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January/February 2002 Copyright © Information Today, Inc. |
by Kathie Felix, News/Reviews Editor |
News of the latest Net-related products
and technology for K-12 may be sent directly to Kathie Felix at 5746 Union
Mill Rd., PMB 605, Clifton, VA 20124 or to
kfelix@infotoday.com.
Net News
Internet Teaching
Internet access has become
the norm in K-12 education, with nine in 10 public school teachers using
the Internet as a resource, according to a recent report from Quality Education
Data. This is an increase over the year 2000, when 86 percent of teachers
used the Internet for their class work. The QED report, Internet
Usage in Teaching 2001-2002, also found that 97 percent of America's
public schools are connected to the Internet, 84 percent of all public
school classrooms are connected to the Internet, 74 percent of students
spend 1 hour or more per week hands-on at school with the Internet, and
96 percent of students who use the Internet weekly use it for research.
Quality Education Data, 800/525-5811 or http://www.qeddata.com/.
Online Education Technology Resources
One year after its launch,
NetDayCompass.org, a free online directory for K-12 school leaders, has
quadrupled its number of resources, added a personalized Research Desk,
and expanded its range of topics to include timely information to address
current school needs. Currently, NetDayCompass.org has more than 1,700
resources that have been reviewed and cataloged for easy access by educators.
Users can locate resources by searching in one of five categories--technology
planning, infrastructure, funding, classroom support, and real stories-best
practices--or by conducting a "word search" for the desired resources.
NetDayCompass.org, http://www.NetDayCompass.org/.
Net Libraries
Portals to the World
The Library of Congress
has launched Portals to the World, a guide to Internet resources dealing
with the countries and regions of the world. The online project offers
links to electronic resources aligned by country or geographic regions,
with links sorted in a wide range of broad categories. Each country portal
is designed to cover topics of interest to specialists and the general
public, including business, commerce, economy, culture, education, government,
politics, law, history, libraries, and archives. When the project is completed
in 2003, there will be a portal page for every nation of the world.
The Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/rr/international/portals.html/.
Online Collections Updated
Gale Group's Discovering
Collection and Junior Reference Collection have been updated,
featuring new interfaces, more functions, and more precise search results.
Discovering Collection, originally launched as a series of CD-ROMs, is
now available online to help high school through undergraduate students
complete classroom assignments in all aspects of literature, social studies,
world and U.S. history, science, and multiculturalism. The Junior Reference
Collection, aimed at a middle-school audience, mirrors the Discovering
Collection's curriculum-based approach. The new interfaces on both products
present students with results tabs organized by type of document--Reference,
Primary Documents, or Multimedia elements--making it easy to narrow a broad
search. A timeline search lets students view by year, range of years, or
event. Gale Group, 800/877-4253 or http://www.galegroup.com/.
Net Teaching
The Changed World
Following the tragic events
of September 11, 2001, countless resources have been developed to help
teachers in the classroom. A few of them are highlighted here.
The Library of Congress, in collaboration with the Internet Archive, webArchivist.org, and the Pew Internet & American Life Project, has released a collection of digital materials called the September 11 Web Archive [September11.archive.org or http://150.156.112.3]. The Archive preserves the Web expressions of individuals, groups, the press, and institutions in the United States and from around the world in the aftermath of the attacks in the United States. Library of Congress, http://www.loc.gov/.
CNNfyi.com, the CNN educational Web site for classrooms, is offering resources relating to the September 11 attacks for use by teachers and parents. The site is running up-to-date news stories, accompanied by free lesson plans that include discussion questions and activities for use by teachers and parents, links to other online resources, and a map of events. CNNfyi.com, http://www.cnnfyi.com/.
NetDayCompass.org has added
a special category to its site, Children in Crisis, to provide teachers
with a comprehensive list of resources on how to discuss national tragedies
with children. The material includes research and news articles, support
groups, charitable organizations, and other resources. NetDayCompass.org,
http://www.NetDayCompass.org/.
Net Learning
Change the World
President Bush has launched
the Friendship Through Education Consortium, an entity committed
to creating opportunities to facilitate online and offline interactions
among the youth of the world, inside and outside of classrooms, to build
a culture of peace where the dignity and rights of all human beings are
respected. The effort focuses initially on expanding links between U.S.
schools and those in Islamic countries, including Egypt, Indonesia, Qatar,
Pakistan, Turkey, Bahrain, and Afghan refugee camps. The Consortium's duties
include finding friendship schools in Islamic nations, helping to provide
safe and secure Internet-based communications among students, assisting
with translations, and facilitating classroom projects. Friendship Through
Education, http://www.FriendshipThroughEducation.org.
White House Fact Sheet: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/10/20011025.html/.
If I Made the Movies
Students 16 years old and
younger are eligible to enter the "If I Made the Movies" essay contest
sponsored by New Moon Publishing. The contest, part of New Moon's 2002
Turn Beauty Inside Out campaign, will focus on how girls and women
are portrayed in film. Entrants should select a recent movie (released
within the last 5 years) and write a 600 word or less essay on how they
would change it to send girls and women a more positive message. Essays
can be e-mailed to newmoon@newmoon.org
or can be submitted in writing (must be postmarked by February 28, 2002).
The winning essays will be included in a presentation to filmmaking executives
in May 2002 in Hollywood. New Moon Publishing, Attn: TBIO Essay Contest,
P.O. Box 3620, Duluth, Minnesota 55803; or http://www.newmoon.org/.
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