http://www.demos.co.uk/files/Cultural%20diplomacy%20-%20web.pdf

The Demos group in Britain describes itself as “the think tank for everyday democracy”, and they have published a number of intelligent research reports and briefs as of late. One of their recent reports, released in February 2007, deals with the world of cultural diplomacy. Authored by Kirsten Bound, Rachel Briggs, John Holden, and Samuel Jones, the paper’s central premise is that “the huge global reach and potential of Britain’s world class artistic and cultural assets…should be at the heart of government relationship building abroad.” It’s an interesting concept, and one that is developed over the course of this work through citing specific examples and also by pointing a way to forward efforts in this particular niche of public policy and international relations. [KMG]

http://www.cew.wisc.edu/

Established in 1964, The Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison “seeks to enhance the quality of career-related learning for all individuals in schools, colleges, and the workplace.” From their homepage, visitors can learn about their strategic initiatives and ongoing research projects, which include those on preparing special learners for careers in technology and a set of resources for administrators working in two-year colleges. One of the highlights of the site is the feature, “Web Accessibility for All: Failure is Not An Option”, located in the “Learning Supports: Technology & Special Learners” area. Here, visitors can learn about what they can do to create accessible web content for a variety of users via tutorials, tested examples, and a series of interviews with experts. [KMG]

http://njedl.rutgers.edu/njdlib/index.cfm

Websites that function as clearinghouses of information on a given topic (i.e. animal husbandry, ecology, and so on) have become much more common in recent years, and they can be fine resources for finding specific documents quickly. One such site is the New Jersey Environmental Digital Library (NJEDL). The site brings together materials on New Jersey’s environment, most of which is culled from state government agencies, non-profit organizations, research institutes, and academic departments. First-time visitors can just go ahead and type in words to the search engine, or they may want to look at the “News and Features” area for some of the latest additions. Also, the “Past Spotlights” area includes direct links to reports on mitigating floods on the Delaware River and “Trout in the Classroom: A Guide For Teachers”. [KMG]

http://genetics.gsk.com/overview.htm

Keeping the world of base pairs straight can be a challenge, but fortunately this well-developed introduction to the world of genetics will be a boon to students and those members of the public who are craving a refresher on this exciting area of science. Created by GlaxoSmithKline, the site includes a number of interactive animations that illustrate the workings of DNA and genes. Along with these animations, visitors can read over brief introductory pieces on mutations and genetic disorders. The site also has a brief multiple choice quiz that users can take after they make their way through the different sections here. [KMG]

http://www.phy6.org/stargaze/Kep3laws.htm

Four hundred years ago, the German astronomer Johannes Kepler described his concept of the laws of planetary motion in his work, “Astronomia nova”. These important laws remain important concepts for students of physics, and those who work with such students will find much of interest on this particular site. Created by David P. Stern (a retired physicist at the Goddard Space Flight Center), the site consists of an overview of Kepler’s laws, with examples, applications, problems and related history. The material is based on a talk that Stern gave in Maryland, and visitors will find that this resource is both accessible and very thorough. [KMG]

http://www.mste.uiuc.edu/resources.php

Located at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, The Office for Mathematics, Science, and Technology Education is primarily interested in creating resources for educators working on these topics. First-time visitors should definitely start by looking through the “Resources” area, as they will find classroom tested exercises that cover basic topics in algebra, trigonometry, and a number of related fields in math. Moving along, the site also features teaching modules that will help educators explain different concepts in technology, which can be most useful, particularly for beginning students. Finally, if visitors to the site have questions, there is a contact form and a place to make suggestions about material that might be covered in future projects and modules. [KMG]

http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=intro

Are you looking for an article about Horace Mann and Antioch College? Perhaps you would be interested in a piece of scholarship dealing with public housing in Cleveland? Both of these topics can be found between the digital pages of the journal, Ohio History, which is offered at no charge, courtesy of the Ohio Public Library Information Network. Over the past several years, they have worked to digitize issues of the journal dating back to June 1887. This site contains all of the issues up to the Winter-Spring 2004 edition, and visitors will enjoy browsing through this publication at their leisure. Amidst all of the 53,000 pages of digitized text, visitors will have no trouble finding articles that suit their particular interest within the world of historical scholarship on all things Ohio. [KMG]

http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/classes/620/Electricity_home.html#Teacher%20Activities

Stephen T. Thornton, a professor in the department of physics at the University of Virginia, has created this website to bring together a number of lesson plans for teachers in the field. Within this “Teacher Investigations” section of the site, visitors can look over three different classroom activities. The investigations include explorations into the world of light bulbs, the workings of circuits, and so on. Each activity includes a number of helpful diagrams, instructions, and questions for group discussion. Additionally, the site contains a list of recommended readings for physics teachers. [KMG]