Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 6/22/12

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

The Spangler Effect - videos; “Each episode will put one science experiment, concept, project, challenge or situation under the microscope to learn how and why it's important in our daily lives. At the heart of each episode is a take-away activity that has great wow-factor but is easy enough for viewers to recreate at home using simple household items. Sketches and brainstorming sessions quickly make their way from the workshop to a real-world situation that ends with viewers saying, "I can't believe they did that!" It's entertaining and fun in such a way that viewers don't even realize that they are learning... but they're totally engaged and eager to spread the science virus.” (L:G; SA: S)

Volcano Explorer - from Discovery Channel; interactive online exploration of a volcano

iNaturalist - “where you can record what you see in nature, meet other nature lovers, and learn about the natural world.” (L: H; SA: S)

Math Chimp - “Welcome to Math Chimp! We collect free online math games, videos, and worksheets and organize them by the common core standards. We're glad you've come to find great online math resources here... they're free and always will be!” (L: E, M; SA:M)

Travel Film Archive - “a collection of travelogues and educational and industrial films that show the world the way it was between 1900 and 1970.”

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley