Archives: Resources

AFT has a wide range of resources and support for educators. Areas they tackle include bullying, Common Core, healthy & hunger-free students, workplace harassment, and student loan issues. … learn more

ASCD empowers educators to achieve excellence in learning, teaching, and leading so that every child is healthy, safe, engaged, supported, and challenged. Read, Watch & Listen to Top … learn more

ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is an educational leadership organization dedicated to advancing best practices and policies. They provide a wide variety of resources, … learn more

The primary audience for the Internet Society is “internauts”. For computer technology specialists, in particular, some of their activities, posted on the site, are pertinent and easy to … learn more

Research tools for molecular biology are available at the CMS Molecular Biology Resource. Use iCell for understanding a larger unit that molecule.

GenScope Project, developed by Paul Horwitz, is an advanced tool which links stored data (such as animations) to software objects with their own properties in disconnected online databases. … learn more

The Biotechnology Institute, a non-profit, stirs interest in biotechnology and its potential for solving human health, food, and environmental problems, especially disease.

This online web adventure from Rice University encourages students use the scientific method and science process skills to investigate infectious disease outbreaks.

For those of us still using whiteboards, DJ Chuang surveys past and current applications that can transform a photo of a whiteboard, remove the glare and fix the … learn more

Explain Everything is a unique interactive screencasting whiteboard app for the Applie iPad. Allows you to record, share and view presentations around the world.

Charles Kelly created the Guidelines for Designing a Good Web Site for ESL Students. While some points are specifically aimed at ESL teachers, the suggestions can apply to … learn more

Microsoft’s introductory page on their free Office for Education offering. Requires a school email address to get started. Scroll down past the Get Started form to learn more … learn more

There are a number of free and paid educator support add-ons. One that’s been highly rated is Hapara for G Suite. It provides an instructional management layer on … learn more

Josh Stumpenhorst, self described disruptor and 2012 Illinois Teacher of the Year, has put together a getting started video, answering a lot of questions educators may have about … learn more

Shares teacher’s experiences using Google Docs. An example, “I am having students use Google Documents to write their assignments and then share the document with me. I can … learn more

An introduction and links to the software, solutions, training, support, and other resources offered by Google.

Google Docs may not have all the features of other office suits, but does allow easy collaboration & sharing. This easy-to-follow video explains how that works and why … learn more

wikiHow has a good overview on the steps needed when creating a web site. It includes the initial steps of answering “What is the purpose of your web … learn more

What does Responsive Website Design mean? Is my website responsive? Why should I care? Here is a quick explanation from a web design company.

Jakob Nielsen has a list of the ten most egregious offenses against users. Make sure your site doesn’t have these problems.

This book takes you step by step thru the process of setting up your WordPress site, choosing a theme (i.e., the layout and colors of your web site), … learn more

We know of whole schools and school districts set up a multi-user version of WordPress and give every instructor their own web site, ready to go. Here is … learn more

WordPress is used for way more than “just blogs”. Edublogs lists 10 different ways WordPress is being used in schools, along with examples to trigger your own inspiration … learn more

The Library Journal claims that 100,000 librarians read the online version of their management journal for librarians. It includes both national and regional headlines.

The ALA’s international counterpart, the International Association of School Libraries, in contrast, contains information primarily of importance to its professional members, though a few links for online resources … learn more

The American Library Association (ALA) has opened its Web site. It serves an integrative function for some of these other sites and provides a calendar of events.

Here’s another an example of a very simple library page. Check with your school or district’s webmaster about creating web page(s) for your school’s library.

The Library of Congress has piblished a number of classic books of interest, broken out by age range. Titles include… Cinderella Jungle Tales of Tarzan The Arabian Nights … learn more

A collection of concept papers, such as the advantages and disadvantages of desktop videoconferencing in a library setting, was prepared by advanced library students at the University of … learn more

Based in California, Infopeople provides continuing education and professional development opportunities to library staff in and outside the state of California. Training formats include 2-6 week asynchronous online … learn more

Over the years, thousands of students and volunteer library and information science professionals have been involved in answering reference questions. This site, hosted by Drexel University, organizes that … learn more

The mission of the Virtual Learning Resources Center is to index thousands of the best academic information websites, selected by teachers and library professionals worldwide, in order to … learn more

This site indexes 1,000’s of newspapers around the world that publish an on-line edition, broken out by location and language. Want to interest students in a particular place … learn more

OCLC is a nonprofit library cooperative providing research, programs and services that help libraries share the world’s knowledge and the work of organizing it.

The Library of Virginia provides a glimpse of the vast library resources, accumulated at universities, upon which older students will rely as they progress towards and in college.

The Library at the University of California, Berkeley contains some of the finest research collections in the United States. Library holdings include over 8 million print volumes, and … learn more

Throughout American history, teachers and parents have used objects–from colonial–era slates to modern electronic calculators–to help students master abstract mathematical concepts. These math teaching tools reflect society’s hopes … learn more

The Smithsonian Magazine is now online for your perusal. Check it out.

Check out over 100 on-line exhibits, covering a wide variety of subjects from Fantastic Worlds: Science and Fiction, 1780-1910 to Views from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera and … learn more

The Smithsonian Institution is the world’s largest museum, education, and research complex. We are a community of learning and an opener of doors. Join us on a voyage of discovery. Explore our vast … learn more

In addition to the Learning Lab, the Smithsonian has a very wide range of on-line resources, with everything from the National Postal Museum and the National Portrait Gallery … learn more

This archive was originally founded as the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library in 1928. Today the Archive includes over three million photographs, manuscripts, audio recordings, … learn more

Panoramic Photographs at the LOC will yield 4000 photographs of significant events and ordinary life from 1851-1991. We found the primary source photographs detailing California history fascinating.

Created by teachers for teachers, these ready-to-use materials provide easy ways to incorporate the Library’s unparalleled primary sources into instruction. Free primary-source-based professional development from the Library of … learn more

The Library of Congress maintains “miles” of references and showcases special exhibit of all types. You can start at their home page or explore some of the other … learn more

Nothing gets a student’s attention like money. Use the on-line resources here to take a virtual (or in person) tour of your nearest U.S. Mint. You can bring … learn more

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has created a special exhibit area at its Atlanta headquarters, opening its doors to the thousands of visitors who request … learn more

GovTrack follows the status of all bills in Congress from introduction to enactment. Read the text of bills and see how bills change through their life cycle. You … learn more

A companion to Congress.gov, this Library of Congress web site archives selected Congressional documents from the first 100 years of the U.S. Congress (1774-1875). Beginning with the Continental … learn more

Congress.gov is the official website for U.S. federal legislative information. The site provides access to accurate, timely, and complete legislative information for Members of Congress, legislative agencies, and … learn more

The National Library of Canada has an extensive collection of images & ancestor records available on-line. This site is in both English and French, making it a nice … learn more

This page has links to national libraries for most countries, including a link to an English version, if available.

Kevin Thorn defines Sketchnoting as a “a form of Visual Writing by expressing ideas, concepts, and important thoughts in a meaningful flow by listening, processing, and transferring what … learn more

Carrie Baughcum is a Special Education Teacher and a “a passionate believer that all children can learn, we just need to find out how”. This beginners guide gives … learn more

Claudine Delfin answers the question of why do visual note-taking – it enhances memory and improves understanding of the lessons. She then goes on to explain the basics … learn more

Doug Neill looks at how how you might weave sketchnoting in your curriculum: build it into the arc of your course. During the first half of the course, … learn more

Doug Neill takes a look at what is Sketchnoting, why it’s important, and how it’s not one-size-fits-all. He lists some of the skills to be developed, various forms … learn more

Here’s an “inforgraphic” detailing the secrets to your favorite viral videos and the magic of Internet memes.

Talks about going viral and a number of steps you can take to ensure more people see your work.

Another option is setting up your own wiki or using one of the many wiki hosting services. A wiki is a website hosting web pages which can be … learn more

A review of other web sites providing on-line document editing and collaboration.

A short video that provides some very basic instruction for editing wikis. Not all wiki web sites work exactly like this, but you can see how easy it … learn more

Addresses the What?, Why?, and How? of collaborative writing in the classroom.

TechLEARNING publishes articles about technology.

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) indexes a wide range of resources, covering topics like Safe Schools, Key Work of School Boards, Legal Clips, and Reports & Guides. … learn more

Use Smore to publish newsletters with multimedia.

One of the easiest ways to get started publishing on the Internet is to start a Blog. You can use it to communicate with students, share your thoughts … learn more

Nothing is more frustrating than getting Minecraft installed and running, and then realizing that you have no idea how to move. (Use the W key and space bar.) … learn more

This tutorial can give you an idea of what Minecraft is all about. It’s as much an environment as a game, one where one can learn and have … learn more

A quick overview of how Minecraft can be used in the classroom, and an invitation for teachers to join the conversation. Minecraft can be a stepping stone to … learn more

Code.org’s 2015 third annual Hour of Code includes this Minecraft module in partnership with Microsoft. It’s part of their worldwide campaign that tries to demystify code by teaching … learn more

Parents and teachers ask: “Are the kids obsessed with Minecraft? Need to learn how to install mods? Looking for party ideas? Don’t have a clue what a spider … learn more

This site outlines some of the ways Minecraft is being used in schools. It has been used in everything from science and literature to architecture and interactive stories. … learn more

This 1 minute video will give you a good idea of what your students are doing with Minecraft, sometimes described as the world’s biggest sandbox.

In February, 2002, we went to Stanford University’s School of Education and interviewed Margaret Krebs, Jennifer Wolf, and Charla Rolland about how they use the K-12 Instruction Resource … learn more

Vimeo is another contender for hosting videos. While not as well known as YouTube, it has the advantage of being pretty much ad free and provides better video … learn more

Making captivating videos has never been this easy. Movie Studio brings together efficient cutting tools, extensive optimization options and up to 1,500 effects and titles in a single, … learn more

Scan Tips is Wayne Fulton’s attempt to clarify some mysteries about the basics of flash and digital photography. A little of it is Nikon specific, however almost all … learn more

PG Music offers reasonably priced sound software, including Power Tracks Pro (sound editing) and Band-in-A-Box (music creation).

For something completely different, check out Tetsuji Katsuda’s free Automated Composing System. You can make your own original music — select the Internet Application link. All you have … learn more

Another recommended program, a little pricey, is Adobe Audition. Includes everything you need for professional sounding results. Not only can you record and edit sound, you can create … learn more

Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds, available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. Our webmaster has used it … learn more

Their premise is that anyone with a little ambition and elbow grease can make a terrific podcast. Though creating a regular talk show is hard work, it’s also … learn more

Unreal Engine 4 is a complete suite of game development and animation tools originally made by game developers, for game developers. The people started discovering that it can … learn more

A very robust yet inexpensive tool for 3D animation is Animation Master from Hash. While not free, it is easy to use for budding animators and can be … learn more

When creating content for your web site, training video or classroom presentation, it would be nice to be able to capture what’s on your computer screen as you … learn more

Randy Krum highlights the best examples of complex data displayed in visual format – infographics – found in magazines, newspapers and on the Internet. This site can be … learn more

Stop frame animation — think Chicken Run or the old Gumby cartoons — can easily be done with programs like Clay Animator (free!). Includes information and videos as … learn more

Here is an example of how the Alice programming language can be used to create animations. While there really isn’t much of a plot, you can see how … learn more

Here are some examples of what you can do with Pencil2D. The wide variety of animation styles it supports is amazing.

Pencil2D Animation is a free, open source, cross platform program that can be used to create traditional 2D animations in a wide variety of styles. Supports both bitmap … learn more

A collaboration between Pixar Animation Studios and Khan Academy, Pixar In A Box looks at how animated moves are made, and in the process helps students answer an … learn more

In this entertaining video, Phillip Kerman illustrates the cheap and easy way to produce video content. A good starting point for any school video project.

One of the easiest options for avoiding ads – and gaining the ability to “save” videos for playback later – is a subscription to YouTube Premium. While not … learn more

This post from TechRadar is another good source of information on downloading YouTube Videos. It includes step-by-step instructions for: 4K Video Downloader on PCs, TubeMate on Android phones … learn more

This post from PC Magazine is a great place to start and stay current with the various YouTube video download options. They update this post frequently as the … learn more