C-Span Excellent Government/Civics Site

C-Span "for the classroom" has put together a very good site covering:

Principals of Government
U.S. Constitution
The Legislative, Judicial and Executive Branches of Goverment
And More!

Sign up for free and enjoy...

CLICK HERE

Absolutely fantastic repository of U.S. History websites!

History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web has the most amazing collection of websites (and it's searchable!) that you can find. I've been looking for a really good resource for U.S. History and here it is! CLICK HERE

Art Resources featuring our own Cynthia McGovern

I wanted to salute Cynthia McGovern for the wonderful set of art resource sites she suggested. They are simply fantastic. I've listed them in the Department Links in the right column but wanted to share them here too because they are just too good to pass up. Thanks Cynthia and enjoy!

• Art - Arts Connected
• Art - Princeton's Incredible Art Department
• Art - The Kennedy Center's Arts Edge

Just How Tech Geeky Are The Candidates?

I figured with the election just around the corner it might be cool to read up on the candidates tech savvy or not so savvyness. Geek The Vote 2008 is a collection of articles about different tech issues and the candidates. CLICK HERE to read.

Top 10 Reasons You Must Blog

( Extract taken from Tony Karrer's blog.)

Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Blog

10. Because you stopped learning anything new a couple years ago and it’s about time you started again.

Or as Karyn Romeis & Barry Sampson both said - I’ve learned more via blogging over the past year than I learned in the preceding several years!

9. Because it forces you to do your homework (Rodolpho Arruda)

8. Because this is how you are going to learn in the future.

“This is the difference represented in the shift from traditional classroom based learning and network learning. The idea of the latter is that learning occurs when the learner immerses him or herself in a community of practice, learning by performing authentic tasks, learning by interacting with and becoming a member of the community.” (Stephen Downes)

7. Because if you don’t we’ll think you’re lame and don’t know how to do your job.

“What can you know about a professional who doesn't blog his or her work? How do you know they are competent, that they have the respect of their peers, that they understand the issues, that they practice sound methodology, that they show consideration for their clients? You cannot know any of this without the openness blogging (or equivalent) provides. Which means, once a substantial number begin to share, there will be increasing pressure on all to share.” (Stephen Downes)

6. Because it will change your life.

“there is something that happens to a person when they hit that "publish" button - you cross a threshold - you move from consumer to producer - you put your intellectual neck on the line and I really think that you aren't the same person after that.” (Mark Oehlert)

5. Because you’ll hook up all over the place.

“all learning professionals need to exchange ideas with others, to test their ideas, to question their assumptions, to learn from each other in ways that come with dialog. Blogging is great for forming networks based on weak social ties.” (Bill Bruck)

4. Because learning is conversation and that blogging lets you have more and better conversations (Harold Jarche)

“The lack of formality and the ease of cross-referencing other blog content or references means is great to accelerate discussion and promote broader thinking and understanding.” (David Wilson)

3. Because Professionalism is more than consumption, it is contribution. (Rovy Bronson)

2. Because it’s “a swap meet for the mind.” (Nancy White)

1. Because your job depends on it.

“If for no other reason than your job is changing, and you might want to be engaged in the process of what your new job will include.” (Brent Shlenker) and “They don't get what blogs are about and possibly never will. We just need to encourage them towards retirement.” (Barry Sampson)

To read the entire article CLICK HERE

Want to see how much CO2 is emitted live?

Breathing Earth is a website that tracks CO2 emissions along with birth and death ratios and gives a live graphic representation of the whole process on a global scale. Check it out here.

Google Moderator

Ever wanted quick feedback on a certain topic? A way for anyone to submit questions online? A way to do it on a topic you just thought up? A way for everyone to collaborate quickly on a topic whether they are in the room or not? Try Google Moderator. It you have a gmail account you're ready to go. Invite collaborators and you're off and running with a discussion. Just CLICK HERE and select "create series" to get started.

Thinkfinity - Best Online Resources For Teachers

Don't miss out on Verizon sponsored Thinkfinity which has has an absolute wealth of information for teachers. Just click here.

Death Valley

Hello there from 29 Palms, California. Taking a little vacation to help my brother with the live Webcast of the Furnace Creek 508, a bicycle race that crosses California and through Death Valley for 508 miles! It awesome! Tomorrow we will have the live webcam up so check it out by clicking HERE