England (and many curricula in other developed countries) requires pupils to learn to use computer technologies by law. In Bergen and Oslo, children now learn to "write" using the PC before they learn handwriting. You do not need to appeal to any research statistics to show this - you can go into any classroom of most primary schools and see it happening.

The suggestion that children think it needs "balls" to use a keyboard is Spender's distortion of what she claims one child said - a tendentious use of one bit of conveniently selected anecdotal evidence. To generalize this into some kind of technical misogyny, and then complain about it, is illogical. And to pervert what children say is a desperate measure of someone trying to fabricate the evidence.

Dale Spender is good at looking backward. But when she tries to look forward, her fears are of no more value than anyone else's.

You are wrong to suggest that Dale Spender “is far less convincing in explaining what is happening now, with technology that she perhaps does not use.” Spender has been a passionate user of computers since 1992 and has carried out research into the way they are used in schools since 1994.

You say: “Dale Spender is good at looking backward. But when she tries to look forward, her fears are of no more value than anyone else's.” It is because she is good at looking backward that she has so many important things to say about the present and the future. After all, that is what all good historians are trying to do. However, that is not to say I agree with everything she says. In fact, if she was a member of this forum, we would no doubt be having heated debates about gender and education.

Spender makes the point that men initially dominant any new form of communication. This is mainly because of the power they hold in society. Another factor is the role in the development of this new form of communication. Spender argues that women traditional lose a degree of power when a new system of communication is developed. However, in time, women obtain equality. She traces this back to the earliest forms of communication. At each stage she shows how this new form of communication developed. One of the most interesting sections of the book concerns the development of the telephone. As she pointed out, at the beginning, its use was dominated by men. Now it is used much more by women. Spender argues that one of the reasons for that is that women no longer see the telephone as a machine. (This issue is covered in detail in Lana Rakow’s book, Gender on the Line).

Spender argues that by the 1990s women had nearly secured equality with men in the production and consumption of print media. However, their power was undermined by the arrival of the computer. There is a considerable amount of evidence to support this argument. This includes Jay Walker’s original posting about the lack of women using this forum.

To understand this problem you need to consider children’s relationship to the computer. As a teacher I became involved in using computers in the classroom in the early 1980s. In almost every case, when children first used a computer in my classroom, they were using computers for the first time. It is interesting to compare the reaction of the boys and girls to this situation. At the time, I only had one computer in my classroom. Therefore I had to integrate the computer with other teaching materials. In the early 1980s there were no computer packages available to enable this to take place. At the time I was a member of a teacher cooperative producing books. We therefore decided to produce computer packages. The cooperative was evenly balanced between the sexes but none of the women decided to become involved in producing these new teaching materials. This might well have played a role in the different ways that the boys and girls reacted to our computer packages.

As I only had one computer the students had to take it in turns to use it. Right from the beginning boys showed great excitement about using the computer. This girls reacted very differently. They would rather spend their time working with the printed material that went with the computer program. I suspect that this was partly because on average they were better than the boys at written work. (Maybe that is why the boys wanted to use the computer. It could be argued it gave them the opportunity to improve their status in the classroom.)

As the cooperative was fully committed to equality between the sexes we gave considerable thought to this problem. We came to the conclusion that the subject matter was a problem as it reflected the interests of the males that had produced the computer packages. The first two programs involved the students playing the roles of individuals in history. In ‘Into the Unknown’ the student played the role of a 15th century Portuguese sea captain. In “Attack on the Somme” they were Sir Douglas Haig at the Somme in 1916. Girls were being asked to play the role of men in situations devised by men. Could this be the problem? We therefore decided to develop a computer package that gave women an equal role with men. We created “Wagons West” where the students had to cross America by wagon train. Although it meant distorting history, we had as many wagons commanded by women as by men. This definitely improved the motivation of the girls but the boys, especially the less able ones when it came to writing, remained the most enthusiastic about using the computer in the classroom.

Later we developed a computer programme about a British spy living in Nazi Germany in the 1930s. The spy was a woman. This was very unpopular with the boys who hated the idea of being a “woman”. It was also unpopular with teachers and sold very badly (even though I think it was one of the best things we had done).

I first started using the internet in the classroom in 1997. Within a couple of years I had access to a classroom with 16 computers linked to the internet. As we had a broadband connection it was a world away from the situation in the early 1980s. The first thing I did with them was a simulation on child labour in the 1830s. The technology enabled me to create roles that did not appear to be biased against girls. The subject matter was also popular with the girls in the class. There is no doubt that the girls reacted better than they had in the early 1980s. However, the boys were definitely more enthusiastic than the girls about the lesson. Boys often made comments like “I am good with computers” or “I know all about computers”. This was often untrue. What they were good at was playing with games on computers. When it came to playing the simulation they held no advantage over the girls. In fact, when it came to writing their account of what happened during the simulation on the computer, the boys had far more difficulty than the girls. Despite this, the girls initially lacked confidence when using the computer.

I spent some time asking the girls about their use of the computer. The school was situated in a prosperous area and virtually every girl had access to a computer at home. However, if they had brothers they tended not to see it as their computer. In some cases it wasn’t (research shows that six times as many boys as girls have a computer bought for them). Even when it was a family computer its use was dominated by their brothers who wanted to play games on it (75% of computer games are bought for boys).

Another thing I noticed that when I asked girls why they appeared reluctant to use the computer in the classroom. They often said things like “every time I use the computer it goes wrong”. I asked them why they said this? Invariably it was something that their brothers had said to them. This control devise developed by boys seemed to be working. This situation does not seem to be uncommon. Research by Sherry Turkle (Computational Reticence: Why Women Fear the Intimate Machine) indicated that women were often reluctant to use computers because they “feared they might break something crucial”.

I am sure Andrew Moore is right that virtually all teachers make sure that girls get equal access of computers in schools. However, I am still concerned about the way men dominate the creation of materials that the students use in the classroom (see my earlier posting about the creators of educational websites in the UK).

I would be interested in hearing about other people’s experiences of using computers in the classroom.

I have reached the age where very few new films excite me. This is reflected in the fact that the only two films on my list to see are both documentaries: Fog of War and Bus 174.

One of the most distressing aspects of modern film-making is the lack of interest in political ideas. However, here is a list of five great political films. I would be interested in hearing other people’s views.

You might be surprised that there are no Ken Loach films in my list. Although a fine filmmaker his political films are far too sentimental. His television film, Days of Hope (1975) was pretty good though.

(1) Gillo Pontecorvo, Battle of Algiers (1965)

(2) Alan J. Pakula, All the President’s Men (1976)

(3) Costa-Gavras, Z (1969)

(4) Bernardo Bertolucci, The Conformist (1970)

(5) David Miller, Executive Action (1973)

It is being reported that 2004 is rock 'n' roll's Golden Jubilee year: the 50th anniversary of the release of Bill Haley's Rock Around the Clock and the recording of Elvis Presley's That's Alright Mama. This is just another example of white man’s history.

See the following for an account of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/fridayrevie...1192358,00.html

An interesting picture of a Virtual School meeting can be found at:

http://www.schoolhistory.co.uk/forum/index...?showtopic=3216

Don’t believe that libellous nonsense that Walker and Simkin were lost for words.

The British-born scientist credited with inventing the world wide web, Tim Berners-Lee, has been awarded the first Millennium Technology Prize (£600,000). It was declared that an important factor in awarding him this prize was his decision not to “strive to commercialise or patent his contributions to the internet technologies he has developed.”

You might be interested in the debate we had recently on this issue:

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=384

George Bush’s endorsement of Israel’s occupation of a large part of Gaza and the West Bank and his refutation of the inalienable right of refugees to return to their homeland has not only destroyed the road map but has also broken international law and the Geneva Convention. Meanwhile our prime minister heads for the United States to get his orders of how to react to this new American policy.

However, we now know that the CIA (Black Operations Unit) were active in undermining the democratic process in those countries in Europe where the communists were in danger of being elected to power (Italy and Greece).

One of the weaknesses with “democracy” is that undemocratic forces can win democratic election in order to abolish the democracy directly afterwards. This is very frustrating but if democratic forces try to prevent it they are immediately accused of being undemocratic themselves. This situation is basically “Catch 22” moment.

Dictatorial ideologies like Communism and Nazism mastered this situation at the outmost during 20th century.

Should this situation be prevented somehow? I believe that it should. You probably believe that it shouldn´t.

Achieving the right to have democratic elections was the most important victory achieved by the British people. The reason being that all the other rights we now enjoy came out of that victory. However, it was achieved by mass struggle. It was not imposed on us by an occupying power.

I fully support the introduction of democratic elections in Iraq (although I expect I will not like the result – the left were completely destroyed under Saddam Hussein). The problem is that George Bush is not willing for free elections to take place in Iraq (like me, he knows what the result is going to be). If you listen carefully to what Bush and Blair are saying you will realise that they have stopped talking about the right of the Iraq people to have free elections. Instead they are talking about the need for “democratic institutions” (in other words, American controlled institutions). Blair said last week that the Allies cannot allow a Muslim fundamentalist government to emerge in Iraq. I would argue that it is a matter for the Iraqi people to decide what kind of government they have. Once again this just illustrates the problems of using military force to impose "democracy".

This is a great idea. The main problem is on the language.

For example, my father was 18 when Das Reich went in Tulle 2 days before Ouradour sur Glane. They hanged 99 persons and deported more than that.

It's such a big issue in this city (where I teach).

I can find some people that I know for this project but they are a bit old, have difficulties with technology and don't know a word of english....

The three people I have registered are in their 80s and do not own a computer. When questions are asked that I think they can answer I will phone them up and take down their answer. Once you have their agreement send me their details (name, a short biography, and a photograph if possible) and I will resister them for you. All you have to do is log in as them and you can answer the questions on their behalf. However, I realise that it will be more difficult for you as you will need to translate their replies. I am not sure how we can get over this problem.

By the way I was in Oradour-sur-Glane a few weeks ago. It was a very moving experience. I have a copy of Sarah Farmer’s book, Martyred Village. I was shocked by the way the French government dealt with the tragedy after the war. I can understand why the local people felt so bitter about how they were treated.

I have created a place where people who are willing to answer questions about their experiences in the war can post their biographies.

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=624

You might have noticed that I have created a forum on the assassination of John F. Kennedy. What I have done is to put a link from every page (now over 200) on the assassination to a specifically created forum on the subject. It is also linked to a series of student activities on the assassination. This includes activities that enable students to consider the different theories of the assassination that have been developed so far by researchers. They are also encouraged to develop their own theories.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKindex.htm

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKresearch.htm

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showforum=126

So far I have created this forum for teachers. However, I now plan to create another section for students (see our new Student Forum).

http://www.studenteducationforum.ipbhost.com/

http://educationforum.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=612

This will enable them to read what the teachers have said about the assassination as well as having the right to post questions and comments on the topic.

To help answer these questions I have persuaded several experts (ten so far) on the case to take part in this experiment. I am also trying to get important witnesses to the events surrounding the assassination to take part. So far I have persuaded two very important figures in the case to answer questions. Hopefully, I will be able to convince others to join in. I am also currently negotiating with two men who have both confessed to being involved in the assassination.

This approach could be taken with other topics. For example, I am considering starting up a similar forum on the Home Front during the Second World War. Please contact me if you have any elderly relatives who would be willing to answer student questions on this subject. I have four elderly relatives who have agreed to take part (one soldier who fought in Middle East, two women who endured the Blitz and a child who was evacuated). Only one of these is computer literate and therefore I will organize their registration and the posting of the answers of the other three. Are there any members who could help me with this? Do you have parents, uncles, aunts, etc. who might like to take part in this project. I am especially keen to get people from a wide variety of different countries to take part. For example, it would then be possible to have people from both the UK and Germany to answer questions on subjects like air raid shelters and food rationing. I am sure students would find the activity very stimulating. I will probably link the forum to my simulation on the home front during the war. I will then expand this out to cover other countries and other aspects of the war.

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WW.htm

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWhome.htm

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWhomeAC.htm

The Children's British Board of Film Classification (CBBFC) website has been designed to give older primary school children a clearer understanding of film classification in the UK. This site should enable them to find out how and why films,videos and DVDs are classified in a fun and informative manner. The includes the 'Viewing Room', where you can rate four current trailers and be an examiner for the day. The site also offers activities such as competitions, information on film ratings, and news.

http://www.cbbfc.co.uk/

If you would like to spark your pupils' imaginations and improve their creativity and communication skills, Becta's free information sheet on how to get started using digital video should give you some ideas. It includes ideas on choosing equipment, planning, filming and editing. To receive a copy, send an email to dvawards@becta.org.uk. You can also get a free copy of a report based on an analysis of current research about the use of digital video (DV) in teaching and learning. It summarises the key findings and suggests resources for further reading.

http://www.becta.org.uk/corporate/publicat...&pubid=13&cart=

Research conducted by Lancaster University shows that, while ICT motivates both boys and girls, it probably has a greater effect on boys, helping them to stay more focused on their work for longer. The study also reports that secondary teachers involved in the research said they felt ICT helped pupils take pride in their work, that it was helpful for coursework, and that it supported research work. They also said that it was more likely that a task would be completed on time when ICT is used. The research had praise for interactive whiteboards, finding that they increase the pace and effectiveness of lessons. Both the research brief and the report are available to download from DfES Programme of Research.

http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/programmeo...5&resultspage=1

Doug McAvoy, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, made an attack on the UK privatised education system where schools are "marketised, franchised and sponsored". Mcaccuse the prime minister of wanting "schools to be run like Tesco stores", where they offered air miles and "two lessons for the price of one."

"The crisis before us is one that stems from a government that is hell-bent on dismantling the public education service," he said in a speech which laid bare the sheer size of the divide between the government and the NUT, which represents 253,000 members.

The Guardian report on the speech said:

The government's enthusiasm for bringing in business to schools through the private finance initiative and other schemes was a "nightmare prospect" which amounted to the most radical upheaval since the 1944 Education Act, Mr McAvoy said. "What began with tentative experiments in education action zones and PFI is accelerating into complete deregulation, privatisation, commodification and globalisation. Deregulation is proceeding apace with a virtual abolition of controls over who can teach.

"Private supply will be brought in to meet public need. And the logical extrapolation of that is 'pay more - get more' ... the school of the future will be franchised, branded and sponsored."

He added: "The same logic that the government applies to variable top-up fees for university places will be applied to parental contributions to the education of their children.

"The taxpayer will provide the funding necessary for the base level of education provision. Sufficient, shall we say, for the bog standard comprehensive. Extras will come on top of that ... feeding the soul - music, art, drama, poetry -anything related to free expression [will be] extra."

http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/st...1191439,00.html

Dale Spender's work is vitiated by a basic error of logic, that I found well articulated by Howard Jackson and Peter Stockwell in An Introduction to the Nature and Functions of Language. She claims that:

"The crux of our difficulties lies in being able to identify and transform the rules which govern our behaviour and which bring patriarchal order into existence. Yet the tools we have for doing this are part of that patriarchal order. While we can modify, we must none the less use the only language, the only classification scheme which is at our disposal. We must use it in a way that is acceptable and meaningful. But that very language and the conditions for its use in turn structure a patriarchal order."

But if this were true, then she would not be able, as she self-evidently is, to make criticisms of the kind that she does.

This is like arguing that Karl Marx was being illogical when he wrote about the problems of false consciousness in a capitalist society. It would only make sense if Dale Spender argued that this process controlled the thoughts of all women. Like Marx, Spender is talking about the impact that society has on most people.

Here are a couple of quotes from Dale Spender’s book that should give you an idea of what she is actually arguing:

Looking back, we can see that in many ways, women were worse off after the print revolution than they had been in the manuscript era. (Women have often been worse off after a revolution. The French Revolution, for example, promised liberty and equality, but women were excluded from the fraternity and they lost out when it came to property and education.)

Given our history, it's not possible to assume that women will automatically share equally in any gains that come from the present information revolution. Women were excluded from the process of knowledge-making when the printing press was invented; and there's plenty of evidence today to suggest that women are again being kept out of the production of information as we move to the electronic networks.

An account of the way women have been prevented from being the knowledge-makers is eye-opening history, and should be taught to every one of today's students. But it is also a lesson in how, why, and at what cost to women and to society, females are set up as the second sex and as the subordinates.

In the post-print period, as today, women did not hold positions of power and influence over men in the Church. But during the Middle Ages there had been "women's places" where the Abbess or Mother Superior was in charge and where "women's values" could hold sway. Besides providing an alternative to marriage (and a refuge for women who wanted to be free from the bonds of family), these nunneries, abbeys and convents served as centres of women's traditional knowledge; skills in relation to plants, herbs, drugs and the natural world were often taught along with the sacred texts.

A few women, such as St Radegund of Poitiers, enjoyed a measure of fame and fortune throughout the scribal period. There was the German scholar Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1178), who has been described as "the most notable medieval woman author on medicine, natural history, and cosmology". The English contemplative nun Julian of Norwich (1342-C.1416) was held in high regard, as was the remarkable writer and philosopher Christine de Pizan, who, although not a nun, has been given the status of "France's first woman of letters".

It would not do to overestimate the significance of all this, but it's clear that these women did experience a degree of recognition and affirmation during the manuscript era. But any power or prestige they possessed was drastically reduced once print appeared. For a whole range of reasons, women suddenly found themselves completely cut off from the new medium - and from any positions of influence.

Note that Spender gives several examples of how women were able to overcome the dominant ideology. Nor does Spender fail to recognize the role men can play in the liberation of women. Spender is not slow to acknowledge the role being played by people like David Loader in this process.

This is what Spender has to say about women’s relationship with computers and the web.

The design of the cyberspace environment in the twenty-first century will not only be crucial to our quality of life in general, it will be fundamental to the distribution of wealth and power. From the software to the hardware, from the interface to the infrastructure, decisions are now routinely being made which will affect that future; and they are decisions which serve the interests and values of some social groups far more than others.

This is why Donald Carii quotes the appeal of renowned graphic designer, William Hilson: "Designers, particularly female designers, need to get directly involved in the experience of the NET... they need to get involved in large numbers if they intend ever to play a role in shaping the form or the content of the Metaverse in a significant way."

This is a response, in part, to the growing body of research which suggests that some girls don't like computers. Many of them don't like what computers represent: and they don't like the way they are required to use them. So calling for more women designers whose insights and contributions could provide a remedy, and make the platform more female friendly, is a reasonable place to start.

That girls do have a different attitude to computers per se (as well as different ideas about their place and purpose), is a premise which is becoming more widely appreciated.

Any business that is serious about designing infrastructure which matches people's ways of working (as distinct from forms which have to be imposed) would need to entice more women into its employ. But the recognition that the computer is not as attractive to women as it is to men gives rise to a general question - why is this?

Any explanation for the negative response to the computer on the part of girls has to be in the context of women's general relationship to science and technology. And it is not a good one. There is a vast amount of information which indicates that in the past women and technology have not got along very well. But this is not because of some simple anti-machine disposition on the part of women, as is sometimes suggested.

The reality is much more complex. Women have a lot to do with machines; they are often dependent on them, and they may feel very positive towards them. But the machines that are part of women's everyday reality are not usually regarded as "sexy technology"; indeed the washing machine, the microwave oven - even the typewriter - are sometimes not thought of as technology at all. But this apparent paradox, whereby women use machines but are held not to, can be readily explained by recourse to a fundamental feminist principle: that despite any evidence there may be of women's achievement, when women do it, it doesn't count…

It's almost as if men, by definition, own the prestigious machines, so that anything they take up (including a keyboard) becomes prized and esteemed, to the point where it soon becomes seen as a masculine activity. This would help to account for the three- to five-year-old boys who insisted that girls could not do computers, and the six- year-olds who argued that "girls could not play with computers because they needed to be tough". It says something about the power of the mind to construct meanings that defy the evidence if we can produce a society that comes to believe that it now takes "balls" to master a keyboard.

The issues of what technology is and the way it becomes gendered are complex and fascinating, and deserve continued attention. But running through the literature on this subject there is the constantly recurring theme of the role played by socialisation: the sexes are taught specific technological relationships as part of their gender identity.