Research and Education
http://www.ecmi.de/doc/index.html
While the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) has been in existence since 1996, its history dates back to 1991 when Kurt Hamer (a representative for issues related to various Danish and German minority groups) circulated a memorandum calling for the possibility of a joint venture between Germany and Denmark that would investigate various issues affecting minorities throughout Europe. As their mission statement notes, "The ECMI conducts practice-oriented research, provides information and documentation, and offers advisory services concerning minority-majority relations in Europe." Along with this particular facet of their operations, the ECMI is also interested in the "early monitoring, study and resolution of ethnic tension and potential conflicts in all regions of Europe." On the website, visitors can learn about upcoming events and conferences sponsored by the Centre, read about its current and proposed projects, and learn about its wide-ranging publication series. While many of the handbooks and monographs are not available as free downloads, many of the reports and working papers presented here are available for free in the pdf format. Some of the more recent working papers include investigations into educational reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina and international involvement in the South Caucasus. [KMG]
http://www.americanjourneys.org/
With over 18,000 pages of eyewitness accounts of North American exploration, the American Journeys Digital Library and Learning Center is the result of a collaboration between the U.S. Institute of Museum & Library Services and by private donors. Much of the work was done at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, and visitors with an interest in digital projects and their creation and management will want to review the section that details how the website was built. Visitors with a limited amount of time will want to peruse the highlights section, which offers a number of noteworthy historical accounts, including the first encounter of Europeans with the Grand Canyon and the arrival of Captain James Cook in Hawaii. The resource section for educators is well-developed and includes suggestions on integrating documents into lesson plans, information on interpreting documents, and addressing sensitive content. As might be expected, the complete contents of the digital library may be searched in any number of ways, including by topic, author name, document type, and by keyword or full text. [KMG]
With the passing of another Veteran's Day here in the United States, many persons may be interested to learn about the everyday experiences of persons around the world during various military conflicts. The BBC has created this website in an attempt to allow people to share their reminisces of World War II, and quite a few stories and tales have been contributed thus far. Visitors to the site can browse stories by date, location, or type; additionally, stories are organized into thematic categories such as Childhood and Evacuation, Family Life, The Blitz, and Home Front. For each story, visitors have the option of commenting on each narrative, or offering their own remembrances as well. The site also offers some links to other online features offered by the BBC, such as QuickTime movies dealing with various facets of World War II and another quirky site that details how the war affected British children. [KMG]
http://www.museum.state.il.us/exhibits/ice_ages/index.html
This online exhibit developed by the Illinois State Museum provides information about the most recent glaciation over a large part of the Earth. To gain an understanding of ice ages, students will find answers to the questions: What are Ice Ages?, When did Ice Ages Occur?, and Why do Ice Ages Occur?. The Web site's section on the Midwest U.S. 16,000 Years Ago Exhibit features amazing images, animations, and descriptions of the glacier movements, soil deposits, environments, and other landscape features. Visitors will also find extensive information about the plants and animals of the Pleistocene. [RME] This site is also reviewed in the November 14, 2003 NSDL Physical Sciences Report.
Sponsored by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and several other organizations, this intriguing site offers individuals the opportunity to determine (in a general fashion) where they stand on the "fundamental trade-offs facing U.S. policymakers." At its essence, the website asks users 12 questions about their views on foreign policy stances in order to construct a nuanced portrait of their individual foreign policy beliefs. Along with this feature, users can also offer their views on four aspects of America's role in foreign affairs: use of military power, sponsorship of democracy and human rights, efforts to expand the global marketplace, and the level of international cooperation. In this feature, users use a sliding scale to offer their opinions on these four elements through questions like "Should we increase emphasis on diplomatic or military means to secure peace?" The site is rounded out by a selection of links to outside resources, thematically organized into areas that allow online users to engage in political discussions, learn about foreign policy debates, and read commentaries from a broad range of ideological perspectives. [KMG]
http://hearth.library.cornell.edu/
The very phrase, home economics, often conjures up images of women learning how to prepare a household budget, or learning about various child-rearing techniques in a somewhat less than empowering setting. However, a reassessment of this rather multifaceted discipline has begun in recent years. Professor Joan Jacobs Brumberg at Cornell University notes that "what other group of American women did so much, all over the country, and got so little credit? We must do everything we can to preserve and organize records and materials from this important female ghetto." Designed to rectify the unfortunate marginalization of the discipline's historic importance, this rather outstanding archive of digitized materials is provided by the Mann Library at Cornell University and currently contains 838 books and 7 journals, for a total of 331,695 digitized pages. Visitors will want to start by looking through the Subjects section of the site, where they may read brief essays about the various sub-disciplines within home economics, such as clothing and textiles and home management. Each essay is complemented by an extensive bibliography for further reading and scholastic inquiry. Additionally, visitors may elect to browse the entire contents of the archive by date, author name, or journal title. [KMG]
More and more classrooms are utilizing a number of online Internet sites to supplement traditional classroom instruction, and this recently released website produced by Jacob Richman may be a welcome addition to the growing number of materials publicly available. Designed for younger students, the site includes four educational activities, including a word search, quizzes, hangman, and a match game. In the word game, visitors can choose their skill level, then pick a set of themed words to be included in the game, such as birds or colors. In the match game, visitors can start by reviewing each thematic set of cards, which feature a voice that also says the name of the item featured on each card. Once again, visitors can elect to pick their skill level and so on. Finally the quiz allows visitors to select from different sets of questions, such as those about opposites and synonyms and queries about the animal kingdom. Overall, this site serves as a nice adjunct to classroom learning activities for preschool or younger elementary school students. [KMG]
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/hippo/index.html
This website is the online companion to Hippo Beach, which recently aired on the PBS series NATURE. And as the website explains, "from the study of hippos' essential relationships with birds to the discovery that hippos can communicate underwater, these mammals deserve a closer look." Students can get a closer look with "Sun, Sand, and Hippos," an interdisciplinary lesson plan for grades 3-5. The lesson guides students in researching and creating presentations on hippos and helpful weblinks, worksheets, and a teacher’s guide are provided. The website contains other special features as well, including video clips from the program, multimedia activities, informative essays, and more. [RS] This site is also reviewed in the November 14, 2003 NSDL Life Sciences Report.
