Dear Colleagues,
Our good friend and colleague, Giuseppe Fortunati, NP for Italy, has
created a web site offering basic information for the Partners Meeting, 2-5
February, in Terni, Italy. The URL is http://www.thinkquest.it/.
( See Thinkquest Partners Meeting)
This is my public thanks to him for doing this and many others for making
our stay in
Italy as pleasant and productive as possible.
I offer my thanks to all Partners who have already returned their hotel
reservation form. I hope all others who had notified me of their intent to
participate in our February meeting will do the same very soon.
Dr. Grant Beglarian,
Director ThinkQuest Partnerships
Advanced Network & Services
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THINKQUEST E-NEWSLETTER
Vol.4, No.4
December, 2000
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CONTENTS:
1.ANNOUNCEMENTS
-) ThinkQuest Junior Application Deadline: February 8, 2001
2. FEATURE: Digital Diplomacy Award Winner Announced
3.THINKQUEST'S TOMORROW'S TEACHERS: An Update
4. PRESS RELEASES : New and Noteworthy
5. PARTNER'S POSTINGS
---) ThinkQuest Camp Scheduled in Louisiana
---) South Dakota's Training of Students: A Process Report
---) California: Student Technology Showcase Plans
6. ELECTRONIC SCHOLAR'S NOTEBOOK
-) Prague Spring 1968: Eyewitness Contributions Enrich Site
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001155/
7. FEATURED: In the ThinkQuest Library: Art Sites
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1. ANNOUNCEMENTS
-) ThinkQuest Junior Registration Ends February 8, 2001
Read about the registration process at
http://www.thinkquest.org/competitions.html
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2. FEATURE: Digital Diplomacy Award Winner Announced
The Department of State is pleased to announce its selection
of "An End to World Hunger: Hope for the Future"
( http://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/intro.htm )
as the winner of its Digital Diplomacy Award, the first educational
award ever created by the State Department for the public.
The award recognizes the ThinkQuest entry that best teaches
others about the importance of international affairsand diplomacy.
The ThinkQuest student team (from U.S., Hong Kong, and the United
Kingdom) worked together to develop "An End to World Hunger".
Their site, which won a ThinkQuest 2000 Internet Challenge
Honorable Mention award, was chosen from,725 entries submitted
by students from 85 countries.
Secretary of State Albright said, "We want to encourage
students to take an active interest in the world around them."
Read the full press release from the U.S. State Department:
http://www.thinkquest.org/news/press/
press_template.html?story=112900
[Remember to paste both lines of the URL into your browser window]
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3.THINKQUEST'S TOMORROW'S TEACHERS: An Update
ThinkQuest reinvented and expanded the scope of ThinkQuest for
Tomorrow's Teachers (T3). As part of the U.S. Department of Education's
PT3 program, the new T3 will help prepare a new generation of teachers
who are proficient in using and having their students use powerful
technology tools effectively to enhance learning. In November, using
an inquiry-based training approach based on the ThinkQuest
Guiding Partner Approach, 25 faculty from five teacher preparation
programs participated in a four day workshop. Collaborating
in small teams, they created educational web sites, many doing so for
the first time. This experience developed both their technology skills
and hands-on collaborative learning experience.
This spring these faculty will be guiding their pre-service students in
project-based learning activities lasting a full semester. To facilitate
this
process, a new ThinkQuest educational web site development program is
being initiated. "ThinkQuest Pre-Service" engages faculty and
pre-service
students in building educational web sites and will be introduced in
January 2001. This year, it is open to students at the five initial
ThinkQuest PT3 university consortium schools: University of the Pacific,
Western Michigan University, Eastern Connecticut State University, City
College of the City University of New York and Knox College.
Click on this link
http://www.thinkquest.org/t3/index.html to read about
ThinkQuest's Guiding Partner Approach.
More information will be available in January on the
T3 Web site:
http://www.thinkquest.org/t3/index.html
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4. PRESS ROOM : New and Noteworthy Stories
Come and see what is going on in The Press Room
(http://www.thinkquest.org/news/index.html ) .
You will find Press Releases, News Clips, Media Advisories,
and Awards and Recognition. Check the latest News: The Press
Room has several articles, one about issue-conscious teens:
"Teens Changing the World - One Website at a Time ". The story
focuses upon socially responsible sites designed by teens.
Sites mentioned include "Endangered Species of the Next Millennium"
(http://library.thinkquest.org/25014/), "The Cuban Experience",
(http://library.thinkquest.org/18355/ and "An End to World
Hunger: Hope for the Future"
(http://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/.
Read about the people behind the sites.
Another story about important people involved with site creation
is "Finalist Stories Include Website for Preserving Family History,
73-year Old Grandma Coach " . The sites described are
"The UnWritten: Saving Your Photo Stories for the Future", a guide
for preserving family history written by three teenage cousins who
found each other, learned about their shared history and documented
detailed genealogy, through their ThinkQuest entry
(http://library.thinkquest.org/C001313 ).
"The Art of Speech," coached by a 73-year old grandmother,
is a must-see site for anyone planning to speak in public
(htto://library.thinkquest.org/C001146).
"Van Gogh at Etten: Sketches and Billboards"
(http://library.thinkquest.org/C001734), is a carefully
crafted, well-researched collaboration between teens in
the Netherlands, Singapore and Nigeria.
Don't miss it:
( http://www.thinkquest.org/news/press/
press_template.html?story=101800 )
[Again, paste Both Lines of the
URL into your browser's window.]
Check The Press Room often -you will find Partner Press Releases
here, too. Andrea Papa, Director, Communications at Advanced
Network and Services, prepares the human interest stories.
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5. PARTNER'S POSTINGS
---) ThinkQuest Camp Scheduled in Louisiana
Joana Dieterich reports on the plans:
"We are planning our first ThinkQuest Camp. It is scheduled
for January and the interest has been wonderful. The camp
will be a three-day experience for coaches and students to
come and learn as well as getoff to a great start on the
development of their site. We will began with an overview of TQ
and what it takes to create a "good" site . There is a spot light
on the Louisiana team that made it to honorable mention. The site,
"The Heavens" (http://library.thinkquest.org/C004638/ ) is,
according to the team: "an online encyclopedia designed to teach
the fundamental components of the cosmos."
These boys (Adrian, Stephen and Matthew) will serve as mentors
during the camp. The web master for the Department of Education
agreed to talk about "do's and don'ts in web design". Throughout
the 3 days we will offer hands-on break out sessions (much like
a conference) on various web design tools as well as provide
planning and work time for the students. If all goes well and the
experience proves to be beneficial we plan on doing the same type
of camp during the summer.
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---) South Dakota's Training of Students: A Process Report
"ThinkQuest in South Dakota is in the final stages of student
workshops across the state.In October we trained 25 coaches to
assist students in their ThinkQuest project. Then in November
we gave workshops to 160 students. We begin morning sessions by:
- walking them through the ThinkQuest site,
- going over the Rules,
- evaluating ThinkQuest sites using the Rubric so
they become comfortable with the Rubric and what is expected
of them.
Then they register with My ThinkQuest.
Next, we register all coaches and students on the South Dakota
intranet site. This site allows the sharing of documents, ideas,
discussions, announcements, dates and much more. If a South Dakota
student partners with someone from outside South Dakota, that
student will be invited into the intranet also.
>From the intranet, we take them to a web site we've developed to
take students through the research cycle -questioning, thinking,
meaning, invention and innovation. The students are shown how to
use inspiration for brainstorming and the Encarta Research
Organizer to cite their references.
The kids are just great!!! They have wonderful ideas! "
Thanks, Maria Torgude, for sharing the thorough process
for students and coaches.
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---) California: Student Technology Showcase Plans
Bonnie Marks wrote:
" In California, CTAP is coordinating with the State Department
of Education to hold a Student Technology Showcase on Monday,
March 5. We'll be inviting ThinkQuest finalists and their coaches,
as well as ThinkQuest Junior winners and their teacher from last
spring to the State Capitol to share their projects. Booths will
be set up "exhibits style," with students demonstrating their
projects throughout the day.
We'll also be inviting some students from our newly funded
Digital High Schools. Legislators will receive handwritten
invitations from the students in their communities inviting them
to attend. It will also be promoted to California Technology
coordinators, teachers, and school administrators. Participating
students will receive a certificate from the State Superintendent
of Instruction."
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6. ELECTRONIC SCHOLAR'S NOTEBOOK (C)
Patricia Libutti, Ph.D.,ThinkQuest Cybrarian
---) Prague Spring 1968: Eyewitness Contributions Enrich Site
http://library.thinkquest.org/C001155/
The site "Prague Spring 1968" has an unusual feature, one that
might have been missed if Lars Erik Nielsen, ThinkQuest's
Swedish Partner, hadn't taken the time to look carefully at it.
A Semifinalist in ThinkQuest Internet Challenge 2000, the site
focuses deeply on the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968.
Students Beatrice, Jan, and Lindsay , with coaches Anders Eklof,
Sam Olafsson, and Patrice Newnam worked across national
boundaries to develop this in-depth site.
Lars writes: "The success consists in uncovering lots of
material that has not yet been known to social scientists and
succeeding in getting documentary material released... Among
the those who have gone to the site and entered witness-descriptions
are the American Ambassador in Prague during the Soviet invasion
and members of the Czechoslovakian government."
This is a partial list of contributors to the Eyewitness
Memories section,
(http://library.thinkquest.org/C001155/index1.htm ), and
consists of people who have lived through that spring of 1968.
Frantisek Janouch, Ph.D. - Charta 77 chairman in Sweden.
Active during 1968 in Prague.
Slavka Hejzlar - The wife of Zdenek Hejzlar author of
most of the books on the Prague spring published in Swedish.
Alexander Tomsky - CEO of the Czeckoslovakian
National Encyklopeia.
Mr. Wagner - Chairman of the Czechoslovakian Search site
www.seznam.cz
P. Baumgartner - Chairman of Radio Free Europe's Internet
department.
Vladimir Hanzel - Personal Secretary of President
Vaclav Havel
Stepan Pechacek - Researcher at Parliamentary Institute in
Prague.
Maria Strömvik - Centre European research at Lund University
J. Bulickova - Academy of Science and History of Czech Republic
Mr. Trossaman - Webmaster at the portal www.praguereport.com
Torgny Hinnemo - Chairman of The Society of Russian,
Central- och Easteurope and Centralasian studies.
Milan Vosahlo - Editor of pes.eunet.cz a newsletter that reaches
6000 persons. The site was quoted in their link collection.
Bert Hoflund - Webmaster of Mölndals Bibliotek, . most used
library collection in Sweden.
Featured at the Swedish Schoolnet.
Ms. Simova - Kratky Film Cz
Bozena Jirku - Chairman of Charta 77 in Prague
Lynn H. Nelson - History Central Catalogue
Malcolm Byrne, Ph.D. - Professor of History of Cold War and
East European History
Andrew Stroehlein - Editor-in-Chief at Central Europe Review
David Muhlena - Librarian National Czech & Slovak Museum &
Library
Gwyneth Barber - The East Central Europe Center,
Columbia University
Bill Fray - Avalon Project
Eva Holancova - webmaster@nkp.cz
The Team won numerous awards in Europe, listed at:
www.dalhem.nu/ni/award/awards.htm , The awards are evaluated
on significance to them. Other sites have interested a community
or a region section of the world ---
Partners, look at the sites from your country or state with the
same kind of analysis.
We may all be surprised at how many lives ThinkQuest sites affects.
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7. FEATURED IN TQ LIBRARY: Art
Check the Featured Sites Section of the ThinkQuest Library
of Entries to see sites about Art and the use of Art on the Web:
http://www.thinkquest.org/library/feature.html .
Information on using images on the Web, styles of art and
architecture, and resources for teaching art are showcased now.
