America’s Presidents from the Smithsonian

The National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian offers an excellent just-released (02-14-13) app that will be appreciated not only by students but all who enjoy learning more about history.  America’s Presidents ($4.99) uses the retina display of the iPad to bring users close up to the portraits of all our presidents. It also features information on presidential accomplishments, presidential families, and presidential pets. With the app, you and your students can take in FDR’s fireside chats, learn about the artists who created the portraits, vote for your favorite portrait, and find out just how much you really know about the presidents. Reviewers referred to this app’s graphics as “amazing”. Even if you don’t plan on purchasing the app, click on the link to investigate the Lincoln portrait with a Web magnifier and click on the app video. To find out more about this app, go to America’s Presidents on Facebook.

Abe Lincoln’s Dream

Abe Lincoln’s Dream, by Lane Smith, is a delightful, illustrated book, which tells the story of a young student who encounters the ghost of President Abraham Lincoln.  The girl, who has become separated from her class during a tour of the White House, shows the 15^th President what he accomplished for our nation.  You’ll enjoy the YouTube trailer for the book.

Women of Achievement—Smithsonian Online Conference

The Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies will host “A Will of Their Own: Judith Murray and Women of Achievement in the Early Republic” on March 12, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. EST.  The session is targeted both to teachers and students and will highlight remarkable women and gender equality.

Anne Frank’s Life

An iPad and Nook app recreates the book, The Diary of Anne Frank, in digital format. The app has interactive links, over twenty video clips, and more than forty audio files. The videos are taken from the documentary, “Anne Frank Remembered,” and the audio clips include one from someone who helped the Frank family. You can see one of the video clips from this app, which is bound to be one of the best of the year. The app version of Anne Frank was released late in January 2013 and will be available in ITunes and Nook stores.

Have You Tried Coursera?

To keep up-to-date with teaching and learning, take a look at the courses offered through Coursera. They’re free, and they’re taught by some of the best professors in the world. You learn at your own pace while watching videos, engaging in interactive practice, self-testing, using feedback, and monitoring your own progress. Some of the courses offered this winter and spring include: E-Learning and Digital Cultures (University of Edinburgh); Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and Application (Georgia Institute of Technology), General Game Playing (Stanford University), The Ancient Greeks (Wesleyan University), A New History of China (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology), and A Beginner’s Guide to Irrational Behavior (Duke University).

How About a Historical Dictionary?

History Today’s  Historical Dictionary: A Glossary of Historical Terms includes mini-biographies, facts, figures, and information about people, places, and events in addition to definitions. In the “dictionary”, your students will see links to “On This Day in History, Random Dictionary Entries, and Most Popular Stories. Your students can look up what they need by searching by keyword or checking for the topic in an alphabetical listing. Whether they need information about Aristotle, the Jacobins, Ptolemy I, Steve Jobs, or the rise of the Muslim empire; you’ll find it at History Today.

12/12/12, 12/21/12—Did the World End?

The Mayan calendar is a fascinating topic for your students who love science fiction, history, and numbers. They find tons of information—some reliable and some not— online. A good place to begin is with a trusted resource like the NASA site. NASA experts assured people that the world wouldn’t end on 12/12/12 or 12/21/12.  NASA says people read the Mayan calendar wrong, for it has no predictions about the end of the world.  On the date 12/21/12, the world will refresh itself, according to the Mayans, and the calendar will begin again like a rotating odometer.  That’s because the Mayan calendar began in August 11, 3114 B.C., which to the Mayans was 13.0.0.0.0. December 21, 2012 is the next 13.0.0.0.0. So what about 12/12/12? What does that have to do with 12/21/12? It’s supposed to be the same number, according to numerology, and perhaps 12/12/12 just has a better ring to it?

How did the Mayans come up with such an amazing system of calculating time? That’s the real question. Your students will enjoy learning how the Mayan Calendar works and how to count like Mayans.

Bringing History to Life: A Battle in the Classroom

Watch the video of a segment in teacher David McCollister’s lesson about the Battle of Bunker Hill. This is part of a lesson series he gave for 9- and 10-year-olds at Boone Trail Elementary School, Missouri. McCollister, who is a high school teacher, believes in reenacting parts of history in order to light a fire in students. According to his principal at Lutheran North in St. Louis County, Missouri, where McCollister has taught for 45 years, “You can sense the energy in his voice.” A student at Boone Trail Elementary said, “I like when teachers are energetic,” and noted that he wished he had Mr. McCollister (Mr. Mac) for a teacher. McCollister attributes his good teaching techniques to some of the teachers who inspired him years ago and also to “The 20^th Century” with Walter Cronkite. McCollister believes in telling his students why what he’s teaching is important, and he adds acting to his teaching tools. Think of the power of this teacher in the classroom or even online through our 21^st Century technologies.

National Election Apps

In the iTunes Store, you’ll find free and for-pay apps you can use to help your students better understand the national election. Apps from the news and commentary services are free, as are PollTracker and Gallup News. The app Political Time Machine lets users watch videos of the candidates’ speeches from different years. For younger students, go to Britannica Kids: US Presidents ($1.99). This one includes information about Presidents and the Presidency.  Review apps before you recommend them to your students, for you’ll need to select ones that fit your students’ ages and ability levels. —And you’ll want to be careful about using apps that are biased, meant as humor, or satirical.

Presidential Elections at Education World

Looking for materials on Presidential Elections? Try Education World. You’ll find links to excellent resources for K-12, including Scholastic: Election 2012, Time for Kids: Election Connection, Project Vote Smart, National Student/Parent Mock Election, PBS: Democracy Project, and Rock the Vote.  Take a look at Education World’s Election Templates, which you can use as “informational handouts” and/or make your own materials such as worksheets and quizzes using the template design. (While in the template section of Education World, you may find other materials to help you in your teaching.)