EDUC 632 Home Page Recom mendations

Online Data Sets & Tools Recommendations Internet Curriculum Applications - EDUC 632 Work of Linda A.E. Cripps Item name linked to the correct page Rationale - the rationale for inclusion of these sources in the list of recommendations is done partly on a category-by-category basis to avoid the repetition that would occur if it was done on an item-by-item basis. Online Reference Sources Dictionaries, Thesauri, Periodical Indexes Rationale: These are sources that I have identified to categorize into one section for easy access to these types of tools. In this category are internet partners to traditional print research reference sources. All three of them provide more depth than any comparable print resource. [ these sources originally appeared in the Search Engine Recommendations, but they have been more appropriately re-filed here. ] Art & Architecture Thesaurus Browser One of Vocabulary databases of the The Getty Research Institute's Library. More resources at the Getty Research Institute are catalogued below. A sample search would be the correct usages and the related terms for the design term "peristyle". Construction Specifier - Online Index to Periodical Articles Technical research is not too often indexed in the standard periodical indexes, not even in Art and Architecture indexes which are more design related. This is an online periodical index to the CSI magazine, Construction Specifier which is a standard research source in construction technology. A sample search would be to select MASTERFORMAT Division 8 research articles on doors and windows. RS Means Construction Dictionary This is a searchable database for definitions of construction related terms hosted by a major company for reference material in AEC industry. It stays more up-to-date with changing building technology than a lot of print resources. It is a free service of the RS Means site, which requires nomiinal registration to use but no fees. A sample search would be to find the meaning of the construction term "EIFS". Online Mapping Sources Rationale: These sites are free to use, but many are part of pay-per-service web sites. The data is from official USGS or other sources and is relatively up-to-date. Mapping data can be used in many contexts and depending upon the instructional design, can be used at all levels of instruction. For example, an elementary class could use MapTech topo maps to lookup their own house and see it in its accurate geographic context. Activities then could be based around the map, like identifying the other objects in it, etc. High school level students could use them for much more sophisticated study involving science, math, or social studies. Architectural engineering college students can use the maps to derive useful preliminary site design tools of any area without having to have access to an official metes-and-bounds or topographic survey. Maptech MapServer This is the free Map Server at the MapTech.com web site. It provides topographic maps with usual structures and other features noted. It is an excellent tool with only the minor drawback that the user must tolerate the pop-up ads that are generated for MapTech's proprietary products that are featured elsewhere on the MapTech web site. TopoZone This is another free-for-use map service offered by a commercial .com enterprise. This link takes you to the free-use version of their site, which is less easy to find from the Topozone.com homepage than the free maps at MapTech. Design, Engineering & Construction Technology Links Rationale: These sites are also free to use, but the RS Means Cost Calculator requires nominal registration which puts the user in their email database. These links are most appropriate for advanced study either at the AP high school level or undergraduate design and engineering students. All recommended sites are from reputed established sources in the AEC field, so the data in them can be can be used as a tool that will generate reliable results. Quick Cost Calculator This is the freeware offered at the RS Means.com web site that performs basic square foot cost estimates based on building type and geographic location. It could be used by architectural design students to practice developing intial project cost estimates, and by construction management students for comparison studies in advanced cost estimating classes. Section Modulus Calculator This useful online tool provides an online programmed calculator for sizing beams in structural design. The underlying calculation process is taught in basic statics and structural design classes. However, after the basics are known, this tool would allow the student to function more like a professional engineer and devlop multiple approaches to a project and easily perform comparative engineering study, rather than laboriously develop only one solution in the same period of time. . This page was last updated on - 11 May 03. L.A.E.Cripps.