Web Watch

Connecting the World Through National Web Sites

Larry Miller

Don Leu, moderator of RTEACHER, the listserv associated with the International Reading Association journal The Reading Teacher, wrote a commentary for list subscribers in October 1999 that was prompted by an article Denise Johnson published in the journal the preceding month. The article, which is available at this site, focused on how Denise was using the Internet to foster students' experiences with children's literature. As part of his commentary, Don noted that many countries had created national education Web sites to support the integration of information technology (IT) into their curricula. The ancillary effect of many of the sites is the potential they have to nurture cross-cultural understanding by arranging e-pals, sharing lessons plans, and providing information on telecommunications projects that extend across borders.

In this Web Watch I visit the sites Don mentioned, as well as a few others, and offer descriptions of some of their features. The national Web sites (and one international) vary in terms of sponsorship, target audience, and content. An overview of each site is given, describing its focus and some of its offerings. Although I have opinions about attributes such as ease of navigation and graphics, I allow readers to make their own evaluations about these features as they explore the links.

National education Web sites are not devoted exclusively to literacy or technology, and they typically cover education from primary to college levels. The services and resources offered vary, but many allow users to locate information about curriculum guides, ongoing projects, e-pals, lesson plans, examinations, contests and awards, teacher education, and even job announcements. In this Web Watch some of the unique features of each site will be highlighted, although readers should be aware that these sketches present just a sample of the total offerings. Rather than insert links for each feature described, only the main national Web site link is given. All sites have either an index or browse and search options. Please keep in mind that not all the features or links in these sites may continue to be available after this Web Watch appears. National sites are updated frequently, with both deletions and additions.

Australia

EdNA Online, an Australian Web site, is operated for all ministers of education and training. Responsibility for education in Australia lies with its states and territories, so the site is run by a consortium. EdNA contains many resources for educators, such as ministry publications, research reports, and curriculum guides and lesson plans, and the public can find information about topics such as government education policies. A useful feature is a list of online projects, through which teachers in Australia and abroad seek partners. Australia is a large country with a relatively small population. A Web site such as EdNA can connect teachers across great geographic distances, helping them find colleagues who share their interests. Recent online projects calling for partners included "Dreaming Online: Sharing Aboriginal Stories" and "Statues and Their Stories."

EdNA also offers a few unexpected features, such as a link to Australia's national mapping agency. And, in keeping with Sydney's hosting of the Olympics, there is an Olympics link, complete with numerous lesson plans, history of the games, and related information. Because the site is maintained by a commercial company, there is advertising, although not the usual banner ads frequently found in commercial sites. Instead, the sponsor offers the opportunity to win a computer for completing a questionnaire.

Back to menu

Canada

Canada's SchoolNet, sponsored by Industry Canada, is available in both official languages, French and English. In Canada, like Australia, educational authority is not held by the federal government; provinces have prime responsibility, along with local school boards. Therefore, this federally sponsored site provides links to provincial ministries of education as well as other services. Teachers who wish to access guidelines or lesson plans for a particular curriculum must go to the provincial links. SchoolNet does sponsor some learning activities, such as GrassRoots, a program designed to fund interactive classroom-centered projects spanning the country.

The main goal of the site is to inform readers about federally sponsored IT projects. One example is the Community Access Program (CAP), designed to provide Canadians with affordable public access to the Internet and the skills necessary to use it. This program places a special emphasis on reaching rural Canadians. Another example is the Aboriginal Digital Collections (ADC), linked from the SchoolNet site but now housed on its own server. In the “About ADC” section, readers are informed that "ADC is designed especially to help Aboriginal Canadians to preserve, celebrate and communicate their heritage, language and contemporary life by developing and accessing materials over the Information Highway."

Back to menu

Europe

European Schoolnet is different from other Web sites discussed in that it is not a national site; instead, it represents a framework of cooperation of the European Union with Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Iceland.

Although European Schoolnet does not represent one particular country, it does provide links to national Web sites of other countries. Many of these sites are in their country's official language or languages; however, sites, including those of Finland and Denmark, provide English versions of their content and specific projects. For example, readers who speak English only can follow links from European Schoolnet to English pages at Odin, the Nordic school data network and at the Viking Network through the Danish site.

European Schoolnet does not offer typical fare such as guides and lesson plans tied to specific curricula; however, numerous teacher resources are available. One example of a useful resource is found in the News and Media Projects section, which invites teachers and students to create online newspapers, and offers a publishing tool as well as writing ideas. Collaborative IT projects are frequently highlighted in articles, many of them involving several countries. Although European Schoolnet is relatively new, it offers promise for fostering international cooperation in educational endeavors.

Back to menu

Ireland

Ireland breaks the mold when it comes to national Web sites with ScoilNet, which is run by Intel and the Irish Department of Education and Science. The difference is mainly one of organization, because if one digs deep into ScoilNet, it is possible to find content similar to that of other national sites. There are five major domains on the index page, three dedicated to students, one to parents, and one to teachers. It was the direct focus on students that intrigued me. In the area labeled “3rd to 6th Class” (referring to the Irish school levels for 9- to 12-year-olds), students can obtain help with school subjects ranging from culture to Gaeilge to visual arts. That feature did not surprise me, but the links to games (brainteasers), movie and record reviews, and sports were unique, compared to other national Web sites. I was also treated to informative articles, such as one about why you should not let your dog hang out the car window!

Teacher resources are a part of ScoilNet, and educators can find lesson plans, support materials, and tutorials. Lesson plans are often linked to national exams, which are part of the Irish education system. Education articles on a variety of topics are posted, with specific subsections on special needs students, guidance, and technology. However, like the students, teachers also have access to “noneducation” sections such as a music center, sports café, and travel log. I once attended a technology and education conference in Copenhagen where the host speaker exhorted us to learn as much as possible about IT through the sessions. He then added wryly, "And have a bit of fun, too. That's the Danish way." I think the Danes and the Irish are kindred spirits.

Back to menu

New Zealand

The official New Zealand Ministry of Education Web site is similar to others in that it provides curricular information, details of government policies, and research and statistics. Titles such as “Property Management” offer links for administrators who need ministry guidelines. A search using the word literacy turned up five research or policy documents.

The site leads to two further ministry-sponsored Web sites, Te Kete Ipurangi: The Online Learning Centre and the Education Gazette. The latter is similar to the main ministry site except that new content is published every 2 or 3 weeks, thus providing more up-to-date information.

Visitors to Te Kete Ipurangi are welcomed in Maori and English, and both languages are options throughout the site. This site is the most teacher-oriented of the links from the main site. The stated mission for Te Kete Ipurangi is to act as a catalyst, provide support, facilitate teacher initiatives, and encourage collaboration. Both browse and search options are available for users, and these are important because the database of resources is rich. A search using literacy produced a wealth of detailed lesson plans that frequently combined content with the arts and the language arts. Access to school Web sites is another notable feature of the New Zealand site.

Back to menu

Singapore

The Singapore Web site has a straightforward title—Ministry of Education, Singapore. Content tends to be limited to official announcements, speeches by ministry officials, education policies, and information pertinent to schools, such as examinations and admissions. There are links to other major sites such as IT in Education, Educational Television, and Teachers' Network.

Teachers' Network is strong on facilitating teachers' sharing, but lacks repositories of teaching ideas, units, and materials often found at other national Web sites. A unique and valuable feature called Beginning Teachers was found at the site. Here, novices can find support tailored to their needs. Unfortunately, all of the sites in Teacher' Network are accessible only through name and password, so I was unable to read the content. Because the Web site has no search or browse option, I was unable to determine if literacy topics were prevalent.

Back to menu

United Kingdom

The National Grid for Learning (NGfL) describes itself as "both an architecture (or structure) of educationally valuable content on the Internet, and a programme for developing the means to access that content in schools, libraries, colleges, universities, workplaces, home and elsewhere." This NGfL mission statement is similar to those of other countries. Education is viewed from a wide perspective, and the Internet is seen as a conduit for sharing information. As with many other national Web sites, NGfL is designed for use by students, professional educators, and the public.

Although the NGfL home page appears rather spartan compared to other national Web sites, I quickly discovered that each major category (e.g., schools, community grids, and lifelong learning and UFI) opens links to subcategories, which, in turn, often lead to even more links. Thus, this is a "deep" site. Unlike many countries, the United Kingdom does have a national curriculum so it is possible to access policy statements as well as curricular documents.

Because there were no major index headings related to literacy I used the search option to see what was available on the topic. I was rewarded with over 1000 selections, which indicated that a more fine-tuned search was needed to sort through the vast collection of information. Probing further, I found research reports, literacy Web site links, national literacy standards, and lessons, to mention just a few resources.

Back to menu

Sharing Resources

In this Web Watch I have described seven national and international education Web sites. Although each is devoted primarily to education curricula, policies, and projects relevant to the host country, many offer value to visitors from other countries as well. For example, teachers can find projects that may be seeking international partners or e-pals for correspondence among students. The sites may also help teachers seeking information on cross-cultural units or themes, children's literature, and special events such as Sydney's hosting of the 2000 Olympics. I found each Web site unique in some way, and exploring the sites gave me new insight into each country's educational process.

I invite readers to share national Web sites with others through the Reading Online listserv, which is moderated by Ken Weiss, or to contact me directly. Ken and I will share the information we receive with readers.

Back to menu

References

Johnson, D. (1999). Electronic collaboration: Children's literature in the classroom. Reading Teacher, 53(1), 54-60. Available: http://www.readingonline.org/electronic/elec_index.asp?HREF=/electronic/RT/9-99RT.html

Leu, D. (1999, October 12). Denise Johnson's article in the September issue of RT [commentary posted to the RTEACHER listserv]. Available: http://reading.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind9910b&L=rteacher&F=&S=&P=3333

Note

Donald J. Leu, whose commentary stimulated this Web Watch, holds the John and Maria Neag Chair in Literacy and Technology at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut, USA. He is the author of the chapter on literacy and technology in the most recent Handbook of Reading Research, edits the column "Exploring Literacy on the Internet" for The Reading Teacher, and facilitates the RTEACHER listserv. His most recent book is the third edition of Teaching with the Internet: Lessons from the Classroom (with Deborah Diadiun Leu, published by Christopher-Gordon).

Back to top

For an index of International Perspectives Web Watches, click here. To print this article, click anywhere on its text; then use your browser's print command.

Citation: Miller, M. (2000, October). Connecting the world through national Web sites. Reading Online, 4(4). Available: http://www.readingonline.org/international/inter_index.asp?HREF=/international/webwatch/national/index.html

Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted October 2000
© 2000 International Reading Association, Inc.   ISSN 1096-1232