This Los Angeles Times article explains how the standard for text messaging was determined in 1985. Friedhelm Hillebrand was typing random sentences and questions on his typewriter, and as he went along he counted the number of letters, number, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. Each blurb ran on for a line or two and was nearly always under 160 characters. Click here to read the article.
Civic Center Applause! Series, K-12
The 2009-2010 series is announced. All tickets are $1.00. Click here for more information.
Visit the Prado Museum, 6-12
http://www.google.com/intl/en/landing/prado/
Google recently launched the Prado layer in Google Earth, allowing students to explore highly detailed photographic images of 14 of the Prado Museum’s masterpieces. The Prado Museum in Madrid is one of Spain’s most visited destinations, and with the Google Earth layer, students can view and learn about the museum’s most famous paintings, such as The Maids of Honor (Las Meninas) or The Three Graces (Las Tres Gracias). Google Earth Prado layer also includes 3-D models, which allow students to fly around the Prado buildings to experience the museum as if they were actually there. Open Google Earth, check the 3D buildings layer on the bottom left panel, go to the Prado and access the masterpieces.
Visual Composition, K-5
http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/
The Artist’s Toolkit: Visual Elements and Principles is an online interactive that allows students to explore the tools that artists use—for example, line, color and balance—to build works of art. Students can watch an animated demonstration, find examples of concepts in works of art from museums, and create their own compositions. In the See Artists in Action section, students can watch two professional artists using the visual elements and principles. Students can also use the Artist’s Toolkit Encyclopedia to learn more about these building blocks of composition. The encyclopedia includes many examples of works of art that illustrate the visual elements (line, shape, color, space, texture) and visual principles (balance, emphasis, movement/rhythm).
Learn with Seuss Characters, PreK-2
http://www.seussville.com/university/index.html
Seuss characters serve as guides at the interactive Seussville University. Contents: reading, letter recognition, sounds of letters, rhyming words, recognizing numerals and number words, counting, simple addition, animal categories, basic astronomy, ecology, patterns and directions, and opposites. The activities can be completed at the computer with the on-screen activities and off-line with the printable documents.
Audio Books & Professional Development
An excellent collection of audio books on current research on education, global issues, and self-improvement is available for checkout. With 85% of our learning and knowledge coming from listening, audio books are an effective way to increase your professional knowledge. Click here.
Share to Facebook or Social Bookmarks
You'll notice something different about World of Media. We have added share buttons for your favorite social network or social bookmarking sites. They're located at the end of each article and on the sidebar. These buttons will help you share the valuable content on the social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and bookmarking sites like del.icio.us. Try them out your favorite social network!
100 Best First Lines from Novels, 9-12
http://www.worldcat.org/profiles/andyhavens/lists/69915
Teachers may have seen this list before, but there is a new twist because it is linked with WorldCat. You can read the famous first line, view the book jacket art, read reviews, follow the hyperlinks to related readings, add to your del.icio.us or social bookmark service, add your own review or comment, and find the closest library that has the book. Besides being an interesting activity for the teacher, think of the classroom applications.
Does this change the way students think about libraries and finding resources?
What does it say about information literacy?
Could this illustrate the new ways students seek information and resources?
WorldCat is also part of federated searching and is an option when searching Com Cat, http://comcat-agent.auto-graphics.com.
National Poetry Month, K-12
http://www.poets.org/index.php
National Poetry Month brings together literary organizations, libraries, schools, and poets around the country to celebrate poetry and its important place in American culture.
Check out this year’s programs:
Poem In Your Pocket Day: Join thousands of individuals across the U.S. by carrying a poem in your pocket on April 30, 2009.
Poetry & the Creative Mind: Check out this celebration of American poetry.
Free Verse Photo Competition: Capture and share bits of verse for a chance to win prizes.
Poem-A-Day: Great poems from new books emailed each day of National Poetry Month. Sign up for a daily dose of new poems from new spring poetry titles.
Spring Book List: Check out the new books of poetry available each spring.
National Poetry Map: Find out what is happening in Iowa by visiting the redesigned and updated National Poetry Map.
National Poetry Month poster: To request copies of posters, use the online order form. To view images of all our posters, old and new, visit the National Poetry Month poster gallery.
Additional Resources from Poets.org
Teacher Resources
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/103
Creative and inexpensive suggestions for making poetry a more important part of school life during April and throughout the year.
Teacher Librarian Resources
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/102
Low cost suggestions to develop greater visibility for poetry during April and throughout the year.
Poetry Read-A-Thon
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/318
Instructions for motivating students to enjoy poetry in the classroom are featured. The goal is to celebrate the reading of poems and writing about poems as well as to facilitate the development of student writing and comprehension skills. Students choose poems to read and then write prose “responses” to the poems they read. A response can be 75-100 words and students can respond to one or two of the following elements of the poem:
• images of the poem
• sounds of the poem
• subject(s) of the poem
• emotional effect(s) of the poem
• the poem’s meaning(s)
• questions about the poem
• questions the student would like to ask, if he/she could speak to the poet
30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/94
Features a month’s worth of poetry activities that any community can take part in.
Subscribe to Poets.org
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/22
Because poetry should be celebrated all year, Poets.org offers several ways to keep you informed and connected to the poetry world. Subscribe to Poets.org Newsletters, RSS Feeds, and more.
Math in Our Lives DVDs, PreK-5
This new series uses practical examples and models to provide students with a realistic context for mathematical concepts. Each DVD presents a specific math concept in ten minutes. Available for checkout.
- Currency (#809206)
- Geometric Forms (#809205)
- Lines and Shapes (#809198)
- Measuring Metric (#809204)
- Measuring Standard (#809203)
- Money (#809199)
- More and Less (#809201)
- Numbers (#809200)
- Probability (#809202)
Math Snacks Learning Animations, 6-8
http://www.mathsnacks.com
These short animations present a math concept. They can be placed on mobile devices such as iPods for homework. The accompanying print materials can assist students in applying their conceptual understanding to math problems.
Sample Math Snacks:
Bad Date
This animation visualizes the ratio of words spoken on a series of dates.
Addresses:
Proportions as multiplicative situations
Proportional relationships can be related to a common rate in direct variations
Overruled!
This animation shows how “Rulers” value proper units and proportional details.
Addresses:
Various techniques are helpful in solving proportion, including tables, graphs, measurement, and equations
Given an application problem, using the units can help to set up the correct proportion
When proportions are graphed on a coordinate plane, the graph is linear
Scale Ella
This animation has a crusading superhero clarifying and using scale factor.
Addresses:
Objects that are scale representations of each other have the same shape but not the same size, and the size difference is related to the scale factor
Atlantean Dodgeball
This animation shows how ratio errors confuse one of the coaches in an epic dodgeball tournament.
Addresses:
Ratios can represent part–whole or part–part relationships
Number Rights
This animation shows a passionate activist clarifying equality on a number line.
Addresses:
Equality and order on the number line
Number line properties
Pearl Driver
This animation features a mini-game to explain equality on number line.
Addresses:
Equality and order on the number line
Number line properties
Siftables, K-12
http://tinyurl.com/cg3qyf
MIT grad student David Merrill demos Siftables -- cookie-sized, computerized tiles you can stack and shuffle in your hands. These future-toys can do math, play music, and talk to their friends, too. Is this the next thing in hands-on learning?
EZ Math Trix, 3-8
These five DVDs teach mathematical concepts with card tricks, dominoes, calendars, etc. Available for checkout.
- Addition and Subtraction (#809503)
- Card Tricks (#809505)
- Division (#809504)
- Math and Number Fun (#809506)
- Multiplication (#809502)
Lorax Project Student Earth Day, K-3
http://www.thelorax.com
http://www.theloraxproject.com
The first Lorax Project Student Earth Day Web site teaches young students about doing their part to protect the environment. This annual event encourages teachers and students to celebrate the Lorax's message and act on their own pledges to beautify and conserve their school environment and beyond. Teachers can find a free classroom toolkit, poster gallery, instructional resources, and educator idea exchange.
National Environmental Education Week: Go Green!, K-12
http://www.eeweek.org
Teachers play a critical role in inspiring students to make a positive impact on the environment. National Environmental Education Week (EE Week) is the largest organized environmental education event in the United States. EE Week promotes understanding and protection of the natural world by engaging K-12 students and teachers in an inspired week of environmental learning and activities in advance of Earth Day on April 22.
By registering as an EE Week partner, teachers will have access to an extensive online curriculum library. They will also receive certificates of participation, a free copy of National Geographic Explorer magazine, and a monthly e-newsletter with classroom resources and opportunities for funding and professional development.
Science Daily News, K-12
http://www.sciencedaily.com/
Not just for science teachers! In addition to the Web site with videos, real-world applications, research, and classroom strategies, you can get the latest science news through a free e-mail newsletter and hourly RSS newsfeeds.
Free Weather Games, K-6
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/multimedia/games/
Elementary students can explore weather through a small collection of games and activities provided by BBC, including a weather-word hangman, a do-it-yourself weather map, and weather quiz.
Urbandale H.S. Physics and Chemistry Vodcasts, 9-12
http://www.hermonswebsites.com/podcastphysics.php?videolink=STATE.mov
http://www.hermonswebsites.com/podcastchemistry.php
Teacher Mark Hermon has created short demonstration and lecture videos that can be viewed online.
Free Online Telescope, K-12
http://www.worldwidetelescope.org/Home.aspx
The WorldWide Telescope (WWT) is a Web 2.0 visualization software environment that enables a computer to function as a virtual telescope—bringing together imagery from the best ground and space-based telescopes in the world for a seamless exploration of the universe.
Users may choose from a growing number of guided tours of the sky by astronomers and educators from some of the most famous observatories and planetariums in the country. You can pause the tour, explore on your own (with multiple information sources for objects at your fingertips), and rejoin the tour where you left off.
View the sky from multiple wavelengths. See the x-ray view of the sky and zoom into bright radiation clouds, and then crossfade into the visible light view and discover the cloud remnants of a supernova explosion from a thousand years ago. Switch to the Hydrogen Alpha view to see the distribution and illumination of massive primordial hydrogen cloud structures lit up by the high energy radiation coming from nearby stars in the Milky Way. Seamlessly pan and zoom from aerial views of the moon and selected planets, as well as see their precise positions in the sky from any location on Earth and any time in the past or future.
New NOVA DVDs, 7-12
Ten new NOVA: Scientific Discovery videos are available for checkout.
- Absolute Zero (#809450)
- Fireworks! (#809445)
- Four-winged dinosaur (#809449
- Fractals: Hunting the Hidden Dimension (#809452)
- Ghost in Your Genes (#809448)
- The Ghost Particle: Neutrinos-the Secret Ingredient to the Cosmos (#809444)
- Infinite Secrets: the Genius of Archimedes (#809443)
- Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives (#809451)
- Percy Julian: Forgotten Genius (#809446)
- Solar Energy: Saved by the Sun (#809447)
Green Careers DVDs, 3-12
Volumes 10-26 have been added to this series about global and personal ways to reduce our carbon footprint. Available for checkout.
SecretBuilders: Integrate Creativity with Historical Adventure, K-8
http://www.secretbuilders.com/
SecretBuilders is a virtual world with an emphasis on creativity and historical adventure. Students explore virtual lands, go on quests, play games, maintain a home, nurture a pet, and interact with their friends. Students learn through immersing themselves in the stories, themes, and concepts from the best in literature, arts, and humanities. They will interact with famous historical and fictional figures and be introduced to content and characters from world civilization and the great thoughts and ideas of human creativity including Shakespeare, Sherlock Holmes, Galileo and Socrates. Students actually create this site, not just consume it. They are directly involved in creating this world with their ideas, critiques, and contributions on almost every aspect of the site and many of their ideas will be implemented. Students publish their works such as writings, art, or videos. They can invite friends and family to view their works and comment.
Google Tip, K-12
When looking for global perspectives on a topic, you can limit a Google search by using "site:". As an example, if you wanted the British perspective on the G20, enter G20 site:UK in the search box.
Fight for Oil: 100 Years in the Middle East, 9-12
This series of three DVDs profiles the social and political impacts for the Middle East and the rest of the world. Available for checkout.
Part 1 (#073511)
This program describes the discovery of oil in Persia in 1908, the claims placed on Middle East territories and concludes with the British being sent home from Iran in the 1950s.
Part 2 (#073512)
This program explains the history of Middle East oil beginning in the early 1970s, the oil embargo and the resulting rise in import prices as foreign leaders attempt to negotiate. Tensions in the Middle East begin to heighten as conflicting groups become more violent. Assassinations, hostage situations and torture are tearing the region apart. American female soldiers fighting in the Gulf War sparks interests in women's rights in Saudi Arabia.
Part 3 (#073513)
This program explains the after-effects of the second gulf war. Iraq, which once played a major role in the Middle East oil trade, is struggling to gain stability. Exemplifying this is the city of Kirkuk, one of the two largest oil regions in the country, where oil brought destruction and discrimination against the Kurds. In Iran, controversy surrounds the Sunni and Shiite's and the struggle for everyday life. This episode also shows the disparity between north and south Tehran and the south's disappointment with failed promises by president Ahmadinijhad. In contrast lies Kuwait and Saudi Arabia where modernization is far beyond that of Iran and Iraq.
Treks in a Wild World, 6-12
This series of adventures features outdoor pursuits, while providing a panoramic view of some of the most remote places in the world. 10 DVDs. Available for checkout.
- Biking the Kokopelli Trail and Canoeing the Rio Grande (#809398)
- Climbing the Grand Tetons and Biking the Continental Divide (#809397)
- Diving with the Manatees (Florida) and Hiking in Kings Canyon (#809399)
- Hiking the Appalachian Trail and Canoeing the Okefenokee Swamp (#809400)
- Hiking the Oklahoma Plains and Exploring Canyonlands (#809401)
- Horse Packing in Yellowstone and Cattle Driving in Wyoming (#809406)
- Ice Climbing Mount Rainier and Canyoneering in Apacheland (#809402)
- Kayaking Prince William Sound and Arctic Hiking in Alaska (#809403)
- Poling the Bonaventure River (Quebec) and Cycling the Viking Trail (#809404)
- Whitewater Rafting the Gauley River and Bushwacking (#809405)
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