Education
http://europa.eu.int/comm/mediatheque/video/index_en.html
This website from Mediatheque offers a variety of videos, developed by the European Commission, which are available to download free of charge for "EU-related information and education purposes." The Commission "embodies and upholds the general interest of the Union" and the videos address key issues for the political Community and public interest. The videos cover a variety of topics including trade, railways, and responsible fishing. The Research section includes two videos on nanotechnology, which feature interviews with researchers (some of which are translated into English through subtitles), an inside look at nanotechnology laboratories, and simulations to demonstrate the microscopic world of nanotechnology. The videos vary in length and newly added videos are noted. A link at the bottom of the page allows visitors to search for keywords to locate a particular video in the archive. Visitors to the website can also learn about other audiovisual services offered by Mediatheque. [VF]
http://www.npac.syr.edu/textbook/kidsweb/
Kids Web is a digital library for K-12 students that aims to "present students with a subset of the Web that is very simple to navigate, and contains information targeted at the K-12 level." Maintained by Northeast Parallel Architectures Center at Syracuse University, the collection of websites is organized into the following subject areas: Arts, Sciences, Social Studies, and Miscellaneous. The Miscellaneous section currently includes some games and reference resources, such as dictionaries and economic data. The Science section includes websites on topics such as mathematics, computers, technology, and meteorology. Each subject section provides links to "information that is understandable and interesting to schoolkids" as well as some links to other online resources for advanced students. Kids are invited to use an interactive form to suggest other websites to be considered for inclusion in the Kids Web site. [VF]
http://www.carnegiefoundation.org/KML/KEEP/index.htm
KEEP stands for "Knowledge. Exchange. Exhibition. Presentation." The KEEP toolkit, developed by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, offers "a set of Web-based tools that help teachers, students and institutions quickly create compact and engaging knowledge representations on the Web." Some specific features of the toolkit include: the ability to select and organize teaching and learning materials; templates that provide conceptual frameworks, categories, and guiding prompts/questions to assist in analysis; and tools to create "visually appealing and intellectually engaging representations of material" that can be easily shared online or in print. The toolkit is intended to make it easier to share ideas for peer review, assessment, collective knowledge building, and building a "community of practice and reflection." The features are described in the Tour section and case studies provide some examples of ways that partner institutions and faculty have used their tools. Access to the tools is free but requires registration. [VF]
RoboFesta is "a worldwide educational movement that focuses on bringing science and technology to a general audience through widespread public participation in a range of robot competitions." This website provides links and information on the Open University Robotics Outreach Group, which began as a multidisciplinary research group that promoted RoboFesta. Members have posted various resources for students and teachers involved in the project, including a discussion of using the Lego RCX brick and their On-Brick Programmer using leJOS (Java for the RCX) that allows users to write simple, linear programs for the RCX Brick without the need for a PC. Related activities and worksheets are also posted and free to download as part of the Teacher Resource Packs being developed to support the RoboCup Junior robot soccer competition. Other projects such as the Robot Fashion Show and Dinomech, 'Robot' Dinosaurs workshop, are also described. [VF]
http://whyslopes.com/etc/solvingLinearEquations/index.html
This section of the website, Appetizers and Lessons for Mathematics and Reason, written by Alan Selby, PD. (see also Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, May 24, 2005) offers lesson ideas for teaching linear equations in high school or college. The approach uses stick diagrams to solve linear equations because they "provide a concrete or visual context for many of the rules or patterns for solving equations, a context that may develop equation solving skills and confidence." The idea is to build up student confidence in problem solving before presenting any formal algebraic statement of the rule and patterns for solving equations. Links to related chapters from his book, "Three Skills for Algebra," are also provided. [VF]
http://www.atm.org.uk/resources/index.html
The Association of Teachers of Mathematics (ATM), based in the United Kingdom, "believes in providing teachers with the resources to help them develop their mathematics teaching in creative and broad-thinking ways." This section on Resources OnLine offers a variety of resources, some of which are available only by purchase online. Some of the free online resources include sample files and programs from ATM CDs on spreadsheets and Interactive Mathematics, as well as some games involving shapes and probability. Films available in Macromedia Flash Player format demonstrate topics such as Polygons, Exploring Halves, Tangrams, and Euclid's Pythagoras Proof. A link to ATM's Convex Polyhedra Website shows 50 of the convex polyhedra that can be made with regular polygons and groups them into 10 families and some suggested activities to try using the images. Some articles from ATM Journals are also available online. [VF]
http://riverdeep.net/current/index.jhtml
The Riverdeep Current is a magazine for students and teachers published by a U.S.-based education software company, Riverdeep Interactive Learning Limited. The magazine is free online and offers stories for students and tips and resources for teachers. The current issue highlights a story for students about the future of video technology, while the section for teachers includes activities and lesson ideas relating to sports. The company's daily newsletter, delivered via email and posted online, highlights several online resources and offers teacher-to-teacher advice. Visitors can also explore previous issues of Riverdeep Current by topic areas, such as math, technology, space and the environment. Some free activities are also posted on their website and organized by grade level (PreK-2, K-6, six to nine, and nine to 12). [VF]
http://sln.fi.edu/flip/index.html
The Franklin Institute, which seeks "to inspire an understanding of and passion for science and technology learning" is based in Philadelphia, Pa. (See also Scout Report for Math, Engineering, and Technology, February 21, 2003). In honor of Benjamin Franklin, who coined the phrase "a penny saved is a penny earned," the Franklin Institute is gearing up for an online coin-flipping event to commemorate Franklin's 300th birthday on Jan. 16, 2006. That same day "students around the world collectively engage in a common scientific experiment to determine, once and for all, if "heads" or "tails" occurs more frequently in coin flips." Students are asked to use the worksheet posted on this website to record and submit their coin flips. The results from the coin flips will then be posted online. Results from coin flips conducted by students who came to The Franklin Institute to celebrate Ben Franklin's 298th birthday and students from a school in Liverpool, U.K., are posted already. Also available here are links to related educational resources that offer ideas for learning more about coins and probability. [VF]
