The Amazing Learning Blog

A' Level Results Day

2009-08-20T08:49:00.003+01:00

We'd like to congratulate all of our Amazing Grades users receiving their A' Level results today. Well done! It's another year of increasing success for the nation's students and we hope that Amazing Grades has been part of your achievement this year.

Many of you will be considering taking a Gap Year. Did you know amazing-grades.com has an excellent 'Gap Year Guide'with information ranging from travel guides, planning your trip, volunteering whilst abroad and learning whilst you're away.

Our 'What Next?' section includes careers advice links as well as some information about clearing. As always there are tonnes of useful resources to supplement the excellent work the BBC does around results time.

So again, well done and good luck with whatever next steps you take!

The Amazing Grades Team

Views on Amazing Learning

2008-06-20T14:26:00.001+01:00

Here at Amazing Learning we like to road test our products as well as future employees. What better way than to give opportunities to young people keen to gain some work experience and find out a little more about Amazing? Recently a very bright intern worked with us for two weeks. Ashley was stunningly productive and insightful and many of the things we're now working on come from Ashley's work and comments from his peers and other Amazing Grades users.

We asked Ashley to distil his thoughts in a blog post so here it is...

Hi,

My name is Ash and I spent 2 weeks on my work experience at the Amazing Group from Cramlington Community High School. I thought id write a blog entry to tell you what its like at Amazing Learning and my comments on the products.

I started my placement with Amazing Learning on the 12th June 2008. I had no idea who I was going to be working with when I arrived at the Amazing Group, but I was then introduced to the Amazing Learning team, these guys were extremely welcoming and within the first 10 minutes I felt comfortable in the surroundings. I was taken on a tour of the building by Kevin and he introduced me to a number of other people in different departments. After that first stage it was straight back down to the floor I would be based for this first week, prior to my arrival my own desk and equipment had been set up for me to use with my own accounts and everything I needed. I have to say I was soon put to work, with only sitting down for about 5 minutes I had received an email from Kevin with logins to the Amazing Learning products and to go with that, a list of tasks he wanted me to do in that day.

Throughout the week I spent with Amazing Learning, I didn’t once feel insecure, left out or bored. The people also in the office were always very helpful and friendly, regularly they would ask me if I was getting on okay, if I needed help with anything or they would just engage in a conversation with me. The way to staff reacted to working with a 15 year old for a week really surprised me, I thought they wouldn’t bother with me and just set me off with work – but like I said it was the total opposite! The atmosphere at Amazing Learning is great and I loved it!

Anyway, for the first few days I was given my own login accounts for a number of the products Amazing Learning does and was asked to evaluate and review each one, so I thought it might be useful to include a summary of each product in this blog…

Amazing Grades
This is an educational resource website for both teachers and students. It holds online resources for revision from every subject in the national curriculum and is spread across nearly all exam boards. I found the site quite easy to use and I found the subjects I wished to study for rather quickly, but if I couldn’t find anything I could simply type it into a clear search function located at the top of the site. I would definitely consider subscribing to this product of Amazing Learning if I needed to revise and didn’t want to scrawl through my books, Grades makes revising A LOT more efficient, quicker and stress free as most the resources have some sort of “fun element” to them.

Enterprise Conkers
One of the subjects I am currently studying is Business. I have to say I am confident with most parts of the course that I have covered so far, however when I entered this product and looked through it – it made me recap some of the things I weren’t quite sure about and sure enough, I now know what I need to about those topics…thanks to Enterprise Conkers! Although this isn’t entirely a business focused product, it focuses on helping 'bring out the entrepreneur' in young people. It does this by proving a number of tools such as creating a Business Plan and CV’s. Along with these tools there is one main task which is an enterprise course. This 12 module course has information on all aspects of being and becoming and entrepreneur, also including hints and tips, questions and end of module quizzes. In the future if I need to revisit anything about some business aspects, I will certainly visit Enterprise Unwrapped to guide me with it and I recommend it to anybody who is interested in Enterprise as it is very useful.

At first I wasn’t sure what I was going to get out of working at Amazing Learning but it turned out that I managed to learn and pick up a number of things. I massively improved my evaluating and reviewing skills as I did a number of these, I improved my communication skills as I was working with different people on different floors, I also improved my knowledge of ICT in general and also found out that working in an office isn’t as tedious as I used to think! I found the week a great learning experience and will remember it for some time.

Interactive Poetry Exploration

2007-02-23T10:08:00.001Z

This is a nice interactive poetry exercise I've just stumbled across, it gives you some really useful tips on close reading a poem. Using an interactive magnifying glass, it takes you through an example poem, allowing you to 'zoom in' on individual words and phrases.

Under The Magnifying Glass

Spending ten minutes or so going through this guide is really worth it. It should improve your ability to interpret a poem independently, something that the examiners will be looking for.

New Amazing Learning site now live

2008-07-23T17:09:00.004+01:00

Check out the new Amazing Learning web site, it's just gone live this afternoon.

With a sleeker look and feel, you’ll find up-to-date information on our current tools and applications and it’s even easier to buy our products online.

Enjoy!

Saint George's Day

2008-04-22T14:38:00.018+01:00

This Wednesday is St George's Day. It is England's national day but for most people in the country St George's Day is just another ordinary day: only one in five people living in England know that it falls on April 23rd.

Who was St George?

St. George is the patron saint of England but actually he wasn't English at all. He was born in Turkey around 280, and became renowed for his bravery while serving in the Roman army during the reign of the pagan emperor Diocletian. After converting to Christianity, George left the military to campaign against Rome’s persecution of Christians, but he was imprisoned and tortured in an effort to make him renounce his faith. He stayed true to his beliefs and was eventually beheaded in Palestine, on 23 April, 303.

Saint George and the Dragon

One of the best-known legends about Saint George is his fight with a dragon, dating back to the Middle Ages when the dragon was commonly used to represent evil. The town of Silene in the province of Libya was terrorised by a dragon and its inhabitants had begun to feed the dragon two sheep every day to prevent it attacking them; when the sheep failed, they began to give it one sheep and one man. The king decreed that the human sacrifice should be chosen by lot, a process that continued until the young princess was selected. When George heard about this he rode into the village, slayed the dragon and rescued the princess.

St. George's Day in England

St. George's Day is not a bank holiday and is not celebrated as much in England as other National Days are around the world. In fact, you are more likely to see St Patrick parades in England, celebrating Ireland's National Day, more than you would see any sign of St Georges Day being celebrated. However, in recent years the popularity of St. George's Day seems to be increasing progressively, with more people actively encouraging others to celebrate England, learn more about St George, and raise money for charity.

In the United Kingdom, St. George is also the patron saint of the Scouting movement. Many Scout troops take part in a St. George's Day Parade on the nearest Sunday to April 23.

Fancy taking part in this day of national celebration? Have a look at www.celebratestgeorgesday.com for some ideas on how you can get involved. If you are interested in learning more about St George and his legend, visit these sites:

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/stgeorge.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/saints/george_1.shtml

ChangeToday Choose Fairtrade

2008-03-05T10:03:00.023Z

From 25 February to 9 March it is Fairtrade Fortnight in the United Kingdom. Fairtrade fortnight is a yearly campaign to raise awareness of Fairtrade products. The concept appeared in the United Kingdom but now Fairtrade fortnights are celebrated in countries like Ireland, Canada, Australia and France. However the dates for these events are not the same for each country (e.g. in France the event will take place in April, in Australia it will be in May). The theme of this year’s Fortnight is Change Today Choose Fairtrade.

Fairtrade is based on the idea that "everyone who works has the right to a fair remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence in line with human dignity" (Article 23 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights man).

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. It proposes an alternative to traditional trade and aims to reduce inequalities and to restore the man his central place in the transactions. It is based on the following principles:

assure a fair remuneration for the producers and the most disadvantaged artisans, enabling them to satisfy their basic needs;
assure the respect of the fundamental rights of individuals;
establish long-term trading partnerships between economic partners;
promote the preservation of the environment;
offer consumers quality products.

There is a wide range of Fairtrade products available: from footballs to flowers; from cotton buds to cotton pants; from cinnamon sticks to vanilla ice cream; from pineapples to honey; from orange juice to wine; from brazil nuts to rice. However, the most famous Fairtrade products remain basic products like tea, coffee, chocolate and bananas.

More than 7 million people (producers, farmers, workers and their families) in 58 countries currently benefit from the international Fairtrade system.

If you want to be involved and know how your school can become a Fairtrade School visit this website: www.fairtrade.org.uk/schools You could also search on Amazing Grades

Happy Easter

2008-03-21T10:45:00.005Z

This Sunday 23 March, many of us will celebrate Easter. For Christians Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. On Good Friday, Jesus Christ was executed by crucifixion. On the following Sunday, the disciples of Jesus went to his tomb to discover it was empty. But Easter is much more than a religious celebration. Today on the blog you can learn more about this feast, its origin, its traditions...

Did you know that Easter was originally a pagan festival?
Before being a religious celebration, Easter was a pagan festival. This festival symbolized the renewal of life, the return of light. At that time, the year began at Easter.

Do you know where the name ‘Easter’ comes from?
The name Easter comes from Eostre, an ancient Anglo-Saxon goddess, originally of the dawn. In pagan times an annual spring festival was held in her honor. In many others European languages the name Easter comes from the word Passover (e.g. Pascha in Greek and Latin, Pâques in French, Pascua in Spanish).

Do you know why the date of Easter changes each year?
Easter is called a moveable feast because the date of Easter changes every year. The reason for this variation in the date of Easter is based on the lunar calendar rather than our more well-known solar one. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon that occurs on or following the spring equinox. This Sunday must be between the dates of March 22 and April 25.

Do you know why do we eat eggs at Easter?
This is an old tradition. For many cultures, the egg was an object of worship. They gave painted eggs in the spring because they were the symbol of life and rebirth.
In the IV century, the church forbade the consumption of eggs during Lent (the 40 days of fasting before Easter). All the eggs laid since the beginning of Lent were decorated and offered on Easter morning.

Do you know why the Easter Bunny is an Easter symbol?
The Easter Bunny is not a modern invention. Easter bunny was Pagan symbol of fertility. The bunny as an Easter symbol seems to have its origins in Germany. The children were building a nest that they put in the garden in the hope that the Easter rabbit put the eggs in during the night. During the 1700s, the Easter bunny was introduced to American folklore. The Easter rabbit is sometimes replaced by other messengers. In France for instance, the eggs are made by the Easter Bells back from Rome after the Holy Week.

Whether you're revising, preparing for the next term or simply enjoying the break, the amazing learning team wish you a happy Easter. Remember to check out www.amazing-grades.com for the best resources for independent study and revision.

Writers of the Year Competition 2008

2008-03-26T11:25:00.008Z

The eagle eyed amongst you might have noticed the following hot link on the front page of amazing-grades. The fifteenth annual Writers Inc Writers-of-the-Year Competition is open for submissions, welcoming prose and poetry in all styles, forms and subjects. There are five categories for the competition in 2008:

Short Poems;
Extended Poems and Sequences;
Short Stories;
Writing for Children;
Feature Journalism.

Entries may be on any subject and in any style. Each entry is judged in its own context, regardless of length or content, and all entries will be judged anonymously. It is an international competition with entries accepted from anywhere in the world as long as they reach the organisers before Monday 14 April 2008.

Winners will be invited to read their work or extracts from it at a special Writers Inc event at the Barbican Library in London and there is up to £3,500 in prizes to be distributed at the discretion of the judges.

You can find more information about this competition and search through the many relevant resources for writers on the amazing grades website www.amazing-grades.com

Edinburgh International Science Festival

2008-03-26T12:01:00.003Z

Hot on the heels of National Science Week It is the Edinburgh International Science Festival from 25 March to 5 April.

2008 marks the 20th anniversary of the Scotland's biggest science festival.

“Edinburgh International Science Festival is an educational charity which aims to engage all of society in the wonder and value of science and technology.“

The programme is really varied. Amongst the planned activities are: science talks, walks, workshops, exhibitions, film screenings and events taking place at venues throughout the city including the Botanics, the National Museums of Scotland and Wonderama.
The Science Festival is a fabulous place for everyone. For more information on this festival, go to http://www.sciencefestival.co.uk

You can find many science sites using amazing grades. The site has useful resources for Biology, Chemistry, Physical Education, Physics and Psychology.

Safe Searching

2008-04-14T11:43:00.004+01:00

The Byron Review on e-safety, published recently, focussed many teachers' and parents' attention on child safety online, detailing the risks and dangers children face when exposed to potentially harmful material through the internet.

The report recommends that search engines such as Google and Yahoo display a “safe search” button prominently on their home page, to filter out adverse content when children search the web. You can check out the report at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/byronreview/

We have always taken safe searching seriously and we welcome the findings of the Byron review. amazing grades has its own form of 'safe search'. Every single resource from which our search engine chooses has been hand-picked by a teacher or subject specialist.

We provide links to over 20,000 academic resources that have been vetted and reviewed by our team of teachers, saving time, guaranteeing accuracy and reducing the risk of exposure to harmful content. We have always taken safe searching seriously and we welcome the findings of the Byron review.

We rely on experts to pick our websites, not algorithms.

'The Conkerers' movie wins three Royal Television Socitety Awards

2008-02-25T13:32:00.031Z

It's great news for us here at amazing learning - we are all delighted that The Conkerers movie won three RTS awards at The North East & The Border Centre Royal Television Society Awards for 2007 held at The Sage, Gateshead on Saturday 23rd February 2008. The event celebrated not only the best of the region's Television and New Media over the past 12 months, but also to look back over 21 years of Awards in the region.

The Conkerers is a short film commissioned by amazing learning to promote our enterprise products (www.enterprise-kebab.com) which aim to encourage youngsters to start their own company and, through their ingenuity, become an enterprising David to challenge the corporate Goliath.

The Conkerers was up against some stiff competition from Productions like ‘Wire in the Blood’ and three of the ‘Grumpy’ guides. According to the RTS, the “entry stood out — a short drama about the centuries-old playground game of conkers. The direction was flawless; everything worked — the setting, the young cast, the script, the pace, the editing. It was highly entertaining and very clever”. The judges awarded the higher budget award in the Best Drama or Entertainment Production category to The Conkerers, directed by Steven Boyle and produced by Jon Stubbs of Dene Films.

Along with this award, Dene Films also scooped three others, including Best Promotional, and two Craft Awards for Steven Boyle ("for a portfolio that stood out above the others" including his work on The Conkerers) and Peter Groom (for his craft in sound, which included his work on The Conkerers).

To find out more and to watch the film, visit www.theconkerers-movie.com.

For more articles about the movie and enterprise, have a look at …The Conkerers Movie Released and Teaching package encourages young to be entrepreneurs.

If you are based in the North East of England, the Regional Development Agency, One NorthEast have sponsored our enterprise products (Enterprise Kebab), so your school, college or university can get the tools and activities for FREE!

'Battle at Kruger'

2007-08-13T09:23:00.000+01:00

This is an incredible amateur clip that captures a battle between lions and buffalos in Kruger National Park in South Africa

As of today it's had 12.5 million views on YouTube!

Strength through unity?

2008-02-11T11:50:00.000Z

Today we welcome Frederique to our team of bloggers; she's starting by sharing her knowledge on the history and constitution of her home country, Belgium. We'll be putting this information on the Amazing Grades main site, in English and In French, for students to use as research information, or as a comprehension exercise:

Belgium is a federal state of 10 million people. This small country has three official languages. Approximately 59% of the population speaks Dutch, 40% speaks French and less than one percent speaks German. Only the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual (French and Dutch).

The Flemish Region or Flanders occupies the northern part of Belgium. The official language is Dutch. French may be used for certain administrative purposes in a dozen municipalities with language facilities around the Brussels-Capital Region and at the border with Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region is centrally located and completely surrounded by the province of Flemish Brabant and thus by the Flemish Region. In the southern part of Belgium, the Walloon Region, the first official language is French, but people also speak German in the German-speaking Community near the German border.

This linguistic diversity often leads to political conflict, linked to other issues (the minority in Wallonia, the foreign policy of the inter-war period, the economic problems Walloon, especially from the years 1960 and so on.), which produced a complex system of governance.

Belgium's political institutions are complex; most political power is organized around the need to represent the main cultural communities. Since around 1970, the significant national Belgian political parties have split into distinct components that mainly represent the political and linguistic interests of these communities.

After the elections in June 2007, it took more than six months to form a new government. Indeed, the various Dutch-speaking and French-speaking political parties did not succeed in reaching an agreement. Most Flemish parties want a new reform of the State and would like more independence. A Flemish extreme right party, "Vlaams Belang" advocates independence for the Flanders region.

During the long period without government, scenarios of separation were often put forward. However, many Belgians affirmed their wish to see the country remain united and many Belgian flags still hung from windows, especially in Wallonia. .

On November 18, more than 35,000 people demonstrated for the unity of Belgium. This event followed a petition which collected more than 140000 signatures. It was noted in this demonstration that few Flemish’s were present compared to Walloons.

Since December 21, Belgium finally has a government. However it is temporary and should be completed on March 23 to make way for a new one, lead by Flemish Christian DemocratYves Leterme, the actual winner of the federal elections of June 2007. But one thing is sure, tensions between the two communities still exist....

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium

New research provides a shed of light for forgetful types

2008-01-30T14:41:00.000Z

Wouldn't it be a relief if we could remember all those little things we always forget, like birthdays, anniversaries, the date of the French Revolution or where we put our keys?

We recently came across this story about an accidental discovery of the brain’s structure. Scientists have discovered that electrodes implanted in the brain have shown signs of improving human memory.

It was the result of a man, originally having brain surgery to reduce his appetite, fully remembering 30 year old happenings in incredible detail.

The results will be further investigated to determine whether these electrodes can help people with diseases like Alzheimer’s.

Maybe this would be a major step towards learning in the future, for the treatment of illness and hope for forgetful types?

Click here to read the full story from The Independent.

Poetry Tutorial - Andrew Marvell

2008-01-18T14:03:00.001Z

Thanks to an anonymous Amazing Grades user in Portugal for submitting this link to our site - an indispensable resource for any student studying Andrew Marvell:

Interactive Poetry Tutorial - To His Coy Mistress

This interactive tutorial offers a step-by-step guide for a close reading of Marvell's 'To His Coy Mistress'. Including a formal close reading that visually identifies elements of the poem and examines the effects of different rhetorical devices, it also features information on the cultural context and some approaches to critical interpretations.

This has everything you need for a comprehensive close-reading of this famous work, and the critical approaches section reaches up to the top end of AS Level standard.

This is heading straight for the English Literature section!

Amazing Learning at BETT 2008

2008-01-14T16:42:00.000Z

First things first - our apologies for lack of updates of late, but the Amazing Grades team (and the rest of Amazing Learning) has been super-busy the last month in the run up to the BETT Show 2008.

Incidentally, it was all worth it - we had a fantastic time at BETT, and we were overwhelmed (though not surprised ;) at the interest in our products. However, our stand was so busy at times that we didn’t always have enough opportunity to talk to everyone in detail about what we offer.

So if you're looking for more info on our learning software and web-based applications for the primary, secondary, further education and adult sectors, visit our website - www.amazing-learning.com - or call us on 0191 245 4444.

For the Amazing Grades team especially, it's always fun to demo our site to new faces - it's great seeing the reaction you get when people see what an exciting and unique idea it is! It really doesn't stop there; we've grown so much in the last year in terms of our product range, so check it out on the Amazing Learning site.

Back soon for some of our best recently added sites.

Recently added to Amazing Grades

2007-12-11T09:50:00.000Z

Here are a couple of most interesting sites our team of teachers have added to the Amazing Grades main site in the last seven days:

Religion, Philosophy & Ethics - Arguments for the existence of God

This short clip explores the notion of design, by using an analogy with a bridge. Arguments 'from' design, and 'to' design are both explored
by considering the different ways a bridge exhibits evidence of design, and how this applies to the question of God's existence.

French - Current Affairs

Le Monde article comparing the 2007 Val-d'Oise riots with 2005 riots.

Music Technology - Planning a Music Recording

Handy hints and tips on preparing for your recording session, from Fandango Recording, Toronto.

To see more sites that our team of teachers have rated and reviewed, register here, or sign up for a free trial and have a closer look around.

The Great Whale Trail

2007-11-27T09:25:00.001Z

The Great Whale Trail is a collaboration between Greenpeace and scientists working on humpback whales in the South Pacific. Humpback whales are now being tracked via satellite as they migrate from breeding areas in the tropical South Pacific to the feeding grounds of the Southern Ocean.

View the Great Whale Trail satellite image

This project will produce important information on the movements and destinations of humpback whales, when they migrate from small, unrecovered populations off Rarotonga (in the Cook Islands) and New Caledonia.

Greenpeace is communicating this important, safe scientific research as part of their campaign against Japan's unnecessary and harmful "research" in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. This year, they plan to kill 50 threatened humpback whales and 50 endangered fin whales :(

Greenpeace is also running a campaign in which you can vote to name the humpback whales currently on the Great Whale Trail. Out of the Amazing Grades team - Dave and Andy have both, quite predictably, gone for 'Mister Splashy Pants' .

It's Enterprise Week

2007-11-12T08:56:00.000Z

This week is Enterprise Week. From 12th to 18th November, it is anticipated that over 3,000 events will take place to stimulate ideas from young entrepreneurs across the UK. Head over to the Enterprise Week site to learn more...
http://www.enterpriseweek.org/

Some of you who read the Financial Times may be aware that the newspaper is running a number of features on Enterprise Week. Head over to the 'in depth' section of their website for daily videos from successful entrepreneurs behind Lastminute.com and the Timpsons chain of shoe repair shops.
http://www.ft.com/indepth/enterpriseweek

Check out the top 3 links from a search of Amazing Grades for 'enterprise'...

Amazing Learning provide a suite of activities including interactive online games, e-learning tools and courses, as well as audio and video content delivered online. Checkout Amazing Learning's promotional short film by viewing the trailer here. You can then sign up to view further information about the enterprise tools.

Even better, if you're based in the North East of England, the Regional Development Agency, One NorthEast have sponsored the programme and packaged it as Enterprise Kebab, so your school or college can get the tools and activities for free!

So whatever you do, have a great Enterprise Week.

Halloween Fun

2007-10-30T10:16:00.000Z

Halloween, or 'All Hallows Eve' is upon us and the Amazing Grades team thought that it might be fun to share a creative link for a change. The people at origami-club have put together a bunch of Halloween themed origami designs.

The designs range in complexity but all come with extensive diagrams and flash animations making sure you never put a foot wrong...

http://www.origami-club.com/en/halloween/index.htm

For some nifty tips on ghoulish makeup, making a lantern and staying safe whilst trick or treating then visit this fun site in America.

http://www.allhallowseve.com

Also on the site you will find a few scary stories, or even submit your own.

Happy Halloween....

Test Your Vocabulary!

2007-11-01T12:47:00.000Z

Here's a useful vocabulary test that could help you improve your writing skills; at the very least you'll learn a few new words :

Daily Writing Tips - Vocabulary Test

For the keen writers among you, this is an excellent blog - subscribe to its RSS feed or regular email updates and you'll sharpen your written communication skills every day! These aren't just useful for English enthusiasts, they provide an insight into into how languages work for any linguist.

Here are a few tips from the last couple of months that we have found especially helpful:

Affect / Effect

Five frequently misused verbs

Learning from poetry

PS - I'll be posting the Amazing Learning crew's results in the comments!

Nature's Great Survivors

2007-10-12T09:30:00.000+01:00

Here's some fascinating information on one of the most resilient forms of life on the planet:

Tardigrades (Known as water bears or moss piglets)

Freeze them, boil them, dry them, expose them to open space & radiation - after 200 years they'll still be alive!

Space: Sputnik's 50th Anniversary

2007-10-02T08:41:00.001+01:00

October 4th 1957 saw planet earth's first successful foray into outer space with the launch of Sputnik 1 by the then Soviet Union.

How important was Sputnik? As with many pioneering efforts there were others capable of launching but Sputnik was the first artificial satellite to orbit our planet. It seems that with Sputnik the space race was started with the United States launching their own satellite, Explorer 1, a little over three months later. Some 4000 launches later by nine different countries and there are an estimated 5000 satellites orbiting our earth.

Sputnik managed 1400 orbits before burning up on its planned re-entry to the earth's atmosphere in January 1958. The oldest satellite still orbiting earth is Vanguard 1, launched by the United States in 1958.

You can read more about Sputnik over at NASA's excellent history pages;
http://history.nasa.gov/sputnik/index.html

And for a little more information about other missions to space?
http://www.planetary.org/explore/topics/groups/space_missions/

In the fifty years since Sputnik was launched man has orbited the earth countless times and has travelled as far as our moon. We have launched probes to Mars and beyond and have discovered and photographed stars, planets and moons in our neighbouring solar systems and galaxies.

Sputnik and other artificial satellites shouldn't be confused with NEOs (Near Earth Objects) such as asteroids or satellites. There are 888 potentially hazardous asteroids being tracked. You can view them at: (note - you need java installed to view)
http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/orbits/

Space has tested our knowledge of physics and our understanding is constantly being extended. You can test your GCSE Physics knowledge at BBC Bitesize;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/edexcel/space/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/physics/the_earth_and_beyond/

Got any questions? Ask an astrophysicist! http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/ask_astro/ask_an_astronomer.html

Want to know more about the moon?
http://www.nineplanets.org/luna.html

Apparently a UK astronaut will be visiting the Moon soon (sorry for the rhyme).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6993010.stm

As Buzz Lightyear would say, to infinity and beyond...