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John Simkin

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  1. It is 100 years ago today that the Wright brothers made history at Kitty Hawk. However, some people have claimed that this is just another example of Yankee imperialism and that the first person to fly machine through the air by its own means of propulsion was Alberto Santos-Dumont, a Brazilian who made this record breaking flight in Paris. It is claimed that he committed suicide in 1932 because he was wracked with guilt by being involved in creating a machine for military purposes. http://www.rudnei.cunha.nom.br/FAB/eng/santos-dumont.html
  2. You need to have a photograph of yourself on your computer. Then go to the Education Forum website. Select ‘My Controls’ at the top of the page. On the left-hand side you will see a column. Under Personal Profile select Edit Avatar Settings. Go to the bottom of the page where it says “Upload a new image from your computer”. Press Browse and you will eventually find your way to where you have your photograph. When you find it press “Open”. Then click “update Avatar”. Your picture will then appear every time you make a posting.
  3. Join us again for Spring Day in Europe in 2004! This year, we will be focusing on the englargement of the European Union. The European Union is on the verge of a historic moment. Ten new countries are set to join the EU on 1 May 2004 and three candidate countries are preparing for membership. Spring Day in Europe gives schools the opportunity to debate and celebrate the enlargement of the EU. The future of an enlarged Europe belongs to its youth, and with this in mind, Spring Day in Europe reaches out to teachers and pupils across the continent. Every school in Europe is invited to take part in Spring Day in Europe 2004, an event where schools hold their own 'Spring Day' on Tuesday, 23 March 2004 or around that date. To register, go to the new Spring Day in Europe registration page at http://futurum2004.eun.org/. The new Spring Day in Europe website will be launched at the end of November.
  4. John Simkin

    ENIS

    ENIS is the European Network of Innovative Schools. ENIS schools have been selected as some of the most innovative schools in their home countries when using information and communication technologies for teaching and learning. Each ministry has a ENIS Coordinator who is responsible for the national network of innovative schools. This person lays out the agreed European criteria and procedures in his/her own ministry, and identifies how they can be integrated into national policy. http://www.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/enis2/e....cfm?id_area=18
  5. Undertaking a medieval pilgrimage was one of the rare occasions that allowed the peoples of medieval Europe to experience communities different to their own. Pilgrimage was perhaps the first truly European experience. Students across Europe will be invited explore the pilgrimage traditions of their own communities and to share their research with a wider European learning community.
  6. Some members of the Virtual School are currently working on a cross-curricular project on aviation. We would welcome the involvement of other members of the Virtual School. Details can be found at URL below. http://vs.eun.org/eun.org2/eun/en/vs-Desig...ang=en&ov=31717
  7. BETT is the annual international event that encourages and extends effective use of ICT in education. There are numerous opportunities for professional development including the seminar programme and the Policy in Practice area offering practical advice on implementing education policy and funding. Next year's BETT show is taking place at Olympia, London (7th-10th January, 2004). Seminars include: Transforming Teaching & Learning with ICT (Lesley Price), The Learner of the Future (Bill Howe), Creating an e-Confident Education System (Tony Richardson), ICT and Learning Style (John Galloway), World Ecitizens (Christina Preston), Research & Evidence in an eLearning World (Malcolm Hunt), History Online - What are the Cultural Content Providers Doing? (Tom O'Leary) and Effective Pedagogy & ICT (Neil McLean). I will be there on Friday. Anybody else going? http://www.bettshow.co.uk/
  8. Last month the European Commission approved the government’s plans to give £150 million to the BBC to produce free teaching resources. The new service will act as a central repository, allowing teachers to select, organize and personalise materials. There is no doubt that this initiative will dominate e-learning in Britain over the next few years. One of the reasons that the European Commission has approved the plan is that at least 50% of this material will have to be produced by non-BBC organizations. Although it will be difficult to organize, it is vitally important that classroom teachers play a significant role in the development this material. The BBC is holding two one-day for independent producers on the 24th and 25th November 2003 in west London. For further details see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/info/policies/digital...urriculum.shtml
  9. Scott Hamilton is responsible for this beautifully designed and easy to use website. As the title suggests, the website contains details of all the main First World War aces and aircraft. The database includes biographies of aces from sixteen different countries. The entries are extremely detailed and very good use is made of hypertexted links. Other features include a Discussion, Forum and Today in History, where information is provided on all the significant events that took place on that particular date during the war. http://www.theaerodrome.com/index.html
  10. DT Online is produced by the National Association of Advisers and Inspectors in Design and Technology, in cooperation with Dial Solutions, using materials provided by teachers for pupils. DT Online is free at the point of use and has three aspects: (1.) It is an online repository of information relating to most DT focus areas. (2.) For electronics and packaging, there are interactive designer sections that allow online production of circuits and packaging nets (3.) There is a developing projects section that also provides access to remote manufacturing centres in volunteer schools and colleges. http://www.dtonline.org
  11. The CIMT was established at the University of Exeter in 1986. As the CIMT is a centre for research and curriculum development in Mathematics teaching and learning it was only a matter of time before it began to explore the possibilities of the Internet. Jointly sponsored by Esso, British Steel, the Post Office and Singapore Airlines, the website is being used to build a database of resources for students and teachers. Some of the mathematics worksheets available include those that cover topics such as Genetic Fingerprinting, Postcodes, Time Zones, Tin Can Design, Bar Codes and Birthdays. http://www.ex.ac.uk/cimt/welcome.html
  12. The Standards Site is managed by the Department for Education and Employment's Standards and Effectiveness Unit (SEU). The main objective of the site is to supply teachers with "guidance and tools to help schools improve effectiveness, raise standards and reduce workload". Secondary Modern Foreign Language schemes of work are available for French, German and Spanish. http://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/schemes/mflindex/
  13. This website is based at the Department of Sociology at the University of Amsterdam. The group is involved in several projects but the excellent Sociologist - Dead and Very Much Alive website is an attempt to provide a comprehensive listing of all sociology resources on the Internet. Fifty-six sociologists are listed including several who are still very much alive. The material includes interviews, articles, text of out of print books and discussion groups. It is also possible to search for material by subject area. http://www.pscw.uva.nl/sociosite/Topics/Sociologists.html
  14. This website provides practical advice on diet and exercise. It claims that the suggested programme is based on sound science and has developed from current research on healthy eating and physical activity. The main purpose of the Activaters section is to promote enjoyable healthy eating and physical activity to primary school children. Students are also given the opportunity to input information for an online lifestyle assessment. http://www.foodfitness.org.uk
  15. Manuscript illumination, the quintessential medieval art form, enjoyed a final flourish during the Renaissance. In the wake of the invention of printing, Flemish illuminators created extravagant and lavish manuscripts in which their art was revitalized and given new direction. This brilliant new style resulted in some of the most colourful and luminous book illumination of the late medieval era and quickly gained patronage throughout Europe. Illuminating the Renaissance at the Royal Academy (29th November 2003 - 22nd February, 2004 ) is the first exhibition to bring together the greatest works produced by Flemish illuminators during this exceptional period. http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/?lid=905
  16. This website provides plans that enable students to cut and fold paper into a wide range of aerodynamic shapes. This includes the Rapier (flies like a glider but has the elegant shape and great precision of a dart), Flying Fish (flies well in a straight line), Dragon Plane (will fly for 30 meters), Helicopter (will stay aloft for ages and spiral down excellently), Rocket (designed by a Physics lecturer) and Floating Paper Airplane (with its wide wing span and the stabilising winglets at the end of wings it is very stable and flies for long distances). http://www.paperairplanes.co.uk/planes.html
  17. Cool Planet is Oxfam's award-winning and newly redesigned site for teachers and children. As part of Oxfam's Development Education Programme, Cool Planet offers information and resources to encourage young people's development as global citizens. Visit the site and find exciting and interactive educational pages with global themes for pupils to explore, teachers' pages packed with ideas, information, and useful links to help bring a global perspective to your classroom. There is also an easy-to-follow curriculum information for planning global citizenship activities using our highly regarded 'Teachers Guide to a Curriculum for Global Citizenship'. http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/
  18. This collection of 1,535 online texts is part of the impressive World Wide School Library. Material is organized under the following categories: Adventure, Animal Tales, Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Detective, Drama, Epics, Essays, Fantasy, Historical, Horror, Humour, Literary Studies, Mystery, New Age, Other Tales, Plays, Poetry, Romance, Science Fiction, Shakespeare, Short Stories, Social Commentary and Western. http://www.worldwideschool.org/library/cat...ubject-top.html
  19. Ofsted yesterday published its latest report on the government's national literacy and numeracy strategies. David Bell, chief inspector of schools, warned that the government will continue to miss its primary school improvement targets. The report points out that eleven-year-olds' English scores have been stuck at 77% (reaching national targets) since 2000. Bell claims that the main reason for this is that "too many teachers still had too poor a grasp of English and Maths to help struggling pupils." The chief inspector called for more training for teachers to boost their subject knowledge and teaching techniques. http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/publications/inde...summary&id=3442
  20. The school of the future need employ just one qualified teacher. The controversial suggestion is contained in a Department for Education and Skills paper that sets out priorities for the next phase of school workforce reform during 2006-8. Entitled Workforce Reform - Blue Skies it was circulated on 11 November 2003 to all the organisations that signed the Government's Workforce Remodelling Agreement. The report says that schools are able to operate under new "freedoms" brought in by the workload agreement. Suggested ways of exploiting this new situation includes: teacher numbers being cut to pay for more support staff; other staff being bought in from agencies or coming in on secondment; support staff being supervised by one qualified teacher only – the headteacher; and reducing overall teacher numbers to pay for a better adult-pupil ratio. http://www.nut.org.uk/story.php?id=2973&PH...cb6b16eeeac801d
  21. The Spartacus Educational website was established in September 1997. The website contains a collection of encyclopaedias. Titles include Britain 1700-1950, USA 1840-1980, The First World War, The Second World War, The American West , Germany 1900-45, Cold War, Tudors, Stuarts, Vietnam War, Black People in Britain, Spanish Civil War, France 1900-1945 and Russia 1860-1945. Spartacus also produces two free weekly newsletters: Education on the Internet and Teaching History Online. http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/
  22. I feel we should do what we can to maximise the number of visitors that this forum receives. Therefore, I think we should provide our own Spanish version of the forum. However, I think we should do what we can to help each other. For example, I publish a weekly newsletter and archive it on my own website. I will continue to do that but will also post these reviews, news items, etc., in the relevant part of this education forum. Maybe, your friend should do the same with his Spanish newsletter. In doing so, he could plug his newsletter/forum.
  23. Thanks for the offer. The job’s yours. What about the sub-headings. Is the following acceptable? If so, could you provide a translation (Dutch/German). Curriculum Issues (discussions about the curriculum and teaching methods) Resources (information on new resources available) Help (questions and answers on subject matter or teaching methods)
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