Featured 7-17-2014: Highlights for High School

 

Highlights for High School is a companion website to MIT OpenCourseWare* providing open educational resources for high school educators and students.

 

Highlights for High School includes content created specifically for high school students as well as resources collected from the MIT curriculum that can be used effectively in high school.

 

Available resources cover not only science and math, but also engineering, humanities, and social sciences. The material can be integrated into classroom lesson plans, shared, reused, and remixed. Though meant primarily for juniors and seniors in high school, motivated younger students can also benefit from these courses.

 

 

The website is organized into two main sections:

• The Subjects section is arranged by topics likely to be encountered in high school, such as mathematics, physics, and biology. Within each of these you will find a variety of content, such as labs, courses, and video resources.
• The Exam Preparation section is aimed at students who are preparing to take AP exams in biology, calculus, chemistry, or physics. These materials are meant to supplement classroom learning. Relevant OCW course materials have been mapped to the topics in these exams and are easily searchable.

 In addition to YouTube access, Highlights for High School has posted all of their videos to TechTV, an MIT-based video service similar to YouTube.

 

*See yesterday’s post

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Featured 7-16-2014: MIT OpenCourseWare

 

MIT OpenCourseWare makes the materials used in the teaching of almost all of MIT's undergraduate and graduate courses freely available on the web.

 

With more than 2200 courses available, OpenCourseWare provides free MIT educational content that can be used to augment your knowledge or in teaching others.

 

Each course consists of at least two parts: some type of instruction (a syllabus, lecture notes, reading list, calendar, etc) and a learning activity such as assignments, quizzes, or exams.

 

You may choose to use a complete course from beginning to end or just implement select concepts. You may use the material at your own pace.

 

 

OpenCourseWare offers several resources for you to use, adapt, and share with your students:

• Use advanced search to find assignments, recitations, exams, labs, study materials, or related resources on a specific topic.
• Simulations, applets, and visualizations let your students modify or control experiments.
• Audio and video lectures can facilitate a flipped classroom.
• Students can review concepts they should master for your course.

 Visit the MIT OpenCourseWare YouTube channel

 

MIT OpenCourseWare is free and requires no registration.

 

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Featured 7-15-2014: Biblionasium

 

Designed to engage, encourage, and excite young people about reading, BiblioNasium is a free, social network for children in elementary and middle school.

 

 

BiblioNasium includes the tools to function as a literacy partner, helping teachers efficiently develop and propel an effective, challenging, independent reading program.

 

Differentiate reading programs to meet students' individual needs by monitoring reading logs, creating reading challenges, and helping students expand genre choices and tailor reading lists. Build and manage programs by group, class, grade, and individual student.

 

 

More that you can do with BiblioNasium:

• Track what each student is reading and at what level, using Lexile® measures provided onsite.
• Virtual bookshelves help kids keep track of what they’ve read, what they like, and what they plan to read.
• Kids can share book recommendations and books, building conversation and connections around reading.
• Mascot and reading coach Chip Manzee motivates and entertains kids, challenging them and rewarding good reading behavior.

 Tour the Biblionasium website

 

BiblioNasium has taken measures to keep information safe. Only approved friends and the registered educator can see a student’s name and school.  Other signed-in users can see the student’s anonymous username, books, and other non-personal information. No users can see student information without authorization.

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Featured 7-10-2014: MIT+K12 Videos

 

 

MIT+K12 Videos about STEM topics are made for students by students.

 

Current MIT students are invited and trained to write and host webisodes for kids about their favorite science, technology, engineering, and math topics, seeking to entertain and engage as well as to educate.

 

 

The mission of MIT+K12 Videos is to "use MIT's unique resources to inspire the inner scientist in all learners. We believe everyone can have wonder for our world - so we create fresh and authentic video content that entertains and engages just as much as it educates."

 

These videos strive to show science in a different light from what you might find in a textbook while making the assets that are distinct to MIT accessible to a global audience.

 

MIT+K12 Videos are hosted by MIT students who possess a diverse set of interests, personalities, and backgrounds and are relatable and fun. By training these students to become engaging advocates for science and producing these videos, the hope is to foster an enthusiastic and curious global community of learners and educators.

 

 Visit the MIT+K12 YouTube channel

 

The MIT+K12 Videos are free and accessible to anyone in the world.

 

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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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Plus 7-3-2014: Make Math a Game

 

Make Math a Game is devoted to helping people, both kids and adults, improve their math skills while having a good math experience.

 

Browse the Make Math a Game blog for ideas that can improve your math ability. The free website helps you understand the basics and alleviate confusion so that math becomes fun. The goal is to "give help to kids, teens, and adults who want to get better at math – and it doesn’t matter what your current math level is!”

 

In addition to the blog, there are sections on Math Concepts, Practice, Everyday Math, Math Tricks and Teasers, as well as special featured items.

 

 

The philosophy of Make Math a Game is that you can do math better with practice and the practice will be easier if it is fun.

 

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Featured 6-25-2014: MathTerms

MathTerms is a free illustrated glossary of nearly 1000 mathematics terms for middle- and high-school students and teachers in both English and Spanish.

 

With its colorful, annotated illustrations, MathTerms has been accessed online by millions of students over the past five years. It is now available as an iPad and Android app with permission of The Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas at Austin and Agile Mind, Inc.

 

Key features of MathTerms:

• Free with no advertising
• Covers Middle School Math, Algebra I, Algebra II, Geometry, Precalculus, Calculus, and Statistics
• Colorful, annotated illustrations
• Complete, sentence-based definitions
• Alphabetical indexes
• Flash card function
• No internet connection required for use

 

Complete definitions are available in both English and Spanish. Display toggles between English and Spanish terms, and the search function is available in both languages.

 

 Watch a video demo of the MathTerms app

 

 The MathTerms iPad app requires iOS 3.2 or higher. The Android version requires Android 1.6 or higher.

 

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Featured 6-24-2014: Kids Discover

 

In order to help you integrate core nonfiction topics into your curriculum, Kids Discover has developed hundreds of free downloads, articles, lesson plans, and other resources. 

 

The mission of Kids Discover is "to expose kids to all the wonders in the world—science, space, nature, history and culture—in one easy-to-understand, beautiful publication” with the goal of encouraging kids' natural curiosity while fostering an enthusiasm for reading and learning.

 

A Teacher’s Guide and a Power Vocabulary packet accompany every Kids Discover title. These free downloads come with with activities, exercises, and assessments to help you integrate their nonfiction titles into your curriculum.

 

 

More Kids Discover resources:

• Reproducible, one-page infographics and lesson sheets bring complex concepts to life with diagrams and short captions.
• Long-form Spotlights articles each cover one topic in-depth, and include a photo gallery and short assessment to help improve reading comprehension and vocabulary.
• Short (about 300 words) Quick Reads nonfiction pieces are intended to get kids interested in exploring new ways to read and digest information.

A subject-matter expert from a prestigious university or museum authenticates each issue of Kids Discover. All issues are ad-free.

 

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Featured 6-18-2014: CollegeEd

 

CollegeEd is the free, standards-based* college planning and career exploration program for middle and high school students from the  College Board.

 

 

Drawing on more than a century of experience by the College Board in guiding students on the way to college, the CollegeEd program provides lessons and activities meant to help students evolve the skills needed to meet their goals. In collaboration with Roadtrip Nation, CollegeEd gives students the chance to "explore their aspirations and set long-term goals to get them on the path to higher education and a successful career."

 

Lessons written by experienced counselors and AP teachers are organized around three consistent themes: "Who Am I?", "Where Am I Going?" and "How Do I Get There?" 

 

 

CollegeEd offers flexible options for teaching, implementation, and family involvement. The program consists of three levels, each with its own student workbook and accompanying educator guide:

• Grades 7-8 gets students thinking about the path to college.
• Grades 9-10 has engaging activities to help students discover their interests and begin planning for college.
• Grades 11-12 guides students through the college search and application processes.

 

CollegeEd materials can be used online and are also provided as downloadable, printable PDFs. Materials are also available in Spanish.

 

* The CollegeEd program is based on standards developed by the College Board, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, and ASCA.

 

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Featured 6-17-2014: Radix Endeavor

 

The Radix Endeavor is a multiplayer online game for STEM learning in high school.

 

When a player enters the Radix Endeavor  she finds herself on an island with many unknown species of plants and animals, many mysterious places waiting to be discovered, and many problems to be solved. She must try to determine what is causing the problems, how the natural systems work, and which factors need to be changed to improve the lives of the people and save the island from destruction.

 

 

The game offers students the opportunity to participate in a collaborative, social experience in a systems-based game world while they explore how that world works and discover important scientific concepts.

 

The initial phase of the Radix Endeavor will cover topics in biology, algebra, geometry, probability, and statistics. Designed to align with the Common Core standards in mathematics and Next Generation Science Standards for high school students, there is also particular emphasis on developing key mathematics practices and 21st century skills.

 

 

Innovative task-based assessments will be embedded into the game, and that data will be used to track players’ strategies, progress, and potential misconceptions. The data will be analyzed in real time to offer feedback and support to the player to promote learning when concepts and skills are being first introduced. It will also be available on a 'Teacher Portal' to help teachers monitor student progress and differentiate their lessons to meet students’ needs.

 

 Watch The Radix Endeavor Trailer

 

The Radix Endeavor is being developed at the MIT Education Arcade in collaboration with Filament Games, and is funded by the Gates Foundation.

 

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Featured 6-16-2014: ParticiPoll

 

ParticiPoll is an audience polling add-in for PowerPoint that allows audience members to use their own devices to votes.

 

ParticiPoll is easy to use. With PowerPoint, create a slide with up to six answer choices. Use the ParticiPoll menu to set options, then click ‘Insert Poll’ and a results bar will appear on the slide. Press the ‘Start Polling” button, log in, and run your presentation.

 

Direct your audience to your assigned URL to vote and see the live vote count. When all votes are in advance your presentation to see the poll results.

 

 

Features of ParticiPoll:

• Clicker-free system that uses your audience members' devices
• Simple to install PowerPoint add-in
• Drop polls straight into your slides without telling ParticiPoll the questions and answers
• View and download historic poll data and anonymous comments (Pro version)

 

 See a video overview of ParticiPoll

 

ParticiPoll is free to use for unlimited live audience polling in PowerPoint. To access audience comments, historic charts, and to download results data you’ll need to purchase the Pro version at £2.99 (about $5 US) per month or £29.99 ($50 US) for a whole year.

 

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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 6-5-2014: European Schoolnet Academy

 

European Schoolnet Academy is a website where you can learn about innovation in education through online professional development courses for teachers in primary and secondary schools.

 

The courses offered by European Schoolnet Academy offer you an introduction to key concepts and ideas that can help you develop your practice as an educator as well as the opportunity to share these ideas and your experiences with your peers. These courses are completely free of charge.

 

It is the hope of the European Schoolnet Academy that by participating in these courses and by engaging with your peers "you will feel empowered and inspired to try out something new in your practice."

 

 Visit the European Schoolnet Academy YouTube channel

 

The two European Schoolnet Academy pilot courses starting in 2014 cover two key areas of expertise of European Schoolnet and link into their project activities: Future Classroom Scenarios and STEM education.

 

 

European Schoolnet is the network of 30 European Ministries of Education, based in Brussels. As a not-for-profit organisation, they aim to bring innovation in teaching and learning to key stakeholders: Ministries of Education, schools, teachers, researchers, and industry partners.

 

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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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