Social Studies Resources for K-3

Online resources from Pearson’s Social Studies K-3 Companion Site coordinate nicely with Scott-Foresman social studies books, and many of the links are excellent for all social studies courses. The site includes a dictionary, an almanac, an atlas, and an encyclopedia; current events news by year; information about this day in history; and biographies. Some of the other areas on the site are: Fact Monster Favorites, Homework Center, Games & Quizzes, and Cool Stuff like a Toy Hall of Fame, Fashion Through the Decades, and the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. For those using the Scott-Foresman Social Studies series, there’s a section with activities to enhance each book. It’s a really interesting site that students will enjoy.

National Wildlife Photo Contest

Those 13 and older may enter the National Wildlife Photo Contest. There’s a $20 fee for entry, which includes a year’s membership to the National Wildlife Federation and six issues of the National Wildlife Magazine. There are $30,000 in cash prizes, with $5000 as Grand Prizes. Your students may complete in the Youth Division. Photographers may submit up to 25 images in the following categories: Birds, Mammals, Other Wildlife, Landscapes/Plants, People and Nature, Backyard Habitat and Global Warming.

Summer School for School Reform?

The Education Week piece, Is Summer School the Key to Reform? suggests that summer school may be “a way to extend learning, provide effective intervention, and offer enrichment opportunities, particularly for those students who have few other good options during those months out of school.” —But instead of offering fun learning summer programs for students, many districts are axing these summer programs to save money. Ron Fairchild and Jeff Smink, authors of the article, mention research showing that, especially for low-income students, a summer without school results in learning setbacks and suggest that summer programs be encouraged among those schools receiving improvement grants. What do you think of required summer school? What types of programs should or might be offered in the summer? What about year-round school?

Surviving Text-Free

Can students go two days without texting and online chatting?  Can college students? Probably. But it’s not easy. Riverdale Country School in the Bronx tried it for two days.  Students found that even if they wanted to keep with the program, they’d forget. When asked about how they felt, they said they really wanted to text and said they learn to appreciate the convenience of this method of communication. They also found that a text-free Sunday, for example, was relaxing because they didn’t feel they had to video chat, check their Facebook page, or respond to all those messages that come in every day. One said, “I had to look for things to do.” While the Riverdale students seemed to survive no-texting or chatting without problems, in a similar experiment at the University of Maryland, researchers found students displaying “withdrawal” symptoms “similar to those of drug addicts going cold turkey.

Funding for Innovation

Education Week’s Michele McNeil in the article “Foundations Seek to Leverage Innovation Funding” tells about the efforts of foundations to improve education through innovation.  These foundations, twelve of them, have pledged $506 million to help change the way kids learn and teachers teach. The funds will include $233 million for classroom innovation, $178 million for school-wide innovation, and $95 million for covering the costs of research and evaluation of the innovations. Some of the funds will be used for matching grants through the U.S. Department of Education, which will be awarded to thirteen recipients this month (May 2010). The partnership of the foundations with the DOE hasn’t been without its critics, for some worry about the influence philanthropic groups could have in the process.

Emerging Technologies: MIT Technology Review

For those students interested in science, especially ways science may be used in the future, Technology Review, published by MIT, is a great resource. You can sign up for free daily updates (Monday through Friday) and link to topics of interest. Content in the May 7, 2010 edition, for example, included, “Neanderthal Genome Rewrites Human Evolution”, “Hoping for a Solar Breakthrough”, and blog links to pieces about hybrid vehicles and taking photographs through opaque objects. Topics covered in Emerging Technologies Updates feature “breakthroughs in nanotechnology, genetics and energy” and much more. There’s also an Emerging Technologies Mobile Update with summaries of articles and blog entries, which can be sent to mobile devices.

Donation of Desktop Alerting Software

Alertus Technologies is offering schools and colleges free desktop alerting software. There will be no fees or renewals for the product now or in the future. Institutions that qualify will be given a perpetual license; updates will available at no cost. The system sends alert messages to computer screens throughout networks. If you are interested, you’ll need to complete the Information Request Form, which asks for basic information about your school and what other, if any, mass notification systems you may have in place.

Help Young Storytellers

Tech & Learning, always a super source for quality information for educators, offers lists of tools for writers. “More Tools for Digital Story Tellers” by Ozge Karaoglu is the blogger’s latest posting about writing tools that you might want to use in your classroom. Some of these are: Tikatok with its Story Sparks; Magnato, which Karaoglu says is “like sticking different media on the refrigerator door,” Storyjumper that features a creator; StorySomething for personalized stories; FineTuna, Bubblesnaps, and WigFlip that add text to images; and other writing tools like MoshiMonsters, PhotoPeach, MadeupMemories, and Sketchfu. From the Tech & Learning blog, you can also check out Karaoglu’s other suggestions for writing.

Science Educators, STEM & Funding

The National Survey of STEM Education focused upon school spending for software and hardware, and included eBook readers, digital textbooks, and hands-on activities. The report discusses STEM education in today’s schools; issues and funding opportunities in mathematics, science, technology and engineering; and areas most likely to receive STEM funding during 2010-2011. According to Daylene Long, creator of the survey and K-12 STEM market expert, professional development needs were high on the list of priorities of STEM educators. “We found,” commented Long, “that the majority of STEM leaders believe that professional development continues to be critical to broader STEM education in schools.” Another finding was that hands-on activities were considered critical in the teaching of science. The report is targeted to developers, marketers, and STEM education business owners so that they can better understand priorities in STEM education and what schools may be purchasing. It’s of interest to all of us, however, because of its findings about the need for professional development and hands-on activities in the area of science.

Creative Curricula Arts-in-Education Grants for Manhattan Schools

The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council offers matching grants to schools in Manhattan for in-classroom (Preschool to Grade 12) projects that feature study of the arts together with non-arts subjects. The projects need to be developed by classroom teachers and teaching artists. Awards of up to $5000 for partnerships between teaching artists and schools are available. Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. on June 22, 2010. How about thinking of projects that combine 21^st Century Skills with traditional or innovative study of the arts?