Useful Information In and Out of the Classroom 11/23/12

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

Myths and Legends - “This site is for pupils, teachers and all those who enjoy stories and storytelling.” (L: LA; SA: A)

The National Archives Experience - “Find and create interactive learning activities with primary source documents that promote historical thinking skills.”(L:G; SA: A)

Brain Flips - “BrainFlips provides the world's best tools for creating, sharing and studying flashcards! Make flashcards on any subject and share them with your friends and classmates. BrainFlips flashcards can incorporate text, images, audio and video to learn any subject. Use our flashcards to study for:

• School subjects (vocabulary, math, history, geography, Spanish, French, etc.)
• Test prep (SAT, LSAT, GRE, GMAT, MCAT)
• Licensing prep (NCLEX, USMLE, Series 7, Real estate exams)
• Study flashcards on anything you like!

Flashcards are a time-tested learning tool for studying nearly any subject. BrainFlips flashcards take this model and extend using the latest technology to make learning with flashcards fun and effective. “(L:G ; SA:A )

History Mystery - “How would you like to become a great investigator — of history! I’m Professor Carlotta Facts, and I challenge you to solve the History Mystery! If you figure out the mystery in fewer clues, you earn a higher title as an investigator. So choose a game…and away we play!” (L: SS; SA: E, M)

BugScope - “Bugscope is an educational outreach project that was created in 1999 and continues with support from the Beckman Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Staff members in the Beckman Institute's multi-user microscopy suite donate their time to run up to 3 live Bugscope sessions a week. Schools apply online and pay nothing to participate. Once an application is accepted, we will arrange to schedule the date and time of the live interactive session.”

Original Image: Tools by Pat Hensley