Research and Education
http://www.cfr.org/publication/11954/
The Council on Foreign Relations has created a number of interactive guides that address everything from Africa's conflict zones to the region along Pakistan's Afghan border. This particular interactive feature deals with the ongoing political situation on the Korean Peninsula. After a brief audio and visual introduction, visitors can take in eight chapters that cover the region's historical background, military history, and nuclear facilities. Along with graphics such as charts and tables, some of the chapters include interactive timelines and maps. One chapter that should not be missed is the one dedicated to exploring the subject of "Military Balance". In this chapter, users can learn about the military assets in the region held by the United States, Japan, China, Russia, and South and North Korea. It's quite an overview, and this site could also be used in an introductory political science or international relations course. [KMG]
http://globalhealthreporting.org/
Information on global health conditions online is quite extensive, though it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. Created and operated by the Kaiser Family Foundation (with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), the Global Health Reporting site is designed for journalists and the general public. The site is a frequently-updated and high-quality resource on information about the global health situation regarding HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria. The site provides country-level data on these conditions, along with a "New & Noteworthy" area, which provides recent articles on these matters. Journalists will appreciate the "Reporting Tools" section, as it features glossaries, reporting manuals, disease tutorials, and multimedia offerings. Additionally, visitors can sign up to receive email notifications and RSS feeds. [KMG]
As any new medical student knows, exploring the existing medical literature can be a real challenge. Fortunately, this site offered by the University of Colorado’s Health Sciences Center provides a nice guide to navigating these potentially treacherous waters. Created by a fourth year medical student, Katherine McLucas, the guide begins with a short tutorial that outlines a simple four-step approach to reading medical literature. Additionally, the site also includes a section on search strategies, an interactive glossary with hyperlinked terms, and version of the guide that can be used on a PDA. Overall, the site is well-thought out and executed, and is something that medical students will want to revisit when they are in need of some assistance. [KMG]
The United States Geological Survey’s Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC) was officially created in 1994, but a variety of predecessor organizations had been working on similar projects for several decades before that. With field stations located across the West, FRESC works on a variety of scientific endeavors, including studies related to wildlife ecology, conservation genetics, restoration ecology, and landscape dynamics. Users can browse around the "Research" area for information on ongoing studies and they can also look in the "Current News" section for details about their latest findings and discoveries. Members of the general public with a penchant for these topics should click on the "Fact Sheets" area. Here, they will find well-written and accessible publications such as "Biological Research on Fire in the West" and “Ospreys in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest”. [KMG]
http://www.open2.net/moreorless/
The "More or Less" program created by the BBC and the Open University was "born of the sense that numbers were the principal language of public argument." As statistics and data are everywhere from the newspaper to the grocery aisle, their statement makes a great deal of sense. This program asks everything from “What is economics?” to the various aspects of probability in everyday life. First-time visitors will want to start by looking over the "Essential Guides" area, these guides cover averages, economics, probability, and statistics through the use of straight-forward examples and illustrative devices. Moving on, the "Behind the Numbers" area takes on the notion of chance, media statistics, and the use of tables. Overall, the site is a great place for those who might be generally curious about statistics and related matters. [KMG]
http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/hdr_20072008_en_complete.pdf
Released biennially by the United Nations Development Programme, the Human Development Report offers informed commentary and analysis of issues that affect humans across the world. In past years, the report has dealt with civil wars, starvation, economic growth, gender inequality, and a wide range of pressing matters. Released at the end of November 2007, this edition of the Human Development Report takes on the development impact of climate change "that could bring unprecedented reversals in poverty reduction, nutrition, health and education." The 399-page report offers a portrait of the challenges presented by widespread climate changes by looking at growth in certain parts of the world, growing carbon footprints, and how developing and developed nations might mitigate some of these changes. [KMG]
http://www.ideas.wisconsin.edu/
The University of Wisconsin Extension program is well-regarded for their work throughout the Badger State’s rural, suburban, and urban areas, and they provide everything from rigorous agricultural tips to economic development assistance. One of their recent initiatives is the Interactive Dialogue with Educators Across the State (IDEAS) program. This program brings together teacher-reviewed and tested lessons, interactive tools, video and other resources which can be used in the classroom or for curriculum development purposes. Visitors can make use of the search engine on the homepage, or they can also browse materials by grade or subject. The subject list includes almost two dozen topical areas, such as music education, business and information technology, and social studies. One area that should not be missed is the "videoide@s" section. Here, visitors can view video programs that cover acid rain, Native Americans in Wisconsin, and the Bernoulli Effect. [KMG]
http://newmedia.purchase.edu/~Jeanine/origami/
Many people find doing origami relaxing, and others find it can be even a fine group activity to while away many pleasant hours. This particular website offers up some ways to use origami to teach mathematical thinking. Created by Daniel Meyer, Jeanine Meyer, and Aviva Meyer, this site includes a background essay on this art, a set of teaching strategies for incorporating origami into the classroom, and some sample models. The “Teaching Strategies” area is a good place to look after reading the background essay, and users should also make use of the "Origami Sources" area, as it features external links to other origami sites. [KMG]
