Featured Websites

Free Technology for Teachers

2010-11-26T13:56:00.000-05:00

This website is actually a blog by an educator who is also a Google Certified Teacher. There are lots of useful tips and applications to enhance the classroom experience.

Galaxy Zoo

2010-10-19T11:15:00.000-04:00

Don't have a PhD in astrophysics? Not a problem. You can still do astronomical research by joining a project called Galaxy Zoo. This project enlists volunteers to classify the shape and nature of galaxy images collected by "robot cameras" in satellites. In many cases the images will have never been seen before by a human observer. The human brain has proven more effective in classifying galaxies than any computer program so far. If you want to volunteer, see this page.

National Film Board

2010-05-27T13:20:00.000-04:00

The National Film Board (Canada) has made over 900 of its English language films available for viewing free of charge in streaming video. There is even an iPhone applet for personal viewing. NFB films have won over 5,000 awards, including 12 Oscars and 79 Oscar nominations.

Science Daily

2010-04-12T13:31:00.001-04:00

Science Daily offers an excellent summary of the latest discoveries in all fields of science. The site also provides a useful searchable archive of past articles.

The Big Picture

2010-02-16T10:05:00.004-05:00

This site links the latest news stories with some amazing photographs of the events. See the collection of the Olympic opening ceremony images for example.

What the Future Looked Like in the 1940's

2010-01-06T10:12:00.004-05:00

Looking at old advertisements is a fun way to study cultural history. In the 1940's Life magazine ran a series of ads predicting future technology. Some of them were amazingly prescient, others, not so much.

Smarthistory

2009-12-09T13:41:00.005-05:00

The award-winning Smarthistory.org is a free multi-media web-book designed as a dynamic enhancement (or even substitute) for the traditional art history textbook. The content incorporates podcasts and screencasts

Nova : Evolution

2009-11-20T10:02:00.005-05:00

PBS creates some excellent web sites to support their programming and Nova's Evolution is perhaps the best yet. It harnesses the most powerful features of the modern web, providing multiple media types, interactive displays and a multitude of links.

Holocaust Encyclopedia

2009-11-09T09:47:00.004-05:00

This outstanding web site is part of Washington DC's United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Photographs, videos, timelines and survivor memoirs are included.

A Wiki for Media

2009-10-27T14:17:00.007-04:00

If you are looking for copyright-free images, video, music, (in fact almost any media type) for a project where copyright could be an issue, Wikimedia Commons is the place to go. Over five million media files are available for download and use.

43Marks

2009-10-20T15:20:00.004-04:00

43Marks is a web site that is really a page of "Favourites", made up of links to some of the most popular sites on the Web. Sites are arranged in categories such as Social, Photo, Music, Games etc. There are also 6 popular RSS feeds. The power of the site lies in the fact that you can personalize it by editing, configuring and adding to the links and feeds.

Apocalypse Now

2009-09-25T14:19:00.005-04:00

Armageddon, the end of days, is a popular theme in fiction and film. But the real thing is only 300 km west of Guelph down highway 401. See this startling photo collection of the ruins of the once great city of Detroit. For more background you may be interested in following a year-long project by Time Inc. which will document the struggles of that city.

Encyclopedia of Life

2009-09-18T11:37:00.001-04:00

Encyclopedia of Life is a wiki-based biological encyclopedia that intends to publish data on all 1.8 million species on earth. Many international institutions are cooperating in the accumulation of information. It is estimated that the project will take 10 years to complete.

Photos from LIFE Magazine

2009-04-15T15:36:00.003-04:00

For more than two generations of North Americans LIFE Magazine was a major source of images about important events around the world. Now you can search and view tens of thousands of seminal photographs about the 20th century.

ArtBabble : Art Videos

2009-04-08T10:32:00.003-04:00

ArtBabble is a new website from the Indianapolis Museum of Art featuring High Definition streaming videos about artists, works, and many other aspects of fine art. Videos from various institutions are available and the plan is to position the site as a "clearing house" of art-related videos.
Read a news feature about the site from the N.Y. Times.

National Geographic's Online Jigsaw Puzzles

2009-04-01T09:46:00.002-04:00

Need a break from studying? Try one of National Geographic's online jigsaw puzzles. The puzzles work in "drag and drop" fashion and are based on the gorgeous National Geographic photographs.

Do Girls Matter?

2009-03-13T14:55:00.002-04:00

Read about the powerful social and economic changes that are brought about when girls are educated and have the opportunity to participate in their society.

East African Music

2009-03-09T14:52:00.003-04:00

Vanderbilt University has started a World Music Archive featuring 1,550 recordings recently collected in Africa. All the songs are playable and give an excellent overview of traditional Ugandan music.

ScienceDaily : Science News Aggregator

2009-03-02T14:53:00.003-05:00

ScienceDaily collects a huge amount of the latest science news and sorts it into 8 different categories. Each category is then subdivided into News, Articles, Videos, Images and Book Reviews. All the science news that's fit to print.

What's Happening in Drafur?

2009-02-23T11:23:00.005-05:00

Darfur is this young century's version of Rwanda and Bosnia.; In the last 4 years 200,000 have been killed and 2.5 million expelled from their home villages. Many of us don't even know where Darfur is, never mind the geo-politics that are behind the tragedy. Get an overview form this Amnesty International website.

Digital Dating Harassment

2009-02-06T13:08:00.003-05:00

This U.S. based website addresses itself to teenagers who are experiencing problems with unwanted digital contact. The site contains advice, videos, and "callout cards" that can be sent as a responses to annoying digital contacts. The accompanying links are American but similar resources can be found at www.cyberbullying.ca

How Well Do You Know Your World?

2008-12-17T13:17:00.002-05:00

This is a fun and educational game; find world locations while playing against the clock. You know you're in trouble when you choose the the wrong continent.

Streaming Lectures from TED

2008-12-04T11:45:00.002-05:00

TED means Technology,Entertainment, Design and is the name of an annual "think-tank" conference that presents lectures from well known thinkers. The talks are in streaming video by default, but can also be downloaded to iTunes or portable video devices. Or you can download just the audio portion to listen on an iPod device. WARNING: Streaming is best viewed on a home computer with a high speed Internet connection.

Opposing Viewpoints

2008-12-02T10:34:00.004-05:00

Many courses require debates or discussions that address two sides of a controversy. This website provides expert commentators writing about different sides of an issue. The site is American with emphasis on U.S. problems, but there are enough supra-national issues covered to make it worthwhile.

Calling All Sports Fans

2008-11-17T14:02:00.000-05:00

For some of us, sports trivia and history are the spice of life. Imagine then the delights of the Sports Illustrated Vault, an archive that contains 54 years of Sports Illustrated history including over 150,000 stories , 2,800 covers, and 500,000 photographs in a searchable database. Check out the report of the last Maple Leaf Stanley Cup victory. Or a famous piece of sports writing by Mark Cram describing the epic third Ali-Frazier heavy-weight fight in 1975.

Helping Third World Individuals with Micro-Loans

2008-04-17T11:43:00.000-04:00

How can a CCVI student with limited means help an individual in the Third World? One way is through making a micro-loan. Kiva is one of the better known agencies providing the service. Their web site lets you make instant loans to individual entrepreneurs in the developing world. Read more about micro-loans.