Discusses the use of link structure analysis in World Wide Web information retrieval and in retrieval and ranking algorithms of search engines. Presents two techniques which bias co-citation based link analyses towards favorable Web pages and away from undesired pages, and are then integrated into existing link-analyzing algorithms. (Author/LRW)

Reports on an investigation into the most highly linked pages on United Kingdom university Web sites. Concludes that simple link counts are highly unreliable indicators of the average behavior of scholars, and that the most highly linked-to pages are those that facilitate access to a wide range of information rather than providing specific…

University of Ulster students undertake mandatory 1-year paid work placements. A survey of those in informatics and math/science/computing indicated they developed skills and a realistic concept of work. A web portal is being developed to provide placement resources for students and faculty. (Contains 17 references.) (SK)

This article explores the potential and reality of using the academic library Web site to market library resources and services, for fundraising, and to market special events. It explores such issues as the placement of a link to academic libraries from institutional home pages and the use of a library Web site to include links to news, exhibits,…

Does designing a large academic library Web site for an imaginary person seem a sensible thing to do? As a reference librarian and member of the Web team of the Gerstein Science Information Centre (Gerstein Library), that is exactly what this author set out to do in May 2005. She proposed that the best way to ensure that the Web site meets the…

This column describes ways to streamline and optimize how a Web site works in order to improve both its usability and its visibility. The author explains how to analyze logs and other system data to measure the effectiveness of the Web site design and search engine.

A tenet of the social studies profession is that critical thinking is fundamental to good citizenship. The skills of critical thinking include collecting information from multiple perspectives, evaluating it carefully, and then applying new insight and understanding to answer a question or make a decision. In today's wired society, students of all…

In this article, the author describes a management manual she maintained while working as a school library media specialist. She started the manual when she was a student in the organization and administration course in the library science program and kept it current with information gleaned from conferences, workshops, and networking with other…

In 1996, the author and fellow-historian John Lutz set about creating a teaching tool for history that would acquaint students with primary documents and take full advantage of the brand-new technology of the World Wide Web. He launched the website, entitled "Who Killed William Robinson? Race, Justice and Settling the Land,"…

The words "values" and "American Values" have been nearly ubiquitous in presidential election coverage on television and radio, in the print media, and on the Internet. But teachers know that it is a touchy topic to cover in the classroom. Trying to find the right approach to teach about values is difficult at any time; and, in a presidential…

This article describes how the author has found that very few lesson plans help teach about the presidency or about presidential elections at the primary level and only a few research studies about what elementary students know or teachers teach about the presidency and elections. The author provides directions and a short summary of a series of…

BSc Single Subject Geography students at University College Chester enrol for a core module that involves the acquisition of fieldwork data, data analysis and project design. One of this module's assessment exercises requires students to 'write up' a field-based research project as a functioning website. This paper explores the practicalities of…

This article presents a superintendent new to the Pinellas County, Florida, School District in 2004, who was looking for a way to connect and communicate with families across the county and found hosting in an online discussion or blog as a perfect tool. The blog gives him, as superintendent, a place to test ideas and challenge the status quo…

The recent developments in nuclear chemistry education are presented and an attempt is made to collect supplemental materials relating to the study and practice of nuclear chemistry. The Living Textbook of Nuclear Chemistry functions as an authoritative Web site with supplemental material for teaching nuclear and radiochemistry.

School tech services may use firewall filters to protect computer users from computer virus programs that spread as e-mail attachments, hidden in programs downloaded from Web sites, and as macros in word processing and other documents. Backups, the copy of self-created documents and grade book data should be stored in online storage space or DVD…