Featured 7-7-2014: Brown v. Board of Education

 

Brown v. Board of Education was a landmark case in which the US Supreme Court declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students to be unconstitutional, overturning the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896, which allowed state-sponsored segregation, insofar as it applied to public education. The unanimous decision handed down on May 17, 1954, held that separate educational facilities are inherently unequal. This ruling opened the door to integration and was a major victory of the civil rights movement.

 

 

The National Park Service, in support of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Kansas offers a collection of lesson plans and curriculum units for K-12 on their website. Related Common Core standards for all the materials are specified.

 

 

The National Archives provides a compilation of documents related to Brown v. Board of Education  as well as lesson resources, standards correlations, teaching activities, a document analysis worksheet, a timeline, and biographies of key figures.

 

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Featured 7-1-2014: The GLOBE Program

 

The GLOBE (Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment) program is a worldwide hands-on science and education program for primary and secondary schools.

 

The vision of the GLOBE program is to promote and support students, teachers, and scientists collaborating on inquiry-based investigations of the environment and the Earth system.

 

Participation in the GLOBE program is open to teachers in participating countries who become trained in GLOBE scientific protocols. These teachers mentor students in taking, reporting, and using high-quality data and using these data to perform investigations.

 

 

The GLOBE program works in partnership with NASA, NOAA and NSF Earth System Science Projects in study and research about the dynamics of Earth's environment.

 

 Visit the GLOBE program’s YouTube channel

 

Since its start on Earth Day, 1995, 112 countries have participated in the GLOBE program. There are more than 66,000 GLOBE-trained teachers representing over 24,000 schools around the world. More than 10 million students have participated and contributed more than 100 million measurements to the GLOBE database.

 

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Featured 6-23-2014: NISE Network

 

The NISE Network is an online digital library of public nano educational products and tools for educators and scientists to use to increase their ability to engage their people in nanoscale technology.

 

Launched in 2005, the NISE Network (Nanoscale Informal Science Education Network) has the target of engaging the public with the development of nanoscale research, as well as capturing the interest of young people and encouraging careers in nanoscale science or technology. The Network now includes fourteen museums and universities across the US.

The NISE Network is home to a selection of educational products designed to engage the public in nanoscale technology: educational programs and activities, media, exhibits, professional development tools, and evaluation and research reports designed for educators and scientists. All products are reviewed by scientists, educators, and tested with visitors. Most are available for free download and can be easily adapted and modified as needed.

 

 Visit the NISE Network Vimeo channel

 

Anyone interested in helping the public better understand nanoscale research is welcome to join. The NISE Network is funded by the National Science Foundation.

 

Note: Many NISE Network educational products are available in Spanish. The most popular programs have been adapted for Spanish-speaking audiences.

 

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Featured 6-10-2014: TERC

 

TERC is an independent, non-profit, research-based organization that has been introducing millions of students to math and science learning for nearly 50 years.

 

TERC has striven to engage and inspire all students through stimulating content intended to develop the knowledge and skills they need to ask questions, solve problems, and expand their opportunities.

 

Simply put, the mission of TERC is to improve mathematics and science education. TERC hopes to:

• Contribute to a deeper understanding of learning and teaching
• Enhance instruction through teacher professional development
• Develop applications of new technologies to education
• Create curricula and other products
• Support reform in both school and informal settings

 

Since it’s founding in 1965, the work of TERC has spread across all areas of STEM education to reach K-12 and postsecondary students as well as adult learners. TERC is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

 

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Featured 6-4-2014: TeachUNICEF

 

TeachUNICEF is a collection of free interdisciplinary global education resources for grades PK-12.

 

 

The standards-aligned TeachUNICEF lesson plans, stories, and multimedia resources cover social studies, science, math, English/language arts, and foreign/world languages.

 

TeachUNICEF deals with many topics including Armed Conflict, Child Labor, Child Trafficking, Global Citizenship, Poverty, Water and Environment, and more.

 

 

The mission of TeachUNICEF is to "support and create well-informed global citizens who understand interconnectedness, respect and value diversity, have the ability to challenge injustice and inequities and take action in personally meaningful ways.”

 

TeachUNICEF strives to provide rich, engaging academic materials offering multiple viewpoints, thus stimulating the consideration of global issues.

 

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) works in more than 190 countries and territories to save and improve children’s lives, providing health care and immunizations, clean water and sanitation, nutrition, education, emergency relief and more.

 

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Featured 5-20-2014: Amazon School Lists

 

Amazon School Lists is a new way for K-12 teachers to create and share online back-to-school supply lists with parents.

 

By using Amazon School Lists teachers will have more students better prepared from the first day of school and throughout the year.  A teacher creates student supply lists for his/her classes, posts them to the Amazon School Lists website, then sends parents an email with a link to the list. 

 

The School List form includes the option for teachers to comment on each item. For example, you can add a note that indicates a particular color marker may be needed, or that similar items can be acceptable.

 

Amazon School Lists lets K-12 parents know exactly what school supplies their children will need for class. They can view and purchase supplies from their children's own teacher's lists or suggested grade-level lists. Parents can view and shop directly from the list or print the list to take shopping.

 

 

Teachers may begin creating Amazon School Lists for fall 2014 back-to-school preparation immediately. Parents will be able to access school lists right now as well. At the end of a term, the supply lists for that term will be disabled. To re-use a list, a teacher can re-save the list with a new name and the new term date.

 

Note: Only registered Amazon customers can create or use School Lists.

 

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Featured 5-19-2014: Google Classroom

 

Classroom is a new, free tool coming to Google Apps for Education that helps teachers easily and quickly create and organize assignments, provide feedback, and communicate with their classes.

 

By integrating Google Docs, Drive, and Gmail, Classroom can help teachers manage assignments quickly and easily, and communicate with their students more efficiently and effectively. Classroom lets teachers make announcements and pose questions online.

 

Students using Classroom are able to better organize their work, complete and submit assignments, and interact directly with their teachers and peers. Drive folders are automatically created for each assignment and for each student. Students can readily see what assignments are due on an assignments page.

 

 Watch Previewing a new Classroom by Google

 

Classroom contains no ads, does not use your content or student data for advertising purposes, and is free for schools.

 

 

A limited number of educators are being invited to try Classroom. Teachers can apply for a preview. By September, Classroom will be available to any school using Google Apps for Education.

 

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Featured 5-12-2014: EverySlide

 

EverySlide involves students by making it possible to integrate open-ended questions and polls in the same slides you are already using.

 

A free EverySlide educator license can make your classroom more interactive:

• Re-use existing slides
• More engaged students
• Know what students are thinking
• Generate class reports
• Instant polls and word clouds
• Students use their own devices

Upload a presentation created in PowerPoint or Keynote to EverySlide and press ‘present'. A unique registration link will be generated that your class can use to join your slideshow using any device they happen to have.

 

 

Ask a question or run an instant poll. After the presentation, you can review students’ interactions online or download their details and answers as a spreadsheet. You can leave a copy of your slides on participants’ devices.

 

 Watch an overview of EverySlide

 

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Extra 5-9-2014: Bing Classroom

Bing in the Classroom gives US K-12 schools the choice of ad-free search, so students have a safer, more private online environment.

When a district signs up for Bing in the Classroom:

• All the ads are removed from search results.
• SafeSearch with strict filtering to help keep out adult content is turned on.
• Enhanced privacy settings prevent use of search data for personalized ad profiles.

When a district signs up for Bing in the Classroom, Microsoft agrees to a publically available Terms of Service that lists in detail exactly how the program works and their commitment to students.

 Watch Bing in the Classroom Now Available to All Schools in the US

Your district must be registered by a district-level administrator for ad-free search to receive Bing in the Classroom.

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Featured 5-8-2014: Booktrack Classroom

 

 

Used in the teaching of English and Language Arts, Booktrack Classroom is a new, free technology that enables students to read stories and texts accompanied by a movie-style soundtrack.

 

Integrated with Common Core standards, the easy-to-use Booktrack Classroom technology can improve student reading and writing abilities. New York University and The University of Auckland have conducted studies which show that Booktrack increases reading comprehension scores and student engagement.

 

Booktrack can be used on both an individual basis as well as in group learning exercises. Here are some examples of ways it can be used:

• Narrative Writing – Students can add music and audio to their original stories.
• Informative and Explanatory Writing – Students write essays and articles selecting suitable audio to clarify their text.
• Literature Study – Students can gain insight and increased understanding of the text by creating their own soundtracks for novels, stories, and plays.
• Read-Alouds – Teacher and student led read-alouds are enhanced through the addition of sound and music to the chapter or act being presented.

Booktrack Classroom can foster digital literacy and creative thinking among students while developing multiple learning objectives. 

 

 

 View a short intro to Booktrack Classroom

 

Booktrack Classroom also hosts a library of free lesson plans for K-12 students, covering a variety of subjects and learning outcomes. All lesson plans have been created by professional teachers.

 

 There are free Booktrack mobile apps for both Android and iOS devices.

  

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Featured 4-15-2014: 21Things4Teachers

 

21Things4Teachers is a free web-based professional development resource to educate teachers in the use of technology

 

The intention of 21Things4Teachers is to provide Just-in-Time training for K-12 educators through an online interface based on the ISTE Standards for Teachers, the basic technology skills every educator should possess.

 

 

21Things4Teachers covers a large variety of digital applications in the context of different educational practices, issues, considerations, and environments. The 21 modules, or things, include such topics as Cloud Initiation, Collaboration Tools, Visual Learning, Copyright and Creative Commons, Differentiated Instruction, and Flipping the Classroom.

 

 

With learning activities structured around the NETS•T, the modules provide an opportunity for participants to learn how to use various technology tools and how technology can support an educator’s professional development. Participants will broaden their own skills and discover what students need in order to meet the ISTE Standards for Students.

 

21Things4Teachers began in 2008, with four friends who were instructional technology specialists looking for a way to train teachers on technology in a timely and cost-effective manner.

 

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Featured 3-31-2014: Next Generation Science Standards

Through a collaborative, state-led process, new K–12 science standards, Next Generation Science Standards for Today’s Students and Tomorrow’s Workforce, have been developed.

 

Rich in content and practice, the Next Generation Science Standards are logically arranged across disciplines and grades to provide all students an internationally benchmarked science education. 

 

The process for developing the science standards included having the scientific and educational research communities identify core ideas in science and integrate them across grade levels.

 

 

The scientific practices in the NGSS include critical thinking and communication skills that students need for real-world success. In the standards, these science practices are intertwined with content.

 

 See Paul Andersen introduce his video series on the Next Generation Science Standards.

 

The Next Generation Science Standards are based on the Framework for K–12 Science Education developed by the National Research Council. The writing process began in the summer of 2011, and the final version of the NGSS was released in April of last year.

 

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Featured 2-26-2014: Gooru

Gooru is a free search engine for education that makes it easy for K-12 teachers to discover topic-relevant content aligned to Common Core standards.

 

With millions of online resources available, teachers can organize learning playlists called collections to use in the classroom or to assign to students in a flipped classroom concept. Teachers receive direct feedback on mastery and progress as students study collections and answer questions,  allowing educators to differentiate instruction to meet individualized learning needs.

 

 

Users can contribute to an active community of teachers and students by sharing collections and best practices. Over half a million teachers in 140 countries and all 50 US states use Gooru to help students reach their full potential. Free learning materials can be found, rated, remixed, and shared.

 

 Watch Gooru: Discover, Organize, Teach

 

Gooru, developed by a non-profit organization whose mission is to honor the human right to education, is free of cost and ads. 

 

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Featured: 2-13-2014 Buck Institute for Education

The Buck Institute for Education (BIE) is a nonprofit organization that helps teachers learn how to use Project Based Learning in all grade levels and subject areas.

 

The Buck Institute for Education creates, gathers, and shares Project Based Learning (PBL) instructional practices and products and provides services to teachers, schools, and districts.

 

BIE offers teachers professional development on how to design, assess, and manage projects that engage and motivate students. BIE helps schools bring consistency and structure to PBL practices school-wide. BIE offers districts services and expertise in creating and sustaining district-wide PBL initiatives.

 

 

BIE offers a full range of PBL-related resources organized into three broad categories: Things to read, to watch, or to interact with.

• Things to Read include blogs, books, articles, and research about PBL, and also written documents you can use, such as rubrics, project planning forms, student handouts, and other materials for planning, assessing, and managing projects.
• Things to Watch include videos that showcase particular projects and PBL schools or to explain PBL, as well as an archive of recorded webinars on various PBL topics.
• Things to Interact With include live webinars, Google Hangouts, and Twitter Chats, plus online classes to take, conferences to attend, and websites to visit.

 

 Watch an interview with representatives from BIE

The Buck Institute for Education also recommends resources for teachers, principals, and district leaders who would like to take an independent approach to learning about PBL. The featured resources include a note on how you can use that item.

 

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