These are links to websites that aren't along the beaten path....things that I've seen on the listserv or perhaps in the journals.  Definitely things that are unique and make an impression...at least for further consideration.

 

Zamzar  (Computer Technology; Multimedia Productions)

 

This online tool is just what teacher-librarians and students need when working on multimedia projects. Files up to 100 MB in size can be e-mailed to the site for conversion to another format. Files from both a PC and a URL can be converted. Options for converting movies from YouTube, Google Video, and other online sources are available. Some of the newer features include conversion options for Microsoft Works files and Office 2007 files.  The converted file is e-mailed to the user and can be accessed for up to 24 hours after the e-mail with the file link is received.

 

 

e-Archives at Purdue (History; Business)

 

Explore the wealth of primary sources related to Amelia Earhart, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth in their field of industrial management (the couple who was the inspiration / authors of Cheaper By the Dozen ), and a number of vintage newsreels at this site constructed by the Libraries at Purdue University. Here learners will find more than 800 pieces of material related to various aspects of Earhart's flying and teaching career. The time-motion studies done by the Gilbreth's chronicle attempts to find the "one best way" to accomplish a task. The advanced search option and the straight-forward index make this a time efficient location for finding myriad sources. Share this site with your social studies colleagues and those interested in flight.

 

 

Google Lit Trips (Literature)

 

Not affiliated with Google, but definitely utilizing its strengths.....Explore the geography behind a growing list of classics via Google Earth. High school teachers and students will find the tales of Macbeth, Candide, The Aeneid, The Grapes of Wrath, and other well-know works of literature greatly enhanced by using the prepared Google Earth trips found at the site. Links to a number of additional Google Earth resources are also available. Share this one with English and geography teachers in grades 9-12.

 

 

Women's History Month  (History; Womens' Studies)

 

Explore the wealth of primary source materials focused on famous women in history indexed at this site. Learners will find Susan B. Anthony and Sandra Day O'Connor featured on the home page. A "Did You Know" link provides details of Carry Nation's crusade against alcohol. Additional options for exploring various collections, images, and audio and video selections related to women in history are easily accessible. Use this site to introduce learners of all ages to the rich contributions of women throughout history.

 

 

Try Science  (Science)

 

Visit more than 400 science centers throughout the world via this web site. Options range from thematic, interactive adventures to hands-on experiments with an online component to field trips. In addition, there are a number of live web cams that can be accessed as well as a "Curious?" link for information and polls on hot topics. Educators should visit "The Teacher Page" to find a number of award-winning lesson plans based on TryScience activities, best-practice ideas, and information on connecting with parents via science experiments. Check out the adventure options for computer classroom use. Recommend this site to teachers and parents of students in grades 1-12.

 

50 Coolest Websites  (Current Events; Arts & Entertainment)

 

Check out the list developed by the folks at Time magazine. Categories include entertainment, arts, and media; shopping, lifestyles, and hobbies; news and information; staying connected; time wasters; travel and real estate; and Web search and services. Investigate the news and search categories for items to share with students. Be sure to look at "The Morning News" for a daily news e-zine based in New York City. At "Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone" your students will find a journalistic look at the various conflict/war zones across the planet. Finally, check out "the Human Clock" that provides a different image from around the world every minute. These sites make great engagement or bell-ringer activities as well as starting points for information literacy discussions.

 

 

Fantasy Congress  (Social Studies; Government)

 

Developed by students at Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, CA, this simulation provides an opportunity for students to experience the legislative process in the same manner that fantasy football players experience the game of football. Leagues can be created for classroom activities, and then the students draft their legislators and begin work. Each team has 16 legislators, divided between different seniority categories, to equalize that factor of the simulation. Points are scored when a bill becomes law. The site is updated daily with point values and legislative information. The format is enticing, the technical portion of the site is sound, and the information can be verified. This is a wonderful tool for use in social studies classes and other interdisciplinary units, so share this site with teachers and students in grades 9-12.

 

Primary Source Learning  (History)

 

Developed with the help of a grant from the U.S. Congress, this site showcases the myriad primary sources available at the Library of Congress. An advanced search option provides one method of access; the browse feature provides access by media type, curriculum area, and Library of Congress areas. Be sure to examine the "Students" section for teaching ideas and family use activities. In addition, educators can subscribe to the Teacher Treasures newsletter that has a curriculum theme for each of the quarterly issues. Finally, check the professional development materials for well-crafted online modules to help deepen your understanding of using primary sources as teaching materials. Share this site with teachers, parents, and students of all grades.

 

Smithsonian Photography Initiative  (Photography; Art; Geography; History; Other)

 

Explore the more than 2,000 photographic images available at this web site. This superbly crafted search and slide-show creation tool provides myriad images appropriate for any curriculum area. An easy-to-use search tool includes keyword, geographic area, century and decade options, and other choices. The Frame option allows for easy creation of a sequence of pictures, which can be saved after completing the free registration and can be the link to the sequence that can be e-mailed to others. When complete, the site will provide access to more than 13 million photographs in the Smithsonian collections. This site is a fabulous resource for student projects, so recommend it to teachers, parents and students in all grades.

 

 

Italy Guides  (History; Literature; Creative Writing)

 

Visit the cities of Rome, Venice, Florence, Pisa, Siena, and Naples via this spectacular site. Virtual panoramas of well-known sites in each city are available via QuickTime. Web visitors can inspect the Tower of Pisa, the Roman Coliseum, Doge's Palace, and many other options. More great teaching tools at the site are the iPod or MP3 audio tours of the various cities and sights. These tools can help students visualize the Renaissance time period, be used as starting points for writing assignments, or serve as models for student-created tours of other areas.

 

Virtual Astronaut  (Science)

 

Take a virtual tour of the International Space Station (ISS) with this interactive, 3-D web site. Featured are activities for students in grades 5-12 that teach about the human skeleton, topography and geography skills, plant growth in space, why and how astronauts temporarily grow taller while in space, and much more. Here, students can learn about solar power, neuroscience, microgravity, water purification in space, and many other stimulating topics. A wealth of teaching resources and activities are provided for grades 5-12 educators. Additionally, teachers can download a poster of the ISS that includes complete instructions for constructing a classroom model.

 

The Capitol (Government; History)

 

This web site provides access to the superbly crafted video series on the U.S. Capitol. Visitors to the site learn about the architecture, art, and history of this magnificent building. In addition, virtual tours, a photo gallery, interviews about the making of the series, famous speeches made in the building, and a wealth of other primary source options are available. Tours for viewing the grand staircases, the dome, chambers, Senator Ted Kennedy's office, the Speaker's lobby, and many other aspects of this majestic building make this site a wonderful tool for teaching students about U.S. history.

 

Pompeii: Stories From An Eruption (History)

 

This online exhibit offers a glimpse of the terrifying day when Mt. Vesuvius erupted and devastated the ancient cities of Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Oplontis. Visitors are introduced to the story through historical facts and images, and an interactive timeline shows the deadly phases of the volcano's eruption. A photo gallery features artifacts, frescoes, and casts of the people who were caught in the volcano's path. Visitors to the site can view the Field Museum's impressive collection of more than 450 artifacts from Pompeii. A 23-page, full-color educator's guide-developed just for teachers and filled with activity ideas-makes this an excellent resource for teachers, teacher-librarians, and parents of students in elementary through the high school grades.

 

 

Library of Congress Webcasts  (Government; History; Literature; Science)

 

This portal to more than 600 webcasts, gathered by the Library of Congress, offers numerous lectures, symposiums, and documentaries in the categories of biographies and history, education, culture and performing arts, government, poetry and literature, religion, and science and technology. Select the featured webcast or from a list of the top 10 favorites, search for a specific topic, or use the directory structure to locate resources.

 

Artopia  (Art)

 

This colorful, vivid site is filled with creative activities for middle school students for examining styles, principles, and processes of art forms, such as sculpture, dance, music, media arts, theatre, and painting. Students can watch videos of practicing artists and one-minute overviews of each art form. Teacher resources and student activity options are included. Artopia is an online treasure-trove of materials for those who teach fine arts and want to include the fine arts in core curriculum areas.

 

Anne Frank: The Writer--An Unfinished Story

 

This online exhibit accompanies an exhibition at the United States Holocaust Museum. Learn about Anne Frank's great ambition to be a writer through the complete digitized texts of her original writings that survived the war, as well as through interviews with her cousin and the exhibit curator. Numerous additional web links and the option to post responses to the exhibit round out the experience.

 

The Winter Olympics (Sports; Science)

 

Tie the Olympics into the math, science, or wellness curriculum at the high school level with this superbly crafted site. Educators will find complete lessons on sports nutrition, physics and biomechanics, and physiology and psychology. For example, the course outlines explore the physics of luge, the biomechanics of figure skating, the muscular factors of cross-country skating, and the food and fluid requirements of athletes. Lessons engage learners through concise descriptions, Shockwave videos, and excellent activities.

 

Reading Rockets   (Reading)

 

Reading Rockets is the superb web site that accompanies the PBS show Reading Rocks. Teaching professionals will find strategies to help struggling readers, fun-and-effective reading activities for families, and suggestions for lots of free guides that can be downloaded from the site. Video interviews featuring 35 children's authors, recommended kids' books listed by theme, and professional development resources are offered.

 

S.O.S. for Information Literacy  (Information Literacy; Librarianship)

 

Check out this multimedia database of lesson plans and teaching tools on information literacy. Formally introduced at the American Association of School Librarians' (AASL) conference, this tool is the equivalent of the WebQuest portal housed at www.webquest.org. This database can be searched by keyword, grade level, subject area, and lesson-plan author. Be certain to peruse this rich list of resources and consider adding your own efforts.

 

 

Ocean World (Science)

 

Learn about fisheries, weather, icebergs, coral reefs, waves, and a number of other ocean-related science topics as you explore this superbly designed web site. Written for middle school through college students, this site also provides real-time data on El Nino. Teachers and students will find the "Ask Dr. Bob" option fun and helpful. In addition, two oceanography textbooks are available for downloading from the site.

 

 

Back to School   (Teacher Resources)

 

Developed by the Canadian Association of Second Language Teachers (CASLT), this site provides a wealth of ideas for first-year teachers and seasoned educators. Myriad options abound for bulletin board ideas, icebreakers, first-day activities, sources of clip art, classroom management tips, and other teacher-friendly ideas. Teacher-librarians will find the book clip art especially useful. Hints on effective open house practices and parent communication tips are presented.

 

American Museum of Natural History  (Natural History; Science)

 

Explore this extensive collection of superbly developed materials available on this web site. A "browse by topic" option provides easy access to information on anthropology, astronomy, biology, earth science, and paleontology. More than 800 options include activities, curriculum materials, articles, evidence and analysis, resources from museum exhibits, and reference lists. Be sure to check out the various special collections that include award-winning creations-ranging from dinosaurs to Einstein to the ocean-designed to make the world of natural history engaging to students in grades K-12.

 

Stop Bullying Now (Students; Teachers; Parents; Counselors; Guidance)

 

Help students and fellow educators to understand, identify, prevent, and intervene in the many ways that bullying happens in school and student life. The 12 webisodes-animated scenarios of various types of bullying with thought-provoking questions-are creatively written and illustrated to appeal to students to help them understand and handle bullying actions. Teachers and parents are offered effective tips for bullying prevention and intervention. A series of games, and information on the youth panel members who assist with the site are also included.

 

Newseum  (History; Journalism; Current Events)

 

Stay abreast of current events with ready access to numerous front pages from today's newspapers, explore the Berlin Wall via news views, see the space race from the media's point of view, and discover the history of the newspaper as you explore this virtual museum. The exhibits are well designed and they provide multiple learning options for writing, discussing point of view, and exploring numerous historic events. Look through published editorial cartoons and play a news game that tests your knowledge of current events. Extensive primary source materials and superb photojournalism exhibits make this a valuable site for many curriculum areas.  

 

 

EconEdLink  (Economics; Current Events; Government)

 

Use this site to help teachers provide sound lessons in economics for students of all ages. EconEdLink is a searchable database of superb lessons, current events, macroeconomic data for use in the classroom, and links to other excellent web sites. In one example, elementary students examine what is the perfect pet and what are the economic implications. In another example, high school students learn about the inflation rate with current information. Up-to-date federal budget information and current news stories along with lesson plans are easily accessed. Finally, a select number of web sites are presented with brief annotations.

 

 

 

 

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