Retracing the Steps of a Civil War Photographer

Last week marked the 150 year anniversary of the bloodiest day in American history the Battle of Antietam.  Photographer Todd Harrington retraced Civil War photographer Alexander Gardner's steps to present a "now & then" take on some of the most somber images from the war.

Read the full story here.  

360 Views of Mars Landscapes

All of the recent excitement and interest in Mars because of the landing of the Curiosity Rover, means you should really stop what you're doing to click this link.  I mean, like, right now!

Panoramas.dk gives you several Martian landscapes to investigate like you're standing there in its red dust.  Heck, I might shave my head for that!

17 Year Old Google Science Fair Winner Designs App to Detect Cancer

Click here to enjoy this pretty fantastic read on a gorgeous summer day!

Youtube Video of the Week!

Colorful Balls in Protest of Garbage (it's a Civics and Art lesson rolled into one!)

Resources for Intermediate and Secondary Teaching

This resource comes for the April 2012 issue of Today's OEA.  Like Innovative Classroom for Elementary Teachers, the HippoCampus website offers 6-12+ teachers with a collection of digital media resources for the math, science, history and humanities contents.  Registration with a free account is required.  

Youtube Video of the Week!

I've been a fan of the Green Brothers since their pretty awesome viral ode to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows in 2007, since then they've teamed up with Youtube EDU to create their own channel: Crash Course.  The videos on this channel focus on World History and Biology...here's a respective sampling:

Youtube Video of the Week!

NPR had a great article on the first human landing on the Marianas Trench.  Attached to the end of this article is this spiffy animated Youtube interview with Swiss engineer/explorer, Jacques Picard.

Youtube Video of the Week!

Kony 2012 has received a great deal of attention in the news, including local coverage at Sweet Home High School.  While this video is much longer than the videos we normally post for Video of the Week, it's thought provoking and worth the watch for intermediate and secondary students.

Youtube Video of the Week!

What is a Leap Year?  This video helps to: Explain. It. All.

Youtube Video of the Week!

Youtube for Teachers is a channel specifically designed for the educational uses of Youtube.  It is broken down by elementary - middle - and high school grade levels, including some specific grade/subject "channels".  Youtube for Teachers is a sub-channel of the larger Youtube-EDU network.  Both areas are worth your investment of time on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Tip: Don't forget to login to Youtube and tag the videos you like for later use in your classroom.

Online Talking Dictionary!

Ever come across a word that you don't know how to pronounce?  Well wonder no longer thanks to Howjsay.com. 

According to the website's homepage, the directions are pretty straightforward: 

When your entry appears in pink, [hover the] mouse over to hear it pronounced.  You can list up to 15 entries like this: cat;cart;cut;cot;caught;coat;.  There are currently 153030 entries in the dictionary.

This is a great, free classroom tool for struggling readers and ESL students. 

DTEC Wednesdays!

Learn how to utilize Pinnacle's online Gradebook for your parents and students. 

Location: Oak Heights Elementary School, 3:30pm

Attendees are strongly urged to bring their Pinnacle login credentials in order to get the most out of their time.

Youtube Video of the Week!

Never doubt the power of the spoken word with these United Bank of Switzerland commercials.  Rousing works like "Invictus", "If", "The Road Not Taken", "Ozymandias", "The Ballad of East and West", "Bag of Tools", "The Cloths of Heaven" and many more have been posted on Headlink's Youtube Channel (some are also posted on Greymattersblog as well)  These verses are performed by luminaries of stage and screen: Alan Bates, Maggie Smith, Harvey Keitel, John Gielgud, and Ben Kingsley. 

My favorite is Tennyson's "Ulysses" performed by the late Sir John Gielgud.  Check it out...

Busy Teacher.org

Busyteacher.org boasts a database of over 5,000 worksheets available for teachers to download and print to create fast, fun lessons in a flash. 

Historical Documents Available Online!

Fold3 (formerly FootNote.com) hosts an interactive clearinghouse of historical and military documents, photographs and primary sources.  While it is free to join, there are tiers of service and some documents are only available to premium members.  However, the site offers a free search through the entire collection of documents and a number of free documents to view, download, and print (look for FREE next to the document title).

 

Youtube Video of the Week!

This week's video is from Derek Sivers who presented this video for TED Talks.  I use this video to prompt a discussion on leadership with my 8th grade leadership class.

Youtube Video of the Week!

This week's video is from Minute Physics:

What is Gravity?

Story Bird

My student teacher, Tomas Rosa, showed me this site.  Story Bird provides you with a piece of artwork as a starting point for story writing.    Teachers can create a free account/workspace for themselves and their classes.

iPads in School Blog

Found this blog while reading a US News & World Report Article over the summer.  iPad in Schools not only provides commentary on the current and future states of technology in education, but also breaks down iPad App suggestions and activities by elementary, middle, and high school levels.   

Youtube Video of the Week!

 The Pinky Show (or Kitties discussing the issue of Illegal Immigration).  Thanks to Brian for showing this to me!