Two important issues are dealt with here - food and health. There is an extensive education section including a GCSE help page, an information section for primary and secondary teachers and links to useful food websites. There is also work on nursery food education, key facts, media and food, and the science of food.

www.nutrition.org.uk

Basic prose styles and mechanics

“What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure,” is the maxim behind this. The author believes that the essence of writing is rewriting. If everyone observed the recommendations on this site, they would achieve clarity. It is a simple, straightforward compilation of the ground rules, nothing creative here just an outline of what is needed for the craft. Punctuation is also covered.

http:www.rpi.edudeptllcwritecenterwebtextproseman.html

BECTA

In addition to its topical monthly magazine, there is a list of help sheets. The helpsheets, a source of unbiased advice, are excellent and cover a wide range including the latest whiteboard technology and scanners. The sheets are excellent and are there to be downloaded and made use of and, importantly, are free from commercial bias.

http:www.becta.org.uk

Eadweard Muybridge

Eadweard Muybridge of Kingston on Thames is described as the father of the motion picture. Some of his work was done in California and, in 1879, in Palo Alto (now part of Silicon Valley). He placed cameras in a line in a long shed, and in front of each was a special shutter triggered by the horse or the wheels of a sulky (horse-drawn vehicle) as it made contact with wires stretched across the track. The resulting pictures made history and now have a nostalgic beauty, as well as being essential for media studies.

http:www.kingston.gov.ukmuseummuybridge

Schools’ Butterfly ‘Sight’

Michael Meacher announced the rebirth of phenology - the science of recording natural events through the year. This was set up by a group of British and European schools who have been monitoring butterflies as indicators of climatic change for the last two years. The results have been fascinating and the schools have gained a great deal from it, not least ICTInternet skills, since all communication is by e-mail.

http:telematics.ex.ac.ukfr-bfly.htm

Adbusters

Set up by a Canadian group that wants to alert people to the seductive messages of advertisers, this site has a sense of humour and its authors’ skills are comparable to the advertisers they’re concerned about. The Tommy Hilfiger ad (above) with the slogan “Follow the Herd” is particularly clever and might well strike a chord with some thoughtful young people.

http:www.adbusters.orgspoofadstommyindex.html

James Joyce

This has timelines and audio recordings from the century’s most obscure book, Finnegan’s Wake, plus biographical details, maps, links to other Joyce sites and ways of obtaining electronic versions of his works.

http:www.2street.comjoyce

George Lucas

Star Wars director George Lucas has, through his foundation, set up this website and it makes a good job of tackling serious educational issues in the US. Some of the country’s pressing issues are considered here and they also have considerable relevance to educators in the UK. You can also subscribe to a free newsletter about schools, “moving into the Digital Age”.

http:glef.org

Films

Some of the greatest texts of the 20th century have been film texts and this site examines most of them. Virtually every film that has ever made it into a great films list is reviewed here. It is a splendid and detailed site and if you take film seriously in your school you will find much information here to make use of.

http:www.filmsite.org