Sunday, October 28, 2007

Library of Congress: Poetry

[pdf, Real Player]
http://www.loc.gov/poetry/
On a recent visit to the Library of Congress: Poetry website, the first line of a poem by William Stafford appeared on the top of the page. The poem in question was “At the Un-National Monument Along the Canadian Border”, and it just one of many poems that can be found on this simple delightful site. Amidst this cornucopia of poems, visitors can also learn about the current poet laureate and take in a few webcasts from the “Poet Vision” series. It is an august group indeed, and some of the programs include those that profile Rita Dove, Louise Gluck, and Stanley Kunitz. Visitors can also look over a list of poetry news and events and breeze on through the related resources offered by the Library of Congress. Educators and students will want to pay close attention to the “For Teachers & Students” area, where they can find resources designed to bring poetry into the classroom in an experiential fashion.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Venn Diagrams

[Via The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/]

[Macromedia Flash Player]

http://mathdl.maa.org/mathDL/3/pa=content&sa=viewDocument&nodeId=1555

Unions, intersections, and differences: This can all be quite confusing to students trying to enter the potentially tricky world of Venn Diagrams. Fortunately, Alfredo Jiminez of Pennsylvania State University, Hazleton has created this handy Flash-enabled teaching application designed to provide students with an engaging way to learn about this subject.

The project is party of the Digital Classroom Resources at the MAA Mathematical Sciences Digital Library, and visitors will find this particular learning activity quite easy to use. The interactive tool contains seven sections, including those dealing with the principles of union and intersection, distributive properties, and De Morgan’s laws. Within each section, visitors can try their hand with a series of short questions and then take advantage of some review materials and, of course, a few basic tests.

Thursday, October 18, 2007

The Mysterious Bogpeople

From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-2007. http://scout.wisc.edu/

[Macromedia Flash Player]

http://www.bogpeople.org/

Despite the seemingly spooky title of this site, visitors should not be afraid of entering and exploring around the contents of this very interactive site.

Created through a collaborative partnership between organizations such as the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the Drents Museum, this site concerns itself with the artifacts and material world created by the so-called “bogpeople” of northwestern Europe who lived approximately 10,000 years ago. Visitors can explore their world through sections that include “Science”, “Timeline”, “Profile” and “Mediatheatre”. The “Mediatheatre” section is a good place to start as visitors can view short film clips that cover the mysteries of the bog, fishing with a harpoon, and the fabled Ubbena wheel. Moving along, the “Timeline” area gives some nice chronological context to the events and transformations covered by the site, and the “Science” area includes some insights into what archaeologists do in the field.

Thursday, October 11, 2007

BBC: Schools – Games

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/games/

An extensive and varied collection of educational games, vetted and assessed under the auspices of the BBC, are available for both primary and secondary students. The games are graded according to age and themed by subject.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Bullying at School and What to Do About It

http://www.education.unisa.edu.au/bullying/

The serious problem of bullying is the focus of this comprehensive site created by Ken Rigby, who is an Adjunct Research Professor and educational consultant at the University of South Australia. Content includes background information, practical advice, a video and additional links to related sites.

Friday, October 05, 2007

Ecological Footprints: Calculators

http://www.epa.vic.gov.au/ecologicalfootprint/calculators/

Victoria's Environment Protection Authority has produced a fascinating interactive resource that students and staff can use to measure 'how much nature we have, how much we use, and who uses it. It shows us how much biologically productive land and water a population (an individual, an organisation, a city, a country, or all of humanity) requires supporting current levels of consumption and waste production, using prevailing technology.'