In another section of the site, students can enter a Virtual Classroom which aims to encourage kids to explore and express ideas about the environment. A list of related readings and web links rounds out the unit. All of the support material is download-able and appears to be geared to grades 5 to 8. While this is a beautiful, colorful, and well-organized site, it lacks features such as interactivity and multimedia that would make it a great site. Down Under may want to check the interactive environmental quizzes developed by the Australian Department of the Environment and Heritage.3 Presented at three levels of difficulty, the quiz helps students learn about environmental problems specific to Australia.
Students can easily access helpful information while taking the quiz.
Finally, at the Parks Canada Virtual Tour site,4 students of all ages will enjoy learning about Canada's cultural and natural features through beautiful photographs and interesting QuickTime videos. Users may explore by province or by park, in either French or English. Each virtual tour has at least one video clip and four or five pictures. While the site is not specifically designed for students, it is an excellent example of the educational possibilities inherent in the multimedia capability of the Web. Please let me know if you find any of these sites helpful and feel free to send me the URLs of sites you like.