Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 2/3/12

Here are some interesting sites that I’ve found this week, thanks to my PLN. As a teacher, I feel we have to keep up to date concerning research in our field and current issues in the education system. I hope some of these inspire you, inform you, and even have you asking questions. Thank you for coming by and visiting!

Note: Each resource is labeled with a level and subject area to make it easier to use.

Levels: E: Elementary; M: Middle; H: High; G: General, all levels; SN: Special Needs; T: Teachers

Subject Areas: LA: Language Arts, English, Reading, Writing; M: Math; S: Science; Health; SS: Social Studies, Current Events; FA: Fine Arts; Music, Art, Drama; FL: Foreign Language; PE: Physical Ed; C: Career; A: All

Cursive Handwriting Practice - Paragraphs - “Make a title for your handwriting worksheet in Step 1 below. Then go to Step 2 and type several sentences to make your paragraph. Watch words appear in dot trace letters as you type. You can then modify letter size, color and line color for a professional Cursive practice writing exercise!” (L: E; SA: LA)

Road to the White House - “Using C-SPAN’s Campaign 2012 website, students will explore the Election Process in the United States. They will examine the role of early campaigning, caucuses and primaries, the conventions, the debates, Election Day, continuing through to Inauguration Day. Then, students will evaluate the United States’ election process to determine whether they believe our system is appropriate in choosing the president or whether they think it should be altered.” (L: H; SA: SS)

Planet Ebook - “Classic literature for download as free eBooks” (L: H; SA: LA)

The Chronicles of Narnia - the book is read to listeners in a free audio podcast (L: E; SA: LA)

TechSmith’s Hub for Experimental Innovation - “Welcome to TechSmith Labs – the home for temporary trials, wacky experiments, and maybe TechSmith's next best thing. Check below for our latest experiments and let us know what you think! Input from our customers is what makes every TechSmith project great; just don't get too attached. While these experiments may be cool, keep in mind that they're experiments – they may morph into other ideas, turn into products, or discreetly disappear forever.” (L: H; SA: S)

Original image by Pat Hensley