Education
LiveWires: Children's Lesson in Python [pdf]
http://www.livewires.org.uk/python/
Guido van Robot: High School Students Use Python to Program
http://gvr.sourceforge.net/
Python is an introductory programming language considered ideal for learning the basic concepts of programming. These two websites offer examples of educational uses and lesson plans for Python. The first site describes LiveWires, which is used to teach Python to children ages 12-15 at a summer camp in Britain. The lesson materials are free online and include a series of worksheets, reference sheets and game sheets for use with the LiveWires package (Python modules). Also on this website are a list of possible activities that will be offered in the 2004 summer session, interviews with current and former LiveWires people, and a typical timetable. The second website describes a project called Guido van Robot in which students write simple programs to control a simulated robot. Using Python, students write a program to guide the actions of a robot that is "represented by a triangle on the screen that moves around in a world made up of streets and venues, walls and beepers, which Guido can collect or set." Students learn the concepts of sequencing, conditional branching, looping and procedural abstraction. Related documents, program file screen shots, and a lesson plan are available for free downloading. [VF]
http://www.esri.com/industries/k-12/atlas/index.html
ESRI's U.S. Community Atlas allows teachers and students across the country to "define the nature of 'their community' and post descriptions and maps about it." The project involves students in exploring the data and discovering patterns and characteristics of their neighborhoods to produce a "community profile." Students are challenged to reach a consensus on the bounds of "the community" and to build their spatial and analytical skills. This website provides guidelines and sample projects for teachers interested in planning a Community Atlas project in their school. They recommend using map services available online through your web browser and offer links to those services as well as ways to purchase GIS software and datasets. Final projects can be posted on the Community Atlas website to be part of the database and eligible for a reward from ESRI. Teachers are asked to register for free. [VF]
Based at the Center for Democracy and Technology, Youth04 is an effort, mostly by college students, to "start a revolution in the role that 18 to 25-year-olds play in politics in America" by using Internet technologies and grassroots organizing. The goals are: 1) to create effective strategies for young voters to express their beliefs and values in election 2004; 2) to encourage candidates, their consultants, and the media to pay attention to young voters; and 3) to increase voter turnout among young voters. Visitors to the website can sign a petition, enter discussion groups (where some candidates have actually chimed in), and learn about ways to get involved and spread the word. A separate page is devoted to college professors with curricular suggestions.
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The Accessibility in Distance Education (ADE) website offers guidelines for faculty seeking to develop accessible online materials for people with disabilities. The five major sections of the website address common questions regarding the meaning of accessibility, legal issues, issues to consider when designing an online course, as well as How-To and Best Practices sections. Provided by the University of Maryland University College, this site should prove to be immensely helpful to those instructors striving to consider accessibility with regard to online education.
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http://www.showmecenter.missouri.edu/
The Show-Me Center is a partnership of four NSF-sponsored middle grades mathematics curriculum development Satellite Centers (University of Wisconsin, Michigan State University, University of Montana, and the Educational Development Center). The group's website provides "information and resources needed to support selection and implementation of standards-based middle grades mathematics curricula." The Video Showcase includes segments on Number, Algebra, Geometry, Measure, and Data Analysis, with information on ways to obtain the complete video set. The Curricula Showcase provides general information, unit goals, sample lessons and teacher pages spanning four projects: the Connected Mathematics Project (CMP), Mathematics in Context (MiC), MathScape: Seeing and Thinking Mathematically, and Middle Grades Math Thematics. The website also posts Show-Me Center newsletters, information on upcoming conferences and workshops, and links to resources including published articles and unpublished commentary on mathematics school reform. [VF]
http://www.eere.energy.gov/education/
This website hosted by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy offers links to educational and training resources on energy. They provide information relevant to students, school administrators and homeowners, in addition to the usual resources for teachers such as curriculum and lesson plans. The section for students provides ideas for energy-related science projects and links to other resources to help with writing reports. High school and college students can also read about energy careers and energy-related college degrees, programs and internships. The section for school administrators includes not only information on energy education programs, but also resources on ways to make school buildings more energy efficient and about alternative fuel and vehicle technologies for school buses. Those already knowledgeable about energy may find the links to energy-related job listings and continuing education opportunities helpful. Finally, homeowners will find a section on training and classes helpful for building energy-efficient homes. [VF]
http://www.rand.org/multi/achievementforall/
RAND has developed this website in an effort to bring together researchers, teachers, developers, and policymakers "to create, debate and apply research findings and the wisdom of practitioners to solving education problems" in reading and mathematics. To address fundamental problems of knowledge and practice in education research, RAND organized two study groups to begin a conversation about "what programmatic, problem-solving research might look like in two of the most important problem areas facing American education." Deciding that the promotion of research and practice communities was central to this effort, RAND hosts this website where study group reports are distributed and "a wide variety of concerned publics" can offer their input.
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http://ptpi.org/programs/school_class.html
The School and Classroom Program is a service offered by People to People International (PTPI), an organization that seeks "to enhance international understanding and friendship through educational, cultural and humanitarian activities involving the exchange of ideas and experiences directly among peoples of different countries and diverse cultures." This website describes the program which connects teachers and their students with similar-age classrooms in other countries. Students can interact online and offline using various audio and visual tools, and collaborate on projects such as exchanging letters or examining recycling systems. Thousands of students in countries in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America have participated. Teachers and students interested in joining the program can register online and participation is free. [VF]
