Weekly Web Finds - Jan. 4, 2007

kerrypren — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 19:12:15 GMT

Americans in Paris

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has created an online companion site to its Americans in Paris exhibition. It tours the art works of some of the best known American artists who lived and worked in Paris from 1860 to 1900, including Mary Cassatt, James McNeill Whistler, and Winslow Homer. Each gallery has an introduction providing information on the artists and their paintings. [URLs: http://www.metmuseum.org/special/Americans_in_Paris/index.asp]

Year-end Wrap-ups

Gary Price on his wonderful ResourceShelf.com has posted a page of sites with interesting wrap-ups for 2006 (it extends to multiple pages, hit “previous entries” at the bottom of each page. Some of the lists included are: top movies of 2006, ten best (and worst) food trends, banished words list, top health stories and much more. [URLs: http://www.resourceshelf.com/category/resources/lists-rankings/year-end-wrap-ups/]

This Week’s Reports

The Horatio Alger Association has issued its annual The State of Our Nation’s Youth (free registration is required). High school students were surveyed on a variety of topics, from what they think of their schools to how they communicate with friends. Surprisingly, most teens admire their parents, see them as role models and would like to spend more time with their families. It’s interesting reading.

For the next 2 weeks, Education Week is making its annual Quality Counts report for 2007 available online for free. Here’s your chance to look at this important report. There are state highlights and articles on education for life.

Britain’s Institute for Public Policy Research has issued Pupil Attainment: Time for a Three Rs Guarantee. (You do not have to register to read this report.) It found that overall achievement in English schools is rising but that the rate of improvement is slowing down.

[URLs: http://www.horatioalger.org/pdfs/state05.pdf, http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2007/01/04/index.html, http://www.ippr.org.uk/publicationsandreports/publication.asp?id=517]

Newsworthy

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review carried a story, Teachers Take to Cyberschool, about teachers studying for their master’s degree entirely online. The California University of Pennsylvania offers an entire degree program online and teachers seem to like it.

Last week, we posted links to eSchool News Online top ed-tech developments for 2006. This week eSchool News Online offers its Six Ed-Tech Trends to Watch in 2007. Among the six are cloud computing (don’t ask us to explain it!) and “telepresence and anytime, anywhere education.”

The Chicago Tribune has carried a story about virtual learning. Program Takes Kids on Virtual Learning Trips relates the story of David Freeman who developed the Wilderness Classroom Program. Kids take exciting virtual field trips and it’s a fun way to learn.

[URLs: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_486167.html, http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=6781, http://tinyurl.com/u86mz]

200 Notable Days

200 Notable Days is an online book by Senate historian Richard A. Baker. He has selected the most important dates in Senate history from its inception to 2002. Some of the events he’s selected include Sept. 11, 1789 when the Senate confirmed the first cabinet member, Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the Treasury, July 4, 1851, when the Capitol cornerstone was dedicated and February 25, 1870 when Hiram Revels was sworn in as the first African-American senator. There are many other interesting events described. [URLs: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/congress/senate/notabledays/index.html]

Science from the Poles

2007 starts with International Polar Year and the marvelous folks at Exploratorium have created a web site to track research at both the North and South Poles. Science from the Poles provides a series of webcasts and videos showing climate change and activity at the Poles. It’s definitely worth a visit. You’ll need RealPlayer or Windows Media player to view the video. [URLs: http://www.exploratorium.edu/poles/index.html]

Blue Book

Multichannel News, a trade publication for the broadcast and cable industry, has issued its Blue Book 2006. You’ll find a lot of information on the number of homes with HD or broadband and other technologies. There’s demographic information available here as well. And it’s all free. [URLs: http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=nocclamp&articleid=CA6350305]

Trained Goldfish

Okay, so what’s the trick? How do you think these fish appear to do a synchronized swimming routine? [URLs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGw6EhBtznM]