ALABAMA SUPERCOMPUTER AUTHORITY
Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT), an institute of the Alabama Department of Postsecondary Education, facilitates economic development through job-specific training. AIDT/Mercedes-Benz U.S. International in Tuscaloosa County has increased its Internet bandwidth capacity through the Alabama Research and Education Network.
READING ABOUT EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY
From Data to Decisions: Lessons from School Districts Using Data Warehousing In the era of No Child Left Behind, school districts are collecting quantities of data to comply with state and federal mandates. But if districts – especially those that serve urban and disadvantaged communities – are to educate all children to high standards, they must vastly improve their antiquated and fragmented systems for accessing and analyzing that data. A new Annenberg Institute report looks at eight districts that have used data warehousing to make better school-improvement decisions. http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=163703320
EDUCATION AND THE Internet
Knowing Poe: The Literature, Life, and Times of Edgar Allan Poe... In Baltimore and Beyond The rich classroom resources on this site have been created especially for Maryland students in middle and high school. In addition to these interactive experiences, there are lesson plans created by Maryland teachers, primary source documents, links for further research, and materials for fun family activities related to Edgar Allan Poe. http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org
Dinosaurs helps students answer questions about dinosaurs: What makes a dinosaur "a dinosaur"? Where did they live? What caused their mass extinction? Students can participate in a virtual dinosaur discovery, follow milestones in dinosaur evolution, and see behind-the-scenes slideshows of the lab environment where vertebrate specimens are prepared for exhibits and research.
http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/dinosaurs/
Seeing Math features a math curriculum, professional development for teachers, and software "interactives." The interactives, available on the web, clarify key algebra concepts. They help students see connections between symbolic and graphic representations of quadratic functions, linear functions, piecewise linear functions, and more. http://seeingmath.concord.org/resources.html
Life of a Vertebrate Fossil traces the journey of fossils from discovery to display. Find out what paleontologists do in each stage of a vertebrate fossil's life. Learn about digging up fossils, getting them to the laboratory, preparing them for research and exhibition, and understanding what they say about past life. http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/LVF/#start
Molecular Logic Database provides 130 model-based activities for learning about interactions of atoms and molecules, and rule-based genetics. Topics include atomic-molecular structures and dynamics, states of matter, reactions, solutions, water and small molecules, bioenergetics, macromolecules, proteins, metabolism regulation, self assembly, and genetic code. Introductory activities serve as "stepping stones" to 10 physical-chemical principles that underlie many biological processes. http://molo.concord.org/database/
Physics Education Technology (PhET) produces fun, interactive simulations of physical phenomena. More than 35 simulations let students experiment with circuits, string tension, kinetic and potential energy, radios waves and electromagnetic fields, balloons and static electricity, ideal gas and buoyancy, velocity and acceleration, sound waves and the Doppler effect, and more. http://www.colorado.edu/physics/phet/
Sustainable Development Education provides models, curricula, and professional development materials for learning about managing trade-offs between resource use and quality of life. Software is offered to help clarify key principles of sustainable thinking, including a spatial modeling and visualization tool for community design and an ecological footprint calculator. http://www.concord.org/research/sustainable.html
Making Energy Fun and Safe Through interactive and engaging activities, elementary students can learn about electricity and natural gas, how to use them safely and wisely, and the importance of conserving energy. This website developed by Alliant Energy provides a fun way to help children understand the Energy Basics, how to Play It Safe even in storms produced by Mother Nature, a section on Energy and the Environment, associated Fun and Games and a Parents and Teachers section. This is one of the more serious sites that children will want to explore thanks to the format and particular presentations. http://www.powerhousekids.com/stellent2/groups/public/documents/pub/phk_001537.hcsp
SHARKS @ Florida Museum of Natural History Ichthyology Department Sharks have made headlines in the news lately, but misunderstanding of the nature of sharks has overshadowed the truth about these animals. Shark attack is a potential danger that must be acknowledged by anyone that frequents marine waters, but the risks should be kept in perspective. Bees, wasps and snakes are responsible for far more deaths each year and the annual risk of death from lightning in the U.S. is 30 times greater. Separate fact from fiction here! http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/sharks.htm
NEWS YOU CAN USE
Where does all the money go? Do you ever wonder where that paper money in your pocket has been, or where it will go next? This is the place to find out. Where's George? tracks your money. Register with the site and enter the serial number of the bill you want to track or the serial number of a bill you received. You will need to revisit the site to find out where your money surfaces.
Enthusiasts usually stamp currency with the Web site's address and a note asking anyone who finds it to record the serial number and the zip code where they spent it. Fans of the site track "hits" as subsequent users log in the numbers.The practice doesn't violate any laws. While defacing currency is illegal, merely stamping or writing on bills doesn't fit the Bureau of Engraving and Printing's definition of an improper act: intentionally rendering currency unfit to be used. http://www.wheresgeorge.com/
CONSTITUTION DAY PROGRAMMING MADE EASY To help schools comply with a new federal requirement to offer an educational program on Constituition Day, a prestigious group of educators and media organizations has joined together to create a unique initiative, Justice Talking, NPR's award-winning radio series will broadcast two programs online and via satellite. Any school or group may show the programs--and build their own educational events around them--without charge. Get complete information and register today! Visit www.justicelearning.org and click on Constitution Day!
netTrekker d.i., an award-winning academic search engine, supports differentiated instruction by delivering over 180,000 educator-selected, online resources that enhance the K-12 curricula to every desktop. New features include: Search for Resources by Readability Rating; Customized ELL Content; Dictionary/Translation Hot Key and a Safe, School-Friendly Image Search. Take the tour and then take advanatage of a free trial offer. netTrekker meets eligibility requirements for many titles under No Child Left Behind and is a perfect way to utilize these federal funds for your district. http://www.nettrekker.com/frontdoor/
Picasa is software that helps you instantly find, edit and share all the pictures on your PC. Every time you open Picasa, it automatically locates all your pictures (even ones you forgot you had) and sorts them into visual albums organized by date with folder names you will recognize. You can drag and drop to arrange your albums and make labels to create new groups. Picasa makes sure your pictures are always organized. Picasa also makes advanced editing simple by putting one-click fixes and powerful effects at your fingertips. And Picasa makes it a snap to share your pictures – you can email, print photos home, make gift CDs, instantly share via Hello™, and even post pictures on your own blog. http://picasa.google.com/index.html
IVC Megaconference You are invited to submit a proposed presentation for Megaconference 7, to be held on Dec 1, from 8am to 11pm EST (GMT-7). You can get an idea of the type of presentation and length desired by looking at last year's program, at http://www.megaconference.org . Presentations which demonstrate new or novel applications of videoconferencing technology,
increase world understanding, and are interactive are preferred. Musical presentations are also invited. The deadline for proposals is October 1, but please send your proposal to Bob Dixon (dixon.8@osu.edu) as soon as possible. A paragraph describing it is sufficient. The Megaconference is the world's largest video conference (360 locations around the world last year) and everyone in the world with H.323 or compatible equipment is invited to participate. The Megaconference is sponsored by the Internet2 Commons, and supported by many organizations and manufacturers and vendors. There is no cost for participation.