BioWorksU
introduces students to life science careers. Set in a virtual
university, the project uses games, experiments, and simulations to
show jobs at a range of locations -- a nurse's station, ambulance
bay, diagnostic lab, pathology lab, radiology department, pharmacy,
physical therapy room, dentist's office, and more. Watch videos of
professionals describing what they do. Play the ambulance maze game.
http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=1972
Computing
Life looks at ways physicists,
biologists, and even artists are harnessing the power of
computers to advance the understanding of biology and human
health. Learn how computers are used to simulate the spread of
flu through a school, the movement of cells in the body, and the
beating of a heart. Find out how computers help in the search
for gene variations that could lead to disease.
http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=1976
K-12 Energy
Lesson Plans and Activities
offers 350 lessons on energy efficiency and renewable energy.
Lessons are organized by grade level and topic -- biomass,
geothermal, fuel cells, ocean energy, solar power,
transportation fuels, wind energy, and energy efficiency and
conservation. Learn about passive solar buildings, advanced
photovoltaics, or basic wind turbines. Take an energy awareness
quiz. Estimate a carbon footprint; find ways to reduce it.
http://free.ed.gov/resource.cfm?resource_id=1969
The Weather
Channel Kids, the new website
for students from The Weather Channel combines entertainment and
education with such activities as Build Your Own Forecast, a
weather planner calendar, environment-themed games, a safe place
to share weather stories, and more.
http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/
From eSchool News Online
http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/showStoryts.cfm?ArticleID=7253
Self-assessment tool measures schools' safety readiness
School leaders
who want to see how their schools' safety plans compare with a
national average can take a short online survey using CDW-G's
"School Safety Index Self-Assessment Tool," a new feature that
accompanies the firm's School Safety Index, which it initially
published in June. This newest tool rates schools and districts
according to 10 safety strengths and four weaknesses. Cyber and
physical security strengths include data monitoring, user
authentication, building access, and communication with local
authorities; weaknesses include IT and physical breaches or
barriers. "We want the index to spark discussion in the
community and encourage everyone--students, parents, and
educators--to play an active role in strengthening the safety
and security of our schools," said Bob Kirby, senior director of
K-12 education for CDW-G. One key element that districts should
look for when evaluating their cyber and physical safety plans
is whether these plans take a multi-layered approach to
security, Kirby said. "You don't want to rely too much on one
tool because that's the easiest way for people to get around
it," he said. http://www.schoolsafetyindex.com/
Free
offer from Elluminate Elluminate
is offering K-12 schools a free, one-year license for Elluminate
Live! Lite Edition, with an optional free plug-in to integrate
Elluminate with either Blackboard or Moodle. The offer provides
unlimited access for one year, with full-duplex audio, shared
whiteboard, chat, math symbol library, graphing calculator, advanced
moderator tools, and more. Users can launch synchronous sessions
directly from Blackboard or Moodle, add live interaction, dynamic
discussion, keep participants engaged in learning, invite remote
guest speakers, connect online and onsite participants, facilitate
creation of online communities, and create, list, and modify
scheduled classrooms.
http://www.elluminate.com/lite_edition.jsp
Westward HO! opens registration
Dear Pioneers and Scouts, Load those wagons...kiss the kin
goodbye…get ready for adventure, drama, comedy, tragedy, and
fantastic learning as we hit the Oregon Trail and head out west!
Back for its fifteenth year, this simulated journey allows classes
to travel the trail as part of the Westward HO! Wagon Train. In
classrooms across the country, collaborative families, based on real
families from America's past, make daily decisions (travel and fate
scenarios are provided by the project moderators) that will
influence their safe arrival in Oregon. To all the brave souls that
join us... Godspeed and safe traveling. Registration is now open for
Westward HO! Travel January 15 - February 15, 2008, at
http://www.cyberbee.com/wwho/index.html. Hope to see you along
the trail!
From EduHound
http://www.eduhound.com/
Recycling Links
National Recycling Coalition: America Recycles Day
promotes the social, environmental
and economic benefits of recycling and encourages more people to
join the movement toward creating a better natural environment.
http://www.americarecyclesday.org
Recycle City teaches
students what they can do to help protect the environment.
http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/
Recycling: Earth 911
provides information about how to recycle, why to recycle, and
what to recycle.
http://earth911.org/recycling/
Creating less trash at school
features examples of ways to reduce waste at school.
http://reduce.org/school/index.html
Recycling Guide
teaches how to recycle different materials as a way of saving
energy and conserving the environment.
http://www.recycling-guide.org.uk/
Five lessons teach students to Reduce,
Reuse, Recycle by
offering five free lessons to help teach students about trash
and the importance of recycling.
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson308.shtm
Research Links
Fact Monster,
a free reference site for
students, teachers, and parents, offers homework help and facts
on thousands of subjects, including sports, entertainment,
geography, history, biography, education, and health.
http://www.factmonster.com
Internet Public Library: Reference
is the place to go for
all general reference needs. There are links to dictionaries,
encyclopedias, almanacs, and other sites for homework help or
just looking things up.
http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/ref00.00.00
Bartleby.com
combines contemporary
and classic reference works into a comprehensive public
reference library.
http://www.bartleby.com/reference/
Martindale's Reference Desk
links to reference
resources includes language centers, calculators, maps, science
tables and various countries.
http://www.martindalecenter.com
LibrarySpot.com
is a collection of reference
resources available online as well as a directory of public,
academic, and special libraries worldwide.
http://www.libraryspot.com
Refdesk.com
is a free and family-friendly website that indexes and reviews
quality, credible, and current web-based resources.
http://www.refdesk.com
Announcing the newly-launched Visual Dictionary Online
Is your world composed of an
ever-increasing number of whatchamacallits and thingamajigs? Have we
got a site for you! – The Visual Dictionary Online
features thousands of stunning images
enhanced by clear and precise definitions from the visionaries at
Merriam-Webster. Search by entry word or explore 15 major
themes—from astronomy to sports and games.
http://visual.merriam-webster.com/
From Tech Learning
http://www.techlearning.com/
New ways to utilize Excel
for math class
The November issue of
Tech Learning’s Educators’ Ezine offers an article full of
information and links to wonderful ways to utilize Excel to
demonstrate mathematical problems to a class. Here is just a
small snippet of the article that can be found at
http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604791.
“Excel is a powerful off-the-shelf tool for visualization and to
engage your students in "click-and-think" activities.
Higher-order thinking processes, algebraic thinking, and science
processes are all addressed via numerical experimentation and
"what if" scenarios. Additionally, students can develop Excelets
as part of projects, providing great dynamic presentations in
the classroom. Excelets are great tools for instructional design
and addressing multiple intelligences too! Let your classroom
evolve from "chalk-and-talk" to "click-and-think" with the use
of Excelets.
Take the ‘Interactive Features in Excel’ tour to see what Excel
can do. The forms toolbar provides a variety of features
(spinners, scroll bars, checkboxes, etc.) that are easy to use;
and when combined with logical functions, lookup tables,
conditional formatting, and a number of simple tricks provides a
wealth of interactivity and dynamic display. All of this is done
using computations (a.k.a. - formulas and available functions)
in the cells. The use of comment boxes adds explanation, hints,
and answers for students as well. Always look under the graphs,
as many of the tricks, such as turning lines on graphs on and
off or tracer points are explained there.
http://academic.pgcc.edu/~ssinex/excelets/interactive_features.xls.
See the downloadable pdf file ‘Using Excel for Handling,
Graphing, and Analyzing Scientific Data’
http://academic.pgcc.edu/psc/Excel_booklet.pdf
to gain experience and as a resource for your students.”
Preparing for Fall
E-Rate deadlines: A guide to navigating the 2008 program year
(by Cathy Cruzan). In early fall, most E-rate applicants
face the challenge of managing multiple program years. Schools
and libraries are finalizing reimbursements for the 2006 program
year, starting services or receiving goods for the 2007 program
year, and planning for submission for the 2008 E-rate program
year. Here are tips on how to successfully navigate this time
period in order to receive the full benefit of E-rate funding.
http://techlearning.com/story/showArticle.php?articleID=196604745
Take an
ISTE Learning Journey This new
ISTE feature is designed to give you the resources, ideas and
support you need to make change happen in your classroom, school or
district. The first stop on the journey is Project Based Learning.
The second, now available, is focused on Web 2.0. Step aboard at
http://www.iste.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Educator_Resources&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=22&ContentID=15527.
Lessons and Activities on energy topics
Through a partnership with the
Department of Energy, the Earth Day Network (EDN) has received close
to 100 new K-12 lessons and activities on energy topics aligned with
the National Science Education Standards. To find lesson plans on
energy efficiency and renewable energy for grades K-12, visit
http://www.earthday.net/programs/teachers/100plans.aspx.
For a walking tour of Walden Pond State Reservation,
where Henry David Thoreau built a modest wood cabin and lived in
solitude for two years, two months, and two days, visit
http://earthday.net/programs/teachers/walkingtour.html.
From Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord’s monthly newsletter
Making Books
http://www.makingbooks.com/
The
Encyclopedia of Children, Adolescents, and the Media
presents state-of-the-art research and ready-to-use facts on the
media's interaction with children and adolescents. With more
than 400 entries, the two volumes of this resource cover the
traditional and electronic media and their controversial impact—for
good and ill—on children and adolescents.
Key Features
-
Provides cross-disciplinary
coverage from the fields of psychology, education, media studies
and communication, sociology, and public policy.
-
Offers a cross-cultural
perspective with contributing authors from around the globe and
entries on the media in Europe and Asia.
-
Includes entries covering
television, film, video games, the Internet and World Wide Web,
magazines, music, and more.
-
Explores complex and difficult
topics such as violence, sex, rating systems and warning labels,
attention deficit disorder, body image and eating disorders,
popular music lyrics, advertising, digital music downloading,
parental involvement, policymaking, and child development.
-
Watch for it as
part of the Gale Virtual Reference Library.
From
YouthLearn, highlighting youth,
education, and technology news, tools, and resources.
http://www.youthlearn.org/index.html
Let a
Thousand Voices Speak: Guide to Youth Radio
It is remarkable how many different ways there are to set up and
run a program for youth in radio. There are projects with lots
of staff and money and others with none; projects that are part
of a station, projects that are part of a high school, and some
that are independent. In this manual, find descriptions of many
programs, sample curricula, information about equipment,
additional resources, and stories about lessons learned,
obstacles overcome, and challenges still to be met. Let a
Thousand Voices Speak is designed to share information about
many projects so that community radio stations, high schools,
non-profit arts organizations and community groups can start and
grow their own youth in radio programs. It is supported by the
Youth Initiatives Program of the Open Society Institute.
http://www.nfcb.org/projects/nyrtp/youthmanual/youthmanual.jsp
Listening
Across Borders: Creating Virtual Spaces for Youth Global
Exchange
As society becomes
increasingly global and technology dependant, new participatory
media networks have the potential to affect an international
youth-led social justice movement. How can youth media educators
create a different kind of pedagogical space where young people
from around the globe can use the tools of participatory media (blogs,
wikis, social networks, digital sharing sites, etc.) to connect
politically and socially? How do students learn to 'listen
across borders'—the first step in creating a youth platform for
global social justice? These sets of questions inspired Mindy
Faber to create YouthLAB, a program where youth are in charge,
conceptualizing how to use participatory media as a springboard
for youth leadership, activism, and organizing.
http://www.youthmediareporter.org/2007/11/listening_across_borders_creat.html
Debut of All Terrain Brain - a
Multimedia Project
The Ewing Marion
Kauffman Foundation and Three Chicks Media have developed All
Terrain Brain (ATB), a unique multimedia project designed to
encourage kids ages 8 to 12 to take their brains 'off road' and
tap into their entrepreneurial spirit. Through a series of 25
animated 1-minute videos, an interactive website, and an
educational outreach initiative, ATB helps students discover
they have the power to do whatever they want in life, whether
they become entrepreneurs or simply gain a greater understanding
of their own abilities. WGBH Boston is creating the Team ATB
Activity Guide & DVD, which will be available in December 2007
and will be distributed for free to after school programs
nationwide while supplies last. The developers are looking for
15 after school programs to pilot activities in early 2008.
Pilot sites will receive a $500 stipend for conducting
activities.
http://www.allterrainbrain.org/
Listen to a
Life Essay Contest
The Listen to a Life Essay Contest, sponsored by the Legacy
Project of Generations United, asks students to interview a
grandparent or grand-friend 50 years or older about the older
person's hopes and goals through their life, how they achieved
their goals and overcame obstacles or how dreams may have
changed along the way. The student then writes a 300-word essay
based on the interview. Maximum Award: a Lenovo ThinkCentre
computer, $800 in Orchard software, and an iPod Classic with
video and $25,000 worth of software for the student's school.
Eligibility: students ages 8-18. Deadline: March 31, 2008.
http://www.legacyproject.org/contests/ltal.html
The
November issue of the i-EDUCATOR Times
http://www.isafe.org/
Founded in 1998 and active in all 50
states, i-SAFE Inc. is a nonprofit foundation whose mission is to
educate and empower youth to make their Internet experiences safe
and responsible. The goal is to educate students on how to avoid
dangerous, inappropriate, or unlawful online behavior. i-SAFE
accomplishes this through dynamic K through 12 curriculum and
community outreach programs to parents, law enforcement, and
community leaders.
The November issue of the i-EDUCATOR Times includes the following
topics:
-
Faculty Insider – The Doctrine of
Fair Use – Focusing in on Fair Use Guidelines
-
e-Government and i-SAFE – The
Internet brings your government to you.
-
i-SAFE News – Donny in D.C. – The
Donny the Downloader Experience assembly plays on Capital Hill
-
New Credit Card Scams – Don’t get
lured!
-
The High Cost of Music Piracy –
It’s a high price to pay for downloading
-
Online Tutoring – Low cost, or no
cost, online tutoring for your child
-
Operation i-SHIELD
– Impacting communities with Internet safety education
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