EFL Tech - France a Site for Teachers of English ( as a Foreign Language) for Engineering

  Please notify me of any other sites you have discovered, and if there is a particularly useful resource at one of these sites, let me know about it. I have  added some descriptive / guiding text to site links, but  I will need your input to cover them all.

As it had become too large  (and too long to download),  I have split the former links page into two shorter (and therefore lighter) units. Please choose from the table below.
 
 

  AUTHENTIC ENGINEERING TEXTS AND DOCUMENTS

AERODYNAMICS OF BICYCLES
 http://www.homeworkcentral.com/Top8/files.htp?fileid=60556&use=hc
How the bicycle moves through air. The bicycle is used here to teach aerodynamic fundamentals in the familiar context of sports. Scientific considerations include: characteristics of fluids, pressure, continuity equation, Bernoulli's equation, and turbulence.
An interesting interactive learning environment.

AERONAUTICS
http://wright.nasa.gov/
Re-Living the Wright Way allows students and teachers to follow the Wright Brothers' invention process with links to lesson plans, simulations, videos, and activities. Features an overview of the Wright Brothers' discoveries, biographies of Wilbur and Orville Wright, a contemporary photo gallery, and extensive information about aerodynamics. Really everything about planes, with simulations, videos and various resources.] [2003]

AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR PHYSICS
 http://www.aip.org/history/esva/
American physicists and astronomers of the twentieth century, but also  many scientists in Europe and elsewhere, in other fields related to physics, and in earlier times. Also included are "mini-exhibits" on a number of scientists including Marie Curie, Enrico Fermi, and Niels Bohr which feature biographical information and images. (1500 images).

(Society of) AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS
 http://www.sae.org/
They put out a really comprehensive dictionary of automotive engineering, and I know they do some bilingual dictionaries too, and dozens of other books and links to sites. Their site  is rather geared to specialists, but it may be of use.

How does a  BATTERY work?
 http://www.duracell.com/Fun_Learning/Science/index.html
and more generally  http://www.duracell.com

More links about batteries

BBC  SCIENCE PAGE
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/hosc/specialistsubjects/engineering/index.shtml
Various articles about astromnomy, physics, engineering, environment, etc. Naturally, the pages are regularly updated, so they should be visited regularly.

BRAINPOP
http://brainpop.com
 Mini  videos explaining various scientific and medical  phenomena such as tornadoes, volcanoes and eclipses. Devised for children , the videos use simple English.  Great for aural comprehension. 

CIVIL ENGINEERING

 http://www.v-biblioteket.lth.se/civil.htm
A  metasite boasting links to over 1,000 online resources of interest to civil engineers, many of them annotated.(Nine categories, including Research/
Education, Subject-Based Resources, Civil Engineering Journals, Organisations/ Institutes, and Discussion Forums, among others.)
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/buildingbig/index.html
Building Big enables you to explore large structures (bridges, domes, skyscrapers, dams, and tunnels) and what it takes to build them. The 'Labs' (interactive engineering labs will be of special interest for Civil engineering students. An Educators' Guide may help language teachers design some subject-oriented exercises.

CNN - TECHNOLOGY PAGE
 http://www.cnn.com/TECH/index.html
A must !

CONTRAPTIONS : strange machines and systems
Some cartoonists pictured strange machines and systems. It can be interesting for our technology students to describe those devices, comment on them, what works and doesn't and why, and then produce their own possible or impossible devices:
An American author, Rube goldberg (and there is even a contest organised every year) http://www.rube-goldberg.com/
A British author : Heath Robinson http://www.btinternet.com/%7Ea.ghinn/heath.htm

DAMS
 http://www.hooverdam.com/%20TARGET=
The site official site for Nevada's Hoover Dam. It explains how the dam works and has got a lot of history articles and educational materials.

 DISCOVER MAGAZINE
Great reading for students, all the more as most  articles are rather short and the language used  is not too difficult. In addition each article comes with a list of related Web sites.

EDN EUROPE
 http://www.ednmag.com/
A Website   for design engineers in Europe  (concerns electronics mainly) and also a free bi-weekly magazine (you can subscribe on-line.)

Theater of ELECTRICITY
http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/toe.html
There's much to explore at this site, with the history of electricity, Tesla coils, Franklin's famous kite experiment, and more. A Teacher's Guide with student ac- tivities and investigations is also available.

FASHION DESIGN and TECHNOLOGY 
  Smart Clothing  (2/ 2002)
http://www.director-e.com/featurescentral.asp?tab=features&dtypeid=6&cat=0&features=feature059#3
  The same article  from Time-Europe (01 /2002)
http://www.time.com/time/europe/biz/daily/0,13716,191077,00.html
  Singing Clothes
http://www.msnbc.com/news/528278.asp
The material reacts differently when you touch it, write on it, carees or hit it.
  Starlab project
http://www.starlab.org/bits/intell_clothing/imagine.html
The Starlab project with clothes that react to  your emotions ( e.g. with  relaxing music in case of stress, which is itself detected by the presence of sweat.)  See also http://www.starlab.org/bits/intell_clothing/future.html
  Other documents
MIThril ( a MIT project )
http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/mithril/photos.html   A photo and a drawing
http://www.media.mit.edu/wearables/mithril/overview.html  how it works (description of all the components)
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,3816795%255E13208,00.html   Clothes that adjust to weather conditions or the wearer's reactions.
 http://www.cnn.com/2000/TECH/ptech/11/22/brussels.clothes/
 

ENVIRONMENT
Disaster! Finder http://disasterfinder.gsfc.nasa.gov/
This searchable directory of links to disaster information includes sites on disaster preparedness and response, organizations, warning and observation systems, conferences, and general disaster resources. There are also links to resources for specific types of disasters such as avalanche, astronomical, drought, earthquake, epidemic, famine, farming, fire, flooding, nuclear, refugees, storms, volcanoes, war, and others. From the NASA Solid Earth and Natural Hazards Program.

FOURMILAB
 http://www.fourmilab.ch/index.html
A site about computing. It may be very technical but also it also features other resources such as  computing history resources and others.
In particular, I have liked - and so have my students - the pages about Babbage's Analytical Engine : they are a virtual museum where you can explore the Engine both through historical documents and a Java-based emulator which allows you to experience for yourself what it would have been like to program a steam-powered computer ( yes indeed, a steam-powered computer!).

THE FRANKLIN INSTITUTE
 http://www.fi.edu/index.html
As you can imagine, the Franklin Institute is interested in science and technology.
In addition to a number of short articles about technology, the site also offers Educational Hotlists (http://www.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists%20TARGET=) designed for K12 students, but EFL students can also benefit from these authentic materials.

FRANKLIN AND HIS FRIENDS: Portraying the Man of Science in Eighteenth-Century America
 http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/franklin/index.htm
This site explores the eighteenth-century fascination with science and the idealisation of the "man of science," particularly through 18th century paintings. This collection is organised in three sections (The Republic of Science, Portraiture and the Tools of Science, and Science and Liberty)
Very interesting though it is more historical, or a reflexion about science than a site about technology.

FRISBEE
 http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/inventorsA-H/flyingdisk.html
Interesting text   which may be useful in engineering classes.

FURBY
 http://www.phobe.com/furby/index
Autopsy of a Furby. A small site which may interest both mechanical and electronics students as well as anyone who owns a furby -or whose children own one.
The language is simple enough, though the text is more technical than it apparently seems.

The Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century
http://www.greatachievements.org/greatachievements/index.html
The technological accomplishments of the century that helped shape our world today. Informative and yet pleasant to read, this site deals with a host of subjects such as cars, space, electronics and images.
A plesant-to-read site dealing with all kinds of topics from cars to space and electronics.

HISTORIES OF ENGINEERING
 http://www.historiesofengineering.org/
provides  access to the historical documentation of engineering and technology. Major changes or accomplishments featured at the site include the changes in beverage containers, the Washington DC Metro Transit System, and the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Although some parts of the site are under construction, it is still an excellent resource for learning about advances in engineering and technology since the 1960s.

THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
 http://www.iht.com/
regularly publishes articles dealing with technology. ( For instance, on March 11 and 12, 1999 there were the following articles: It's Simple to Become a Hacker; A High-Tech Gold Mine in Hungary; High-Tech Hotels of the Future.) Use the 'TribTech'  link.

THE INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ENGINEERING ENGINEERS  (IEEE)
 http://www.ieee.org/society/pcs/pcsindex.html
This is the page for their professional communication society

INVENTORS
http://web.mit.edu/invent/
MIT's Inventor Archives.  Read and see how some of the stuff we take for granted were invented and who invented them.
(Unfortunately  the site does not provide any subject list but anly an inventors' list.)
For instance read about  Douglas Engelbart who invented the mouse at  http://web.mit.edu/invent/www/inventorsA-H/engelbart.html

LEONARDO'S INVENTOR'S WORKSHOP
 http://www.mos.org/sln/Leonardo/InventorsWorkshop.html
Read about his technical works here, and have your students try the classroom activity: they can design and create machines for specific challenges. Although the site is designed for American primary school children, several pages featuring very simple appliances and machines  features can easily adapted to College sudents' needs.

LESSONS ABOUT PRODUCTION
 http://www.primarysources.org/
explain the various steps involved in production.

THE  MAD SCIENTIST NETWORK
http://www_madsci_org.html/
A collective cranium of  scientists providing answers to your questions. They  provide a variety of oddities and  other ends as well..  The accumulating body of information is maintained as a searchable resource on the WWW.

THE MASSACHUSSETT INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
 http://www.techreview.com/
The MIT's website - not specific enough in technical content though, for some Listers' liking. But see for yourself.

MOTOR CARS
 cars_links.htm
Click here for a full page of links (I have selected) to Web sites about cars.
See also 'Transportation" ( below)

MOTORS
http://www.pittmannet.com/
A complete documenation  about new powerful motors from Pittman ( pdf format) with plenty of  tables and  diagrams, which you  may not fully understand, but which your should should. And if you finally understand what they say, it means they are able to communicate in English !
See for instance   http://www.pittmannet.com/part_num_database/pdf/9232S001.pdf

MYSTERY PHOTOS
http://www.mysteryphotos.com/
The photo of a  small part of a machine is displayed and the students have to guess what the whole thing is.( Not all the photos are technical, but they also show natural or usual objects.)  It generally takes the students three or four minutes to discuss  a photo. A good exercise for fairly low-level classes who need a lot of oral training

NASA
 http://www.nasa.gov/
and two specialised NASA sites :
http://www.hq.nasa.gov/education/      NASA's Education Program
http://learn.ivv.nasa.gov/      NASA's Learning Technology Project

NATIONAL MUSEUM OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
 http://www.nmsi.ac.uk/
comprising  the Science Museum in London, the National Railway Museum in York, and  the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television in Bradford.

NEW SCIENTIST
http://www.newscientist.com/
online magazine

NEWTON'S APPLE Educational Material
gopher://ericir.syr.edu/11/Lesson/Newton_Apple
Some  interesting ideas of class activities.

PETROLEUM
 http://www.elf.fr/odyssee/us/genese/index.htm
(Almost) everything you may want to know about petroleum.

PHONE TOOTH
All the articles have nice titles, full of humor:
BBC: "Put your mobile where your mouth is" http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2055654.stm
ZDNET: "Excuse me, your tooth phone is ringing" No longer online; but still at http://msn.com.com/2100-1105-937329.html
InfoWorld: "Will 'tooth phone' take bite out of mobiles?" http://www.infoworld.com/articles/hn/xml/02/06/18/020618hntooth.xml
Time Herald : "New phones are just a toothache" http://timesheraldonline.com/display/inn_judge/judge70.txt
TechTV: "'Tooth Phone' Puts Mobile in Your Mouth" http://www.techtv.com/news/culture/story/0,24195,3389480,00.html
Geek : "Mobile phone in your tooth " http://www.geek.com/news/geeknews/2002june/gee20020624015096.htm (January 2003)

POPULAR MECHANICS
 http://popularmechanics.com/

POPULAR SCIENCE
 http://popsci.com/
Among many highly interesting pages, see the 50 Best Science and Technology Web Sites link.
The  two Websites above are "computationally demanding" in terms of graphics and videoclips but offer numerous short articles alongside a useful "How it works" series (Electric Motor; Domestic Heating, etc.).

 PUPIL RESEARCHER INITIATIVE.
 http://www.shu.ac.uk/schools/sci/pri/index.htm
A  favourite website as it contains actual teaching materials!!! Teaching units are designed for English school classes and include Teacher's Notes along with Pupil Research Briefs (eg graphs). Assignments include discussions, meetings, presentations, drawing up an advertisement, job interview, etc. Topics are Solar Panels, Low Energy Compact Flourescent Light Bulb, Motoroptics, Radiation Carriers etc.
In short: a cornucopia of teaching materials centred around students.

REMOTE SENSING TUTORIAL
 http://rst.gsfc.nasa;gov/Start.html
Another NASA site organised into an overview, introduction, glossary and twenty different sections ( e.g. Radar and Microwave Remote Sensing, Urban and Land Use Applications, etc.) Quite interesting!

ROBOTS
 robots_links.htm
Click here for a full page of links (I have selected) to Web sites about robots,one of them  featuring how to build a robot on  line -a very interesting exercise to be done in an EFL class.

ROCKWELL AUTOMATION
 http://www.rockwellautomation.com/
The site is very rich: you will find there   technical documents (for instance about à  a dual-channel monitoring
safety relay,  the Minotaur MSR20D) but the site is also a source of  information about  the interaction of systems within an enterprise.
The site definitely worth a visit.

ROOMBA ( a self-moving robotic vacuum-cleaner)
http://www.roombavac.com/ Site of the manufacturer. You will love the flash intro, where the robot vacuums and there are sentences to read about what the owner of the flat is doing at that moment....and, surprisingly, it looks as if it were a lady...
http://www.roombavac.com/roomba-owners-manual804KB.pdf Owner's manual
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2002-10-01-baig_x.htm USA Today
http://www.eetimes.com/sys/news/OEG20021004S0057 EE Times (January 2003)

SAFETY

Machine safety and safety measures
http://www.oem.co.uk/ Security - OEM
Lots of information abour security and safety devices in the domains of electricity, electronics, small motors and machines.
http://www.prodyn.com/library/files/fb11-40a.pdf A very technical document (the installation, operation and maintenance manual for a mechanical grip, air released chuck.....whatever that is....;), but on page 4 and following, you find a list of 'safety measures to be observed' which starts with the very useful difference between 'danger' ; 'warning' ; and 'caution', followed by examples, some of which being very technical.....
http://www.rentrain.com/library_files/233.pdf This brochure is much easier and more visual. Page 2 features 'safety operation rules' with drawing and interesting vocabulary.
http://www.cdc.gov/nasd/docs/d000701-d000800/d000730/d000730.pdf Tractor operation safety, with drawings and lists of rules.
http://www.aztec-liners.ab.ca/manual.doc The safety manual of a Canadian firm with a full list of operations and prohibited activities

SAFETY POSTERS
Safety posters are fine for studying  how to express order, prohibition, advice etc.. (See for instance my document Safety Posters)  Here are a few URLS. Be careful, though, several of these are vendor sites, their items are for purchase so that they are copyrighted.
http://digitalphotocreations.com/safety.htm    >> a few posters, some of them in pdf format
http://siri.uvm.edu/ftp/ppt/powerpt.html  >> mainly a Powerpoint presentation
http://www.lifttruck.com/free_posters.htm      >> quite interesting
http://www.p-rposters.com/ >> a few  interesting posters
http://safetysmart.com >> one two interesting things
http://glenngraphics.com   >> a number  a large posters
http://www.worksafebc.com/publications/health_and_safety_information/by_type/posters/default.asp   >> A few  posters. An  interesting site with lot of information  and texts about safety
In addition a search on Google ( pictures >> safety posters)  has also given me a number of posters and other URLs.

SHERLINE
 http://www.sherline.com/
A manufacturer of precision miniature machine tools. The materials you can find on the site include set-up instructions, diagrams with parts of the machine and operating instructions. (In particular see the "Setting Up and Using a SHERLINE Lathe or Mill" ,"Lathe instructions","Mill instructions" links.) This authentic material usually motivates the students a lot.

SCIENCE DAILY
 http://www.sciencedaily.com/
The site offers texts dealing with various domains of science and technology, thus making it a five star Web site.

SCIENCE MUSEUM ( London)
Several online exhibitions. For instance  (vintage) car fans see "Alfa Romeo" (technical features and good timeline ) and "Preserving the Panhard et    Levassor" with full details about these old cars. Other exhibitions include Appolo 10 and others. (http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/on-line/frameset.asp)
If you plan to take your pupils to the Science Museum of London (free entrance and you can treat your students to IMAX 3-D films ! -advanced booking is required - ), take a look at the new web site to prepare your visit:   http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/education
The 'teachers' area has a section  (secondary schools and post)   providing links to new educational opportunities, services and resources for you and your students.
The 'teachers' area also includes links to a database  where you can download activity sheets and gallery guides for free.
 

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN
http://www.scientificamerican.com/

SIMPLIFIED SCIENTIFIC / ACADEMIC TEXTS
The answer to the request above  was: " The most comprehensive collection of material: <http://eleaston.com/materials.html> as well as <http://deep.pair.com/> and  <http://www-eng.tp.edu.sg/tcs/front.htm>" (the latter is is Temasek Engineering School, see below)

SMART CLOTHES  see above Fashion Design and Technology

SPACE AGE GEAR
 http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_gear.html
Space.com offers  description of state-of-the-art appliances ( A photo + a short text, often in simple  English which can be used with low intermediate student and upward. See for instance http://www.space.com/businesstechnology/technology/space_gear_7.html   (intermediate level) a humourous text about AIBO, the electronic dog.

STUDENT DESIGNER
http://www.smm.org/sln/tf/nav/designerscluster.html
Exploring several different mediums for invention and encompassing multiple subjects with both a problem-solving and an art/science integration approach, students will become capable designers in these highly creative classroom projects.
This site aims at 4th form schoolers : it gives a challenge, and the students have to find their own way to solve it and design their own project. The site also offers pictures of what the children have designed, some of those pictures with comments and explanations from their author. Since they are primary school children, the texts are very simple, and so are the designs. Some of those machines may also turn out to be unable to do what they are designed for : this is an excellent way to start your students talking about simple machines and systems, and describing the advantages, drawbacks and possible trouble-shootings of a project. (2003)

STUDENTS' PROJECTS IN TECHNICAL ENGLISH  ( Esslingen - Germany)
http://www.fht-esslingen.de/institute/ifs/stud_proj.html
Several projects  (history of computing, of telecommunications,  chemistry, electrical appliances, etc.) which may be good reading for your students. (Uses simple English.)

HOW STUFF WORKS
 http://www.howstuffworks.com/
A great site, with thousands of pages,  which explains and shows  "how stuff works", e.g. how car engines, relays, gears, GPS receivers and many others operate. Excellent authentic material for your lessons.
The site is regularly updated with new files: for instance, among the latest ( May 2001)
http://www.howstuffworks.com/spy-fly.htm - Tiny robotic flyers, called micro air vehicles (MAVs), are being
developed for military and civilian applications. Learn all about spy flies.
http://www.howstuffworks.com/turn-signal.htm
The lowly turn signal on cars is actually a fascinating piece of equipment.Interesting explanations and diagrams that students in mechanics and automobile can describe and analyse.

HOW THINGS WORK
 http://www.iao.com/howthing:
Similar to the previous site, though perhaps more technical. [It seems  it is not possible to print he pages(?)]

THE TECH MUSEUM OF INNOVATION
 http://www.thetech.org./
Try 'build a satellite on line ' at  http://www.thetech.org/exhibits_events/online/satellite/

The History of the Invention of the TRANSISTOR
 http://www.pbs.org/transistor/index.html
 The searchable site offers in-depth background to the history and science of transistors. An Interactive section includes  a rubic's cube type of puzzle using elements from the Periodic Table, and a  game which allows players to form their own semiconductor crystals, etc.

TRANSPORTATION
The Green Car of the Future
 http://www.consumerreports.org/Special/Samples/Reports/0001mil2.htm
Discover the green car of the future. For the rest of the site, go to:    http://www.consumerreports.org/

Innovative Transportation Technologies
 http://faculty.washington.edu/~jbs/itrans/
This University of Washington site provides information on unconventional transportation technologies with an eye to replace cars and trucks with environmentally sound mass transit and freight options. Special attention is therefore paid to non-auto technologies. A few of the innovative transportation designs included here are supported vehicles like the Cabintaxi and suspended vehicles like the Sky Train.

FUEL ECONOMY (Environmental Protection Agency)
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
 At the updated EPA site, users can download a .pdf version of the agency's 2001 Model Year Fuel Economy Guide, find and compare the mpg of 1985-2001 model year cars and trucks, read about fuel economy and future technologies, and learn about hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.

UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA  and also http://science.coe.uwf.edu/SH/Curr/uwfcur.htm
Science related topics.
Short texts (written for elementary schools) about electricity, mechanics, ecology, weather, etc.  They can easily be used as starting points for EFL lessons.

SOUTHEASTERN MICHIGAN MATH-SCIENCE LEARNING COALITION
A webpage with lessonplans for schoolteachers in the States.It lists a number of easy experiments that  students can write simple verbal instructions for and then write up results for following a  company report format.  Because the concepts are simple and the results also simple, it really helps focus on the grammar and discourse elements necessary for linking ideas and expressing  relationships such as cause and effect.

VOLTERRE - FRANCE
has quite a number of pages related to our teachning

WEBQUESTS

  MARS QUEST
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/Quemarsintro.html
An educational unit which can be adapted to practically any age level from kinder-garten through high school. Students are "hired" to act as interplanetary travel guides, and must provide the best possible information available to tourists visiting Mars--
imagination and creativity required! Create a travel bro- chure and possibly even a website. Team roles and assign-
ments are given, including meteorology,mission specialists, and journalists.
Tasks are well defined and links are provided for the various  teams 

   CARVER
http://www.hpineducation.hp.com/k12/resources/activities/pdfs/carver.pdf
An interesting Webquest about Carver's work 
 
 
 
 

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