New Books on DVD, K-6

http://tinyurl.com/y8s7efd
Heartland AEA added new DVDS that are film adaptations of favorite children’s books. They can be reserved online.

Teaching Copyright, 9-12

http://www.teachingcopyright.org
As today’s students become more involved with using technology in school, at work, and for entertainment, it is important to make sure they know their legal rights and responsibilities under copyright law and how it affects their creativity. This copyright curriculum is divided into units with lesson plans, objectives, handouts, and alignment to standards. The curriculum helps students understand and exercise their digital rights and responsibilities and fosters basic skills in research, writing, and critical thinking. Questions about copyright, technology, and law, such as the following are examined:
What is legal online?
How is creativity being enabled by new technologies?
What digital rights and responsibilities exist already, and what roles do we play as users of digital technology?

Lesson topics include: the history of copyright law; the relationship between copyright and innovation; fair use and its relationship to remix culture; peer-to-peer file sharing; and the interests of the stakeholders that ultimately affect how copyright is interpreted by copyright owners, consumers, courts, lawmakers, and technology innovators.

Mobile Computing Research and Trends, K-12

http://tinyurl.com/ya2rhyo
Join the conversation and read the research on what might be the biggest technology trend ever—mobile computing. Morgan Stanley has been doing research on technology and identifying trends since 1995. The new Mobile Internet Report points to the information literacy skills graduates will need and how they’ll access information via technology. Here are a couple of the key points.

• The mobile Internet is ramping faster than desktop Internet did, and more users may connect to the Internet via mobile devices than desktop PCs within 5 years.

• Apple and Facebook platforms have raised the bar for how users connect and communicate – user and developer engagement may be unprecedented.

ReadyZone: New DE Streaming Resource, K-12

http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/
ReadyZone is a new teacher tool in Discovery Education Streaming for teachers to use for absent students or school closures. The area has a special collection of K-12 resources in the areas of English/language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies. It features videos, teacher's guides, blackline masters, and quizzes that are easily accessible emergency lesson plans. The lessons can be used as written or modified to meet a teacher’s needs. Login with your teacher username and password and go to the Teacher Center.

Formative Assessment DVDs, K-12

Six new DVDs from ASCD are available for checkout from the Heartland AEA library:
Formative Assessment in Content Areas, Program 1: Elementary School (#256120)
Formative Assessment in Content Areas, Program 2: Middle School (#256121)
Formative Assessment in Content AEeas, Program 3: High SChool (#256122)
Giving Effective Feedback to Your Students, Volume 1: The Impact on Student Achievement (#256059)
Giving Effective Feedback to Your Students, Volume 2: Seven Key Factors to Ensure Effective Feedback (#256060)
Giving Effective Feedback to Your Students, Volume 3: Tailoring Feedback to Content and Student Needs (#256061)

Using Google Docs to Create Online Quizzes, K-12

Google Docs is a free, web-based word processor, spreadsheet, presentation, and form application. Users can create and edit documents online while collaborating in real-time with other users. Here are the steps for creating a quiz:

Step 1. Log in to Google Docs
To get started, log in at Google Docs (http://docs.google.com/) with a Gmail account. If you don’t have a Gmail account, you will need to set one up before proceeding to step 2.

Step 2. Start creating quiz
Once you’re logged in to Google Docs, click "New", and then "Form". Name the quiz and type the quiz information for your quiz. The quiz name and information fields can be ued to explain what the quiz is, or what people need to know in order to take it.

Step 3. Add questions
Add the Text question type.
Text question type is for short text answers of a couple words or less. To track the quiz results, ask quiz-takers enter their name or student ID. That way you’ll have a column for each in your spreadsheet that will make sorting the list by name or ID easier.

Add the main questions about your quiz.
To add a new question, click the "Add item" button at the top left of the page. If you want to add multiple-choice question, please choose "Multiple choice".

If you want to add more multiple-choice questions, just duplicate the question by clicking the Duplicate icon, and then change the question title and options.

You also can add some other question types, such as Checkboxes, Paragraph text, Choose from a list, Scale and Grid. Just add the questions by clicking "Add item" or "Duplicate" icon.

After editing the question click "Done" to finish the editing work. Don’t forget to click "Make this a required question" check box if you want to require everyone to answer this question. Otherwise they can just skip the question and move on.

Step 4. Preview and Save the quiz
When you’re done adding questions, you can save your quiz. Don’t worry if the "Save" button is already grayed out. This means that Google has auto-saved the quiz for you.

Tips:
You can custom the theme for your quiz and make it attractive for your quiz-takers by clicking the "Theme" button. Google supplies as much as 68 amazing themes for Google Docs users for free. You can choose the right one that fit your quiz easily.

Step 5. Invite others to take the quiz
You can email the quiz to students or embed the quiz on a blog or Web site.

Nature Science Education DVDs, 6-12

http://tinyurl.com/ykmtpav
This DVD series features classroom versions (30 min.) of the PBS Nature series. They are available for checkout from Heartland AEA.
Adaptive Function of Form
Breeding Cattle by Humans; Death Valley
How Dogs Became Man’s Best Friend
Mystery of Disappearing Honeybees
Raptors
Scary Squid, Octopuses and Other Cephalopods
Scientific Methods and the Venom Cure
Yellowstone Bear’s Ecosystem
Yellowstone Wolves

Going to Green DVDs, 6-12

http://tinyurl.com/yddzz29
This new DVD series is available for checkout from Heartland AEA. Topics: green space and building, elements of sustainability, urban greening, public policy and jobs, and sustainable communities.

Balancing green space with the built environment (#809744)
Elements of sustainability (#809743)
Implementing urban greening (#809745)
Public policy and green collar opportunities (#809746)
Towards a more sustainable community (#809742)

NSTA: Science Objects, 9-12

http://learningcenter.nsta.org/products/science_objects.aspx
The National Science Teachers Association provides free web-based science learning activities for teachers to build content knowledge. This is a great resource for teachers who are new to the teaching profession or just need to brush up on science concepts before taking on a new course. The Science Objects are interactive multimedia lessons based on science literacy goals in the Standards and include interactive simulations, audio, questions to ensure understanding, student misconceptions to watch out for, and practical ideas for addressing them. Each Object covers a key content idea such as Newton’s First Law, global climate patterns, origin and evolution of the universe, and Mendel’s principles of heredity. Browse the content by following the links in the left menu to each of the four categories: All Science Objects, Earth and Space Science, Physical Science, and Life Science.

Map a Planet, 9-12

http://www.mapaplanet.org/
The United States Geological Survey's Astrogeology Research Program created the online maps of the planets and various moons. Astrogeology is the science devoted to studying the origin, composition, structure and history of the planets and their moons. The site includes links to other pages from the Astrogeology Research Program such as a data system and an image gallery.

Science Education Research Ning, K-12

http://scienceedresearch.ning.com/
This Ning was designed to help science educators make connections with other science professionals around current research and work in science education.
Resources include:
A new Diigo group for teacher educators: http://groups.diigo.com/groups/teacher-education. The diigo group was created for users to share information, ideas, and projects.
Year of Darwin - Internet lecture series.
Mitosis Movie - Modeling for Understanding.
Science Wiki - A new wiki site for the discussion of current topics in science education. The wiki begins with a summary of the first chapter of a book entitled, "Science as Inquiry in the Secondary Setting".

STEM Connect: New DE Streaming Resources, 6-12

http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/
In support of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) initiatives, Discovery Education has added a collection of career video clips, learning activities, and related content. The sources are organized by discipline and highlight the connections among science, technology, engineering, and math. STEM Connect is designed to help educators take their first steps toward blending STEM disciplines in their instructional approach and create 21st century learning opportunities and skill development for students. Login with your teacher username and password and go to the Teacher Center.

National Lab Day, 6-12

http://www.nationallabday.org/about
In the first week of May, 2010 teachers and students will celebrate this collaboration with National Lab Day (NLD) activities across the country. This is an initiative to scale hands-on learning across the country. Each NLD will encompass a year-long series of training and activities which will culminate in a day of sharing and recognition. National Lab Day is a national initiative to build local communities of support (hubs) that will foster ongoing collaborations among volunteers, students and educators. Volunteers are university students, scientists, engineers, other STEM professionals and, more broadly, members of the community who will work together with educators and students to improve labs and discovery-based science experiences for students in grades 6-12.

In his April 27, 2009 speech to the National Academies of Science, the President Obama made this call to action:
"I want to encourage you to participate in programs to allow students to get a degree in science fields and a teaching certificate at the same time. I want us all to think about new and creative ways to engage young people in science and engineering, whether it's science festivals, robotics competitions, fairs that encourage young people to create and build and invent -- to be makers of things, not just consumers of things. To achieve this goal we should provide students the tools to experiment and build their own tools, machines and platforms. This Administration supports hands-on experiences that allow children to learn at their own pace through discovery and building."

Smart Money Series DVDs, 6-12

http://tinyurl.com/yj5uw3g
This new DVD series will support the teaching of financial literacy.
Consumer Smarts: The Skinny on Being Savvy (#809823)
Credit Basics: Simple Strategies for Smart Credit (#809822)
The Fundamentals of Banking: Get Serious about Spending (#809821)

Intermath: Integrate Technology Tools for “Doing Mathematics”, 6-8

http://intermath.coe.uga.edu/topics/algebra/homepg.htm
More than 200 “recommended investigations” are offered for teachers to solve and then modify for use with their students. The investigations are presented in 13 units: Patterns, Functions & Equations, Graphing (Algebra); Circles, Quadrilaterals, Triangles, Polygons, 3-D Objects (Geometry); Fractions & Decimals, Integers, Ratio, Proportion & Percent (Number Concept); Statistics, Probability (Data Analysis). The site also includes an interactive dictionary and a constructionary to help students construct understanding of math concepts.

Create Multimedia Flashcards, K-12

http://www.funnelbrain.com/
This is a student-driven academic question-and-answer community where students create and share multimedia flashcards. Students can add a third side to any flashcard to explain a difficult concept or to share a favorite mnemonic device. They can also include videos, photos, voice recordings and math equations. FunnelBrain users can then share their questions—and collaborate on creating complete sets of flashcards on any topic of interest—with classmates and other students around the world.

Best Practices for Building 21st Century Skills, K-12

http://tinyurl.com/c6sxcq
The Partnership for 21st Century Skills has revised and updated Milestones for Improving Learning and Education, the MILE Guide for 21st Century Skills. The new MILE Guide includes:
(1) a visual mapping and self-assessment tool that allows districts to plot where they are today and set a course for future integration of 21st century skills into systems of learning
(2) a set of district-relevant recommendations and promising practices to help local districts move from assessment of 21st century skills integration to concrete action
(3) up-to-date P21 Framework definitions that spell out expectations for 21st century student outcomes and the necessary support systems at the state and local levels.

Also, P21 has released five State Implementation Guides—which offer best practices on building standards, assessments, curriculum and instruction, professional development and learning environments—to help integrate skills (such as critical thinking, problem solving and communication) more purposefully into core academic subjects (mathematics, reading, science, history and others). All of the State Implementation Guides—along with a full library of other 21st century skills resources—are available for free download on the P21 site.

MeBeam.com, K-12

http://www.mebeam.com/
MeBeam is a free chat room platform with built-in audio and video capabilities. This means users can get a real time group conversation going with friends around the world. To start a chat type in a title for your room or find an existing chat to join. Invite friends by pressing the Invite People button. Up to 18 people may join in on the conversation. Users may upload files (less than 30 mb) for others in the room to share.

Iowa Children’s Choice Award 2009-10 DVD, 3-6

Students give book talks on the 24 books on the ICCA 2009-2010 list. It may be viewed by individual book titles. Check out from the Heartland library, #256151.
You can also find support materials for these 24 titles at TeachingBooks.net. Sign in, click Book Awards, and click Reading List Resources.

Book Rotation, K-8

http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/curriculum/reading/bookrotation2007.html
Teachers can refresh their classroom collections with a box (@ 30 titles) of new books every 5-6 weeks. Register online.

A History of Chinese American Achievement DVDs, 6-12

http://tinyurl.com/yetez8m
This new DVD series is available for checkout from Heartland AEA.

Nobel Prize Education Site, 6-12

http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/
Games, experiments, and simulated environments introduce students to the Nobel Prize. These educational resources do not require previous knowledge. A central thought or issue is explored during 10-20 minutes of activity, using a specific Nobel Prize-awarded work as a springboard for the whole exercise. The high level of interactivity and high quality graphics are designed to ensure a unique learning experience of all users.

The games are mostly Flash-based and range in style and pedagogical purpose, with some, such as 'Lord of the Flies', serving double duty as both a reading check and a source for further biographical and research purposes. Others, such as 'The Ear Pages', can be used to help explain complex scientific concepts. The site is also full of a variety of auxiliary information about the Nobel Prize and past laureates.

Picturing the 1930s, 8-12

http://americanart.si.edu/picturing_the_1930s
The Smithsonian American Art Museum Web site includes paintings, artist memorabilia, historical documents, newsreels, period photographs, music and video in a virtual, 3-D movie theater. The site provides opportunities for students to use primary source documents.
The museum has provided images from its collection of artworks from the 1930s with contextual information that will be used as assets in PrimaryAccess, a Web-based software that allows teachers and students to create their own documentary videos. Beginning March 15, students can select images, write text and record narration in the style of a documentary filmmaker. These online videos can be submitted to the virtual theater on the site. The museum also plans to develop introduction and implementation tutorials that suggest ways to integrate the software and assets into the curriculum.

New content will debut for each of the eight theme rooms in the next several months. “The Country,” “The Depression,” “Industry,” and “Labor” will be available Thursday, Feb. 26, followed by “American People,” “Leisure,” “The City” and “The New Deal.”

EBSCO Mobile Interface, K-12

You can access any or all of the 24 EBSCO databases with this new interface for your smartphone or iPod Touch. It's a mini-library in your pocket! Enter this URL using the search engine on your smartphone or iPod Touch and then bookmark it. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=mobsmart
Why the excitement?
--Mobile interface re-sizes the screen to give full access to features.
--Resource library in the teachers (or students) pockets.
--Full searching capability--search by date, document type, publication title, and other limiters.
--Full-text articles, documents, and images can be e-mailed or viewed.
--PDFs (including primary source documents) are available.
--Image Collection (especially news and current events) is available.