Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 2/17/12

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

Doodle for Google 2012 - “Welcome to Doodle 4 Google, a contest where we invite students in the United States to use their artistic talents to think big and redesign Google’s homepage logo for millions to see. This year we ask students to exercise their creative imaginations around the theme, "If I could travel in time, I'd visit…" One lucky student artist will see their artwork appear on the Google homepage and take home some cool prizes--and as a special bonus, the winning artwork will appear on a limited edition of Crayola's iconic 64 box!” (L: G; SA:A)

Find The Best - “At FindTheBest, we present you with the facts — stripped of any marketing influence — so that you can make quick and informed decisions. We present the facts in easy-to-use tables with smart filters, so that you can decide what is best.” (L: G; SA:A)

NASA Lunar Electric Rover App for iPhone and iPod Touch - “Welcome to the NASA Lunar Electric Rover (LER) Simulator. You don’t need a driver’s license, but you still need to buckle up as the LER Simulator gives you a glimpse of what it might be like to support the activities of a functioning Lunar Outpost. Get busy. You never know if your skills here will become a major part of the NASA Astronaut application process in the future. “(L: M, H; SA:S)

NASA Moonbase Alpha Simulation - “In Moonbase Alpha, you assume the exciting role of an astronaut working to further human expansion and research. Returning from a research expedition, you witness a meteorite impact that cripples the life support capability of the settlement. With precious minutes ticking away, you and your team must repair and replace equipment in order to restore the oxygen production to the settlement.” (L: H; SA: S, C)

Presidential Candidate Research - “Using C-SPAN’s Campaign 2012 Application, students will research and evaluate the Presidential Candidates’ positions on key policy issues. Through watching clips of candidate speeches, students will determine the candidates’ position on the economy, foreign policy, health care, immigration, and more. Then, students will compare and contrast the candidates’ views with their own view.” (L: H, SA: SS)

Original Image by Pat Hensley