Technology Applications for Learning part of the Education Reform Network

develop or conduct evaluation or accountability effort

• A Guide to Evaluation Primers
  Organization: Association for the Study and Development of Community (ASDC) / Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Abstract: An orientation guide to handbooks and basic primers (introductory pieces) on program evaluation. Primers are directed toward the non-expert, explaining some of the central issues in evaluation and why they are important.
• AAUP: American Association of University Professors
  This organization's "purpose is to advance academic freedom and shared governance, to define fundamental professional values and standards for higher education, and to ensure higher education's contribution to the common good." In addition to information about the AAUP's activities (academic freedom, governance, legal, research, organizing, lobbying), this site includes numerous statements, reports, and publications about issues in higher education (such as affirmative action, ethics, and tenure).
• An Educator's Guide to Evaluating The Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms
  Developed by the American Institutes for Research for the U.S. Department of Education, this guide is intended as an informal introduction to various assessment techniques that schools, districts, and individuals might use to evaluate local technology initiatives.
• Assessing the Impact of Technology on Teaching and Learning: Student Perspectives
  Assessment of Instructional Technology Tools Organization: Middle Tennessee State University • Focus: evaluates the effectiveness of instructional technology by its impact on the depth and breadth of content covered, student performance, and good teaching practices that were widely acknowledged as catalysts for improved learning. • Method: Survey.
• DNA Interactive
  - This terrific site commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the discovery of the structure of DNA. You'll find an interactive timeline, learn how the code was cracked, find out how the discovery of the structure of DNA changed the field of biology, and see a chilling section on eugenics.
• Education Policies of the 50 States
  The Milken Exchange on Education Technology "Education Policies of the 50 States" includes facts and figures showing states' budgets for education technology and the standards they are using to assess progress.
• Instructional Assessment and Evaluation
  9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning • Organization: American Association for Higher Education • Abstract: Outlines the relationship between instructional best practices, learning and assessment.
• MEDtropolis' Virtual Body
  This dramatic site requires a Java-enabled browsers, and but it's well worth a look if your computer can support it. Virtual tours of the brain, heart, skeleton, and digestive tract will be particularly relevant for you and your students.
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE)
  tion. One mark of a high-quality teacher preparation program is accreditation by NCATE.
• National Geographic Society Resources for Teachers On line
  On line adventures, maps and geography, lesson plans, teacher community. special features : Xpeditions http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/ Xpedition Hall, activities, standards and lesson plans National Geographic Kids Magazine http://www.nationalgeographic.com/kids/index.html.
• Technology Connections for School Improvement Planners' Handbook
  Technology Connections for School Improvement Planners' Handbook NCREL This handbook is designed for those who seek to: engage stakeholders in a technology planning process to enhance learning opportunities and school improvement efforts; learn from research findings and case scenarios about problem-solving technology practices implemented in schools today; identify technology needs and evaluate implementation progress.
• The Digital Disconnect: The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their schools
  The Digital Disconnect: The widening gap between Internet-savvy students and their schools (2002) http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=67 Part of the Pew Internet & American Life project, this study compares students' interest and fluency in Internet usage to what is offered them in their schools.
• The Role of Online Communications in Schools: A National Study
  The Role of Online Communications in Schools: A National Study (1997) Sari Follansbee, Niki Gilsdorf, and Skip Stahl This study demonstrates that students with online access perform better. The study, conducted by CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), an independent research and development organization, and sponsored by the Scholastic Network and Council of the Great City Schools, isolates the impact of online use and measures its effect on student learning in the classroom.
• Understanding Prejudice
  Understanding Prejudice -This informative site offers educational resources for teachers, special features, and interactive quizzes to help you understand prejudice. The ultimate goal of the site is to help reduce the level of intolerance and bias in contemporary society .
• Whyville
  ice A group of educators, scientists, artists and Internet experts have recently brought up a Web-based science education site intended to support both home and classroom-based learning by scientific inquiry. The site, www.whyville.net, was established to support a weekly science education article in the Los Angeles Times (see site for details).
• The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future
  The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing every child with competent, caring, qualified teachers in schools organized for success. In its latest report, No Dream Denied: A Pledge to America's Children, NCTAF finds that high teacher turnover and attrition have become a national crisis that is undermining teaching quality in too many of our schools.
• Archimedes' Laboratory
  Inspired by the work methods of scientist Archimedes, this online companion to the print magazine of the same name provides a virtual lab of geometric puzzles to make and solve, games, mazes, and optical illusions. Appropriate for children and adults.
• Back to School: The American Student
  A special report from CNN provides profiles of U.S. students, from kindergarten through college, and the specific issues of standardized testing and curricula, budget and consequent program cuts, and teaching current events.
• Concord.org Five Lessons
  Five Lessons: A Taste of the Future, Today Interactive lessons allow students to learn more science and math, earlier and deeper.features activities and software for exploring key math and science concepts. A grapher without numeric values introduces calculus concepts in early grades.
• Crosspoint Anti Racism
  Crosspoint Anti RacismAn international, searchable collection of briefly annotated links covering such topics as anti-racism/anti-fascism, migrants, anti-Semitism/Shoah, migrants/diversity, indigenous people, Jewish resources/Shoah, human rights/refugees, disability resources, Roma/Sinti/Travellers, gays & lesbians, and women's rights. Can be browsed by country or by topic.
• Internet Blocking In Public Schools: A Study on Internet Access in Educational Institutions
  "The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Online Policy Group (OPG) have cooperated to study and analyze the accessibility on the web of information related to state-mandated curriculum topics within public schools that operate Internet blocking software. This study measures the extent to which blocking software impedes the educational process by restricting access to web pages relevant to the required curriculum." Also includes a related animation.
• Measuring Up: The State-by-state Report Card for Higher Education
  "A series of biennial, state-by-state report cards" beginning in 2000. States are graded and can be compared on their performance in five categories: preparation, participation, affordability, completion, and benefits.
• Mega-Mathematics
  This is Mega-Mathematics! is filled with elementary school lesson plans that teach unusual concepts in higher math: knot theory, map coloring, infinity, formal logic, etc. Each lesson includes background information, vocabulary, lesson, and evaluation activities.
• National Rural Education Association (NREA)
  The site for an "organization of rural school administrators, teachers, board members, regional service agency personnel, researchers, business and industry representatives and others interested in maintaining the vitality of rural school systems across the country." Includes information about events, membership, mini-grants, regional educational laboratories, related links, and more.
• Pathways to School Improvement
  Pathways to School Improvement Designed to help educators apply the latest educational research to topics such as technology in education, math and science education, literacy, school leadership, parent involvement, school to work transition, and more. An excellent feature is the Amazing Picture Machine, an index to graphical resources on the Internet.
• Sci-Math World: An Interactive Internet Workshop
  This site provides annotated Web links to relevant science and math subjects arranged as directories and portals, searchable sites, search engines, and interactive Web sites. Designed and implemented by Robert J.
• Technology Counts 2003, Pencils Down: Technology's Answer to Testing
  "Technology Counts 2003, Pencils Down: Technology's Answer to Testing," which reports on the growing use of computer-based testing. School districts and states are increasingly turning to computer-based testing to meet new demands, raising a host of new questions about assessment, according to Education Week's sixth annual report on school technology.
• U.S. Government RSS Library
  RSS is "a method of summarizing the latest news and information from a website." This site provides access to government sites with RSS feeds. Topics include agriculture, business, education, health, international relations, and science.
• 21st Century Literacy
  Twenty-First Century LiteracyBertram C. Bruce (Chip)Library and Information Science501 East Daniel St., mc 493University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignChampaign, IL 61820217-244-3576; 217-333-3280fax: [email protected]/~chip[A version of this paper appears (1998) under the title, "Current Issues and Future Directions" in J.
• 4-H Virtual Farm
  Target Audience Grades three to 12 clustered in these groupings. Grades - 3-5 6-8 9-12 Review The 4-H Virtual Farm website gives an excellent insight into potential vocational directions in agriculture.
• A Brief Intro to Copyright
  A succinct explanation of copyright and fair use. Includes several useful links, including one to the author's definitive article about "copyright myths.".
• A Visit to Copyright Bay
  learn about copyright. These thorny, legal issues are presented in a fun tutorial that lets you navigate Fair Use Harbor, visit Murky Waters, and crash on Infringement Reef.
• Action Science Network
  What is Action Science?http://www.actionscience.com/actinq.htmAction science is a strategy for designing situations that foster effective stewardship in any type of organization. As a framework for learning the approach is designed to help individuals, groups, and organizations to develop a readiness to change to meet the needs of an often changing environment.Action Science is a strategy for increasing the skills and confidence of individuals in groups to create any kind of organization (thus fostering long-term individual/group effectiveness).
• Adbusters' Culture Jammers Headquarters
  Adbusters is a group of very talented media professionals who want us to challenge what we see and subsequently think. Exploring this website is a good introduction to what makes the web valuable: users can look beyond mass media's filters.
• Amazing Space
  has an excellent series of inquiry-based activities on their web site entitled Amazing Space; http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/amazing-space.html.
• American Educational Research Association (AERA)
  Link to AERA's reports, journal abstracts, and the online version of Educational Researcher.
• Analyze Technology Needs
  Educators will need to take action on three fronts, which include defining what it means to be educated in a digital, knowledge-based society, transforming schools into high-performance learning organizations responsive to this new definition, and establishing new measures for assessing student progress.
• Animal Diversity Web
  Animal Diversity Web (Scientific American Sci/Tech award) This well-organized site does what's nearly impossible: offers an easy-to-understand explanation of biological names and how they relate to evolution. And there's more here than just family trees.
• AOL@School
  http://www.aolatschool.com/ Foe teachers this web site furnishes professional development, lesson plans, special needs and counseling, subjects and standards, education news, research and references, and classroom tips. For the school this web site furnishes http://www.aolatschool.com/order/index.adp Free AOL E-Mail Free e-mail, instant messaging and chat Exclusive Content from Your State Easy access to state curriculum standards, news and education initiatives Free Built-In Internet Filters Students connect only to age-appropriate content -- CIPA compliant .
• Applying Big6 Skills, Information Literacy Standards and ISTE Nets to Internet Research
  Applying Big6 Skills, Information Literacy Standardsand ISTE NETS to Internet Research. Correlate Mike Eisenberg's and Bob Berkowitz' Big6 Skills with the national Information Literacy Standards developed by the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and Association for Educational and Communications Technology (AECT) and the National Educational Technology Standards for Students (NETS) to organize an introduction to research on the Internet.
• ArtsEdNet
  ArtsEdNetA lesson bank with lessons in the fine arts run by the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles.
• Assessment
  Evaluation or assessment is often recognized as a roadblock to implement inquiry. Here are some references to approach the issues in a different way._ Assessment in an inquiry classrooom.
• Assessment in an Inquiry Classroom
  What is assessment? How can we assess student learning in an inquiry classroom? What are some resources for further information?http://www.students.uiuc.edu/~j-snow2/assessment.html A test is a mode of measurement, or may be thought of "as any standardized procedure for eliciting the kind of behavior we want to observe and measure_ (Frederiksen, 1984). Measurement is the assigning of numbers to the test results.
• Assessment of Instructional Technology Projects and Assignments
  Discipline Specific Examples Organization: Duke University Center for Instructional Technology • Focus: discipline specific examples of instructional technology projects from a wide variety of disciplines. • Method: N/A.
• Assessment of Technological Infrastructure in Native Communities
  This government report examines the access of Native peoples to essential technologies, including computers and the Internet.
• Assessment Resources
  This PowerPoint presentation introduces the assessment process. It discusses the importance of assessment, standardized testing, authentic assessment, and rubrics.
• Assessment Rubric for Course Websites
  Assessment Rubric for Course Websites Organization: Stout School of Education, University of Wisconsin. • Focus: Simple website assessment rubrics for self-assessment or peer feedback.
• Astronomycenter.org
  Features reviewed resources for teaching about asteroids, astrobiology, the big bang theory, black holes, cosmology, dark matter, galaxies, the Milky Way, telescopes & satellites, planet formation, planetary atmospheres, space exploration, stars, the sun, & more. (NSF) Welcome to the alpha test version of astronomycenter.org, a collection of Astronomy 101 digital resources for teachers and students.
• Astronomycenter.org
  features reviewed resources for teaching about asteroids, astrobiology, the big bang theory, black holes, cosmology, dark matter, galaxies, the Milky Way, telescopes & satellites, planet formation, planetary atmospheres, space exploration, stars, the sun, & more. (NSF) Welcome to the alpha test version of astronomycenter.org, a collection of Astronomy 101 digital resources for teachers and students.
• Balanced Assessment
  From 1993 to 2003, the Balanced Assessment in Mathematics Program existed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The project group developed a large collection of innovative mathematics assessment tasks for grades K to 12, and trained teachers to use these assessments in their classrooms.
• Balanced Assessments
    Balanced Assessment offers over 300 mathematics assessment tasks for grades K-12. Topics and activities include averages, addition, area, batting orders, bicycle rides, chance of rain, chance of survival, cheetah's lunch, classroom groups, cost of living, dart boards, detective stories, Fermi estimates, genetic codes, gestation and longevity, graphing, gravity, intersections, logarithms, oil consumption, rectangles, rising prices, squares and circles, stock market, triangles, volume, and more.
• Basic Internet Searching Seminar
  Basic 3-step tutorial with practice exercises This online tutorial is primarily set up to be used in a live, hands-on instructional setting. It is also made available here as an example of hands-on instructional techniques and for those who would like to try it on their own.
• Bernie Dodge's Rubrics for Web Lessons
  Bernie Dodge, the creator of the WebQuest, has put together a good resources for teachers on rubrics. This page has information about using rubrics, links to articles, a few examples of rubrics, guidelines for creating a rubric, and a few good sites for further exploration.
• Bet the Farm
  Synopsis: Developed by the Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in Columbus, Ohio, this interactive, online game tests users' agricultural knowledge and skills. Players assume the role of a farmer and make a series of choices on what products to raise, how to manage product growth, and how to market the harvest in an effort to keep the farm profitable at the end of the year.http://www.cosi.org/onlineExhibits/farm/farmFrame.htm.
• Biodefense: A Need for Public Understanding ( education)
  [pdf] In the light of the recent concerns over the threat and possibility of bioterrorism, the Office of Science Education at the National Institutes of Health has recently released this informative pamphlet (originally published in fall 2002) for teachers hoping to broaden the topic in the classroom. The publication itself gives teacher an opportunity to discuss how public health decisions are made, explain the role of vaccination in public health, and how to effectively address student concerns about bioterrorist attacks.
• Biological Diversity in Food and Agriculture
  Across the world, debates about the potential dangers of genetically modified food and the importance of biological diversity continue to dominate a good deal of public discourse, particularly with regard to developing nations. This website, designed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, explores some of the many issues surrounding biodiversity in food and agriculture, with important sections devoted to genetic resources, ecosystems, and the socio-economic impacts upon this diversity.
• Biology Workbench
  The Biology Workbench is widely recognized as a significant bioinformatics resource that provides a suite of interactive tools which draw on a host of biology databases and allows people to compare molecular sequences using high performance computing facilities, visualize and manipulate molecular structures, and generate phylogenetic hypotheses. The Biology Student Workbench brings the advanced computational infrastructure used by today\'s scientists to any student desktop machine with a web browser to provide a rich environment for student inquiry.
• Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
  This is the right place for civil-rights history Highlight the many triumphs and historical milestones of the 1960s and the Civil Rights movement with this new web site from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Formed in partnership with regional communications carrier BellSouth Corp., this interactive repository features a number of useful resources for teaching and learning.
• BitLaw: a Resource on Technology Law
  BitLaw: a Resource on Technology LawA well-organized and useful tool on technology law, this site contains "over 1,800 pages on patent, copyright, trademark, and Internet legal issues." The major topics covered include Patent Law, Software Patents, Trademark Law, Internet Law, Legal Links, Copyright Law, Primary Sources, and Forms and Contracts. http://www.bitlaw.com/.
• Blogs in Education
  This page is designed to provide you some resources if you want to get started using blogs for yourself or with your students. The use of blogs in instructional settings is limited only by your imagination.
• Bridge to Classroom Understanding of Earthquakes
  Designing and building a bridge to withstand earthquakes is no easy challenge. Explore the science, technology and people involved in the bridge with these interactive learning modules and simulations! http://www.newbaybridge.org/classroom/index.html Features: Lesson ideas Online interactivity Graphics/Multimedia.
• Building Effective Teacher Teams
  Middle grades teacher Bill Ferriter loves the group of teachers he's worked with to develop a high-functioning professional learning team. "Over the past year, we have worked hard together in a school founded on the principles of a learning community...(b)ut we've stumbled over the past month.
• CARET
  The Center for Applied Research in Educational Technology bridges education technology research to practice by offering research-based answers to critical questions. The site allows you to browse questions and answers, search for studies, and receive notification of new research related to your interests.
• CARET: Center for Applied Research in Education Technology
  CARET bridges education technology research to practice by offering research-based answers to critical questions.
• Center for Problem Based Learning
  Center for Problem Based Learning - Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy The team that put this page together did a great job describing the components of PBL. A tutorial and examples of PBL units are included.
• CforAT Center for Accessible Technology
  The Center for Accessible Technology (CforAT) began life in 1983 when a group of parents of children with disabilities came together to develop strategies for including their children into mainstream elementary school settings. With an initial focus on computer technology, these parents developed models whereby kids with disabilities could be fully included in the school curriculum.The Center has kept its inclusion focus, and over time has broadened its goals to include participation in higher education, employment and community.
• Changing the Face of Medicine
  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/ an online exhibit of women in medicine "Discover the many ways that women have influenced and enhanced the practice of medicine. The individuals featured here provide an intriguing glimpse of the broader community of women doctors who are making a difference.
• Chronic Teacher Turnover in Urban Elementary Schools [pdf]
  The Education Policy Analysis Archives is well regarded for its peer- reviewed articles that deal with a broad range of topics related to education policy, ranging from articles on college graduation rates to developing culturally sensitive teaching materials. One of the most recent articles will be of great interest to those with an interest in the problem of teacher turnover and attrition in urban elementary schools.
• Computer Crime: A Lesson Plan for Teachers of Elementary and Middle School Children
  Computer Crime: A Lesson Plan for Teachers of Elementary and Middle School Children looks at issues in the field of computer crime, including predatory behavior and breaking into systems to vandalize and/or steal information and intellectual property. The site also offers a "Code of Responsible Computing" as developed by the Computer Learning Foundation.
• Cool Science for Curious Kids
  The Howard Hughes Medical Institute invites curious kids to explore biology on screen, off screen and in between. http://www.hhmi.org/coolscience/index.htmlhttp://.
• Create a Graph
  Create a Graph helps students create their own graphs and charts. This online tool can be used to make 4 kinds of charts and graphs: bar graphs, line graphs, area graphs, and pie charts.
• Creative Commons
  Creative Commons can help you if you are making a movie and need still images. You're starting out as a photographer and want to spread the word.
• Critical Evaluation of a Web Page -- Lesson Plan
  Grades 6-8...from the master, Kathy Schrock Technology Research Tools * Students use technology to locate, evaluate and collect information from a variety of sources. * Research and evaluate the accuracy, relevance, appropriateness, comprehensiveness, and bias of electronic information sources concerning real world problems.
• Critical Evaluation of Information Resources
  You can begin evaluating a physical information source (a book or an article for instance) even before you have the physical item in hand. Appraise a source by first examining the bibliographic citation.
• CTAP2 Assessment
  CTAP2 AssessmentCTAP2 is an on-line, teacher self-assessment tool that allows educatorsto determine their level of technology proficiency. The self-assessmentis based upon rubrics established in each area of technology competencyand is aligned with the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing(CTC) technology standard.
• Cybersoace Explorer :Getting to Know Christopher Columbus( 3-5)
  ReadWriteThink, International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English Students complete a cyber scavenger hunt and then use their notes to prepare a timeline and summary report about the Italian explorer Christopher Columbus (1451-1506). Through activities that promote critical literacy, students are exposed to alternate points of view regarding Columbus and his legacy.
• Designing Your Own Program Evaluation
  This white paper discusses recent changes in evaluation theory and practices, and clarifies some definitions of evaluation, technology and student learning. Additionally, it highlights instances of promising practices and conclude with a list of recommendations concerning the evaluation of the effectiveness of technology in teaching and learning.
• Digital Information Fluency Project
  Digital Information Fluency (DIF) is the ability to find, evaluate and use digital information effectively, efficiently and ethically. DIF involves knowing how digital information is different from print information; having the skills to use specialized tools for finding digital information; and developing the dispositions needed in the digital information environment.
• Discover Our Earth
  Welcome to the Teacher's Guide to Cornell University's Discover Our Earth pages. The Discover Our Earth project provides a variety of resources designed to help you and your students explore Earth processes by accessing primary Earth science data.
• Distance Education: Issues and Concerns
  http://www.uwex.edu/disted/desien/1995/1-4.htm A major concern among educators and educational administrators is the fear that distance education will replace traditional education. Comments on this site offer a broader perspective—one that views distance education as a means for opening up new possibilities to expand educational opportunities and to enhance education in the classroom.
• Emotional Intelligence At a Glance
  Episodes of school violence have focused attention on "quick fix" solutions, but the answer doesn't lie in equipping schools with metal detectors. We must help students develop the skills to manage their emotions, resolve conflict nonviolently, and respect differences.
• Ensuring Equity with Alternative Assessment
  ISSUE: If American students are to be held responsible for achieving high educational standards, it is ethically imperative that educators develop assessment strategies that ensure equity in assessing and interpreting student performance. In order to protect students from unfair and damaging interpretations and to provide parents and communities with an accurate overall picture of student achievement, educators need to be aware of the promise and the challenges inherent in using alternative assessment practices for high-stakes decisions (such as student retention, promotion, graduation, and assignment to particular instructional groups), which have profound consequences for the students affected.
• ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment, Evaluation, Research Information
  The site claims to "provide balanced information concerning educational assessment, evaluation and research methodology." Maintains a popular full text library.
• Evaluating Information Found on the Internet
  Time-tested, librarian-created guide to copyright, intellectual property, fair use, propaganda, misinformation, disinformation, bias and resource evaluation. Excellent.
• Evaluating Web Pages, a Webquest
  The information source your students use most frequently is likely to be the Web. They will have little trouble actually gathering information these days.
• Evaluating Web Resources
  This site, created by two librarians at the Wolfgram Memorial Library of Widener University, provides a set of checklists to help users analyze the quality of the information at various websites. Types of pages include advocacy, business/marketing, informational, news, and personal web pagesThis is an example of learning to evaluate the resources on the web.
• Explore Your Knowledge
  Explore Your Knowledge challenges students to try their hand at 4th and 8th grade math & science questions taken from the Third International Mathematics & Science Study.
• FiftyCrows TV/News Media
  - This organization supports and promotes Social Change Photography because they believe that "Images inspire people to act." Once you see the photo and video essays on this site your view of world events will never be the same. You will be inspired to make the world a more just place.
• Filtering: No Easy Answers
  This Web-based paper, written for the technology section of the Public Library Association, can be a good starting point for school and library personnel responsible for making decisions on filtering. No recommendations are made here (this is very vendor neutral).
• Filters and Filtering
  The Office of Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association has pulled together a lot of information on their site that deals with the filtering issue as well as providing links to more information, including a summary and the full text of the Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA), information on the Neighborhood Children___s Internet Protection Act (NCIPA), news articles, and more. This is a site to guide the individual teacher.
• Five Commentaries: Looking to the Future
  Five Commentaries: A series of responses from experts representing various disciplines and backgrounds to the question: "How can we help ensure computer technology is used equitably, effectively, and ethically to promote positive child development?".
• Four Nets for Better Searching
  Four NETS for Better Searching The perfect page is out there somewhere. It's the page that has exactly the information you're looking for and to you it's beautiful and unattainable like a faraway star.
• From the Physical to the Virtual: Bringing Free-Choice Science Education Online
  Steven Allison-Bunnell and David T. Schaller, Educational Web Adventures (Eduweb) In E-Learning and Virtual Science Centers, edited by Leo Tan and R.
• Funbrain.com
  FunBrain has over 50 educational games that children will love to play. Games include a variety in each subject area: math, language arts, science, history, other.
• Geography Action
  Geography Action! is an annual conservation and awareness program designed to educate and excite people about natural, cultural, and historic treasures. Each year, they will present a different topic related to conservation and the environment.
• Gina Amenta-Shin Ed. D.
  Gina is a member of ISTE's NETS for Teachers Writing Team and NSCD's Staff Development Standards for Online Learning Team . Through her past experiences as both a doctoral student and professor, Gina has developed multiple perspectives of distance learning - using interactive technology and virtual communities to facilitate online professional development.
• Global Connections: Putting World Events in Context
  Global Connections: Putting World Events in Context, produced by public broadcasting station WGBH, is a new Web site designed to provide the background information needed to understand events occurring in the Middle East. Users can view this site either through a timeline containing events that span the past 100 years or by looking at single themes such as economics or religion.
• Handbook for Digital Projects: A Management Tool for Preservation and Access
  This handbook is the product of four years of developing and revising curricula for School for Scanning conferences presented throughout the U.S. by the Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC).
• How Do You Like To Learn?
  How Do You Like To Learn?Comparing User Preferences and Visit Length of Educational Web Sites David T. Schaller and Steven Allison-Bunnell, Educational Web AdventuresMinda Borun and Margaret B.
• How Does Project-Based Learning Work?
  "We've got to know the curriculum. We've got to know the standards inside and out.
• How the Weather Service Gets the Word Out
  How the Weather Service Gets the Word Out - This document shows how the National Weather Service (NWS) strives to utilize the latest technologies available for the dissemination of climate, water, and weather data and information. Timely access to weather information is provided through NWS systems, including the - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio (NWR) - NOAA Weather Wire Service (NWWS) - Emergency Managers Weather Information Network (EMWIN) - Interactive Weather Information Network (IWIN) Teachers will find information about resources from the American Meteorological Society and Project Atmosphere including the formation of the Atmospheric Education Resource Agent (AERA) network, DataStreme, AAAS, the American Geological Institute, and others, with information about audiovisual materials, computer software, and data sources.www.nssl.noaa.gov/resources.
• How to Teach Media Literacy
  Media literacy connects the curriculum of the classroom with the curriculum of the living room. Making these connections requires an educationally sound framework and structure _ while leaving room for open-ended inquiry and the excitement of discovery.This is only one of 22 new topic pages, covering articles and reports, cases, lesson plans, CML's recommended teaching resources and related links.A collection of articles, studies, reports about education, standards, assessment, integration of technology and other connections to the media literacy field.
• How to Tell if You are Looking at a Great WebSite
  How to Tell if You Are Looking at a Great Web SiteThe Web is a lot like a flea market: there's a vast selection of sites to choose from but not a lot of order to it. Some sites are offered by reputable "dealers" and some from individuals who want to show off their personal favorite items.
• Illuminations
  Designed to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics. Offers interactive lessons for students, lesson plans for teachers, and math applets, all arranged by grade level.
• In Literacy in a Digital World,Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information
  In Literacy in a Digital World: Teaching and Learning in the Age of Information, Kathleen Tyner states what at first appears to be a paradox: "media education has more to do with educational reform, than it does with media reform." What she means is that media literacy is primarily a process of inquiry about media culture - rather than facts or details about media issues or productions that one has to "learn" in order to pass a test. Media literacy is not about replacing Shakespeare with Spielberg.
• Information Power
  The American Association of School Librarians has developed awidely-accepted set of standards called Information Power. They also publish a guide showing what the benchmarks look like at eachgrade level.
• Integrating Internet, Instruction and Curriculum) Engaged Learning Home Page
  The Fermilab LInC Online (Leadership Institute Integrating Internet, Instruction and Curriculum) Engaged Learning Home Page, links to online resources designed to help you understand the indicators of engaged learning, indicators of high technology performance and good project design. Categories include: Engaged Learning Project Simulations Investigating Engaged Learning Analyzing Project Elements Creating a Project Proposal Writing Your Project .
• Integrating Technology in the Classroom
  http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/slides/integrate/See slides presented at the ICE Conference in Indianapolis, Indiana February 28, 1997 by a principal and several primary teachers. The bibliography and resources at the bottom of the page also provide some good links.
• Kathy Schrock Assessment Page
  Kathy Schrock Assessment Page A collection of assessment rubrics that may be helpful to you as you design your own, including web page rubrics, subject specific and general rubrics, educator technology skills rubrics, articles and information on assessment, rubrics, electronic portfolios, and report cards.
• Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators
  A categorized list of sites useful for enhancing curriculum and professional growth. It includes links to lesson plans, clip art, puzzlemaker, science fair ideas, brainboosters and more.
• LD Online
  LD Online has a special section on how technology can diminish barriersfor children.
• Learning Through Technology: A Planning and Implementation Guide
  http://www.ncrel.org/tandl/homepg.htmThe North Central Regional Educational Laboratory offers excellent planning resources such as Learning Through Technology: A Planning and Implementation Guide a document which "helps educators and community members develop a comprehensive learning and technology plan. Learning Through Technology is divided into six sections (1) Planning to Plan (2) Building a Knowledge Base (3) Establishing General Directions (4) Implementation Priorities and Strategies (5) Evaluation (6) Revising for Improvement.
• Mars Project
  Some of the children in today's schools will grow up to be be the first people to set foot on Mars. Preparing them for this experience is the objective of the Mars Project.
• Mathtools
  This site offers hundreds of math lesson plans, learning activities, and stories for kindergarten through grade 7, and covers algebra, geometry, calculus, and probability and statistics. Specific topics include estimation, fractions, fractals, tessellations, platonic solids, and much more.
• MIT Media Lab
  If you've heard of the exploits of this famed lab and wondered what they are currently up to, this site is for you. The lab, founded in 1980, has been involved in a wide range of innovative and visionary technology projects.
• Musical Plates: A Study of Plate Tectonics
  This project taps into some of the exciting applications of the Internet in education by having students access real time earthquake data, interact with experts online, and publish their own work Features: Hands-on investigation Lesson ideas Assessment Data sources Ask an expert Inquiry materials http://www.k12science.org/curriculum/musicalplates3/en/index.shtml .
• My Majors
  Have you decided that you want to go to college, but don't know what you want to major in? If you aren't sure, MyMajors.com can provide useful advice on college and university majors that a high school senior or college freshman with your interests and achievements might do well in. MyMajors.com is designed as a free tool to help high school students select a major by engaging them in a brief interview about their achievements, values and interests.
• My Slave Ancestors
  A site operated by Johni Cerny, who was the primary researcher into the ancestries of Henry Louis Gates and his guests during the production of AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES. Cerny offers resources for those interested in beginning their own research projects into their African American ancestry, ranging from sample pages of important records to a useful set of downloadable forms.
• National Assessment Governing Board
  Learn about the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the only ongoing, national progress report, also known as "The Nation's Report Card." http://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/sitemap.asp.
• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics
  National Council of Teachers of Mathematics • NCTM is a public voice of mathematics education, providing vision, leadership, and professional development to support teachers in ensuring mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students. • Founded in 1920, NCTM is the world’s largest mathematics education organization, with 100,000 members and 250 Affiliates throughout the United States and Canada.
• National Marine Sanctuary Program
  At the National Marine Sanctuaries, you'll find information about our nation's marine sanctuaries -- their history and current management, their scientific and educational programs, and their continuing efforts to conserve our nation's ocean and coastal treasures. The National Marine Sanctuary Program web site.
• National Science Foundation User-Friendly Handbook for Project Evaluation
  • National Science Foundation • Abstract: An excellent overview of the project/program evaluation process with a comparison of the various research methods used in evaluation. Also includes a bibliography of additional resources and a glossary.
• NCREL's Indicators of Engaged Learning Profile Survey
  Take this survey to explore you own knowledge and teaching style in relation to Engaged Learning. Learning With Technology Profile Tool This profile tool will help you to compare your current instructional practices with a set of indicators for engaged learning and high-performance technology.
• New State Fact Sheets on the Technology Gap
  New State Fact Sheets on the Technology Gap-Updated data available for all 50 states on how each state is fairing in addressing the Digital Divide.
• Online Content for Low-Income and Underserved Americans
  TCP___s groundbreaking briefing examines and makes recommendations about Internet content for underserved Americans (e.g., low-income, limited-literacy, non-English-speaking).
• Pathways to School Improvement, Critical Issues
  From the North Central Regional Educational Laboratory (NCREL), "Pathways to School Improvement" is an online library of reports and educational research intended to put schools on the path to meeting their educational and improvement goals. Report topics include assessment; how to deal with at-risk students; fostering greater family and community involvement; improving instruction; effective school leadership; literacy; math and science; professional development; and more.
• PBS Evolution
  (mni Intermedia Bronze Award) The companion resource to PBS�s Evolution documentary series, this site is rich with material about many aspects of species development, from survival and extinction to thoughts about how beliefs in science and faith can co-exist. The impressive library cites sources in many media, from PBS and others, and users can organize search results according to several parameters.
• Performance Assessment Links in Science
  (PALS) is an on-line, standards-based, continually updated resource bank of science performance assessment tasks indexed via the National Science Education Standards (NSES) and various other standards frameworks. http://pals.sri.com/ Performance Assessment Links in Mathematics (PALM) is an on-line, standards-based, resource bank of mathematics performance assessment tasks indexed via the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM).
• Plagiarism
  PlagiarismAn annotated directory of articles, case studies, examples of paper mills, plagiarism detection tools, essays on ethics and copyright, and related links. Includes resources directed specifically at instructors and students.
• Powerful Patterns ( K-2)
  Illuminations, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Students use logical thinking to create, identify, extend and translate patterns. They make patterns with objects, numbers and shapes, and also explore a variety of patterns in mathematics, physical education, science and social studies.
• Profiler Online Collaboration Tool
  Profiler inspires cooperation and collaboration among teachers to help them improve their skills around a general topic. Use Profiler to strengthen your school district's ability to share expertise.
• Project Based Learning
  Part One, Guided Process, is designed to give participants a brief introduction to project-based learning. It answers the questions "Why is Project-Based Learning Important?"; "What is Project-Based Learning?"; and "How Does Project-Based Learning Work?" The Guided Process includes the Teaching About PBL section and a PowerPoint presentation, including presenter notes.
• Real Time Data Sets
  Many of our classroom projects use realtime data sites that are difficult to find. This page contains links to some of the most compelling Internet web sites for educational use.
• Regions and Countries (The World Bank)
  Regions and Countries (The World Bank)This excellent site provides easy access to extensive economic data for over 100 developing nations and six regions of the world. Brief narrative descriptions of economic conditions and detailed tables of key economic indicators are available for each country.
• Reporting School Quality in Standards-Based Accountability Systems
  "Reporting School Quality in Standards-Based Accountability Systems," Spring 2001, from the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing. Researcher Robert L.
• Researching Existing Conditions
  Researching Existing ConditionsWritten by Gilbert Valdez, PhD, Director of the Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Center at the North Central Regional Educational LaboratoryUseful indicators for researching your existing conditions are summarized below.The summary provides an overview of the existing learning and technology conditions the participant demonstration sites investigated during their technology planning and implementation.The studies of conditions included:Student and community learning needs;Learning needs of the 21st century such as those noted in the SCANS Report;New research on learning and teaching;Technology knowledge of teachers, administrators, students and communities;Conditions of facilities;Inventories of existing technology available in the schools.The ISBE demonstration site, Township High School District 214, has an on-line "Existing Conditions Quiz" that you may take to determine your own technology basic skills profile. For a more in-depth self-analysis and engaged learning and performance technology profile, complete the NCRTEC interactive questionnaire.http://www.ncrel.org/tandl/build3.htm.
• School Technology and Readiness
  This CEO forum chart(a focus on digital learning)Year 3 Report (PDF version is 742k- please allow several minutes for download)Year 3 STaR Chart (PDF version) a focus on digital learning.
• Scoring Guide for Student Projects
  Scoring Guide for Student Projects: Evaluating Content and the Effective Use of Computers Created by NCRTEC to evaluate the content knowledge and the effective use of technology in communicating ideas and information that is evident in the products that students create with computers. Click on Student Guide for Student Projects about half way down the page to go to the online tool.
• Self-Assessment Survey
  SELF-ASSESSMENT SURVEYAbout this surveyCurriculum and InstructionClassroom ManagementCommunications 'Professional Growth and LeadershipAssess use of technology in curriculum and instruction, classroom management, communications, and professional growth and leadership.
• Smithsonian Folklife and Oral History Interviewing Guide
  is now online at http://www.folklife.si.edu It presents guidelines that Smithsonian folklorists have developed over the years for collecting folklife and oral history from family and community members and features a concise, easy-to-use guide to conducting an interview, as well as sample questions that may be adapted to each interviewer's needs and circumstances. The Guide concludes with a few examples of ways to preserve and present findings, further readings, glossary, and sample information and release forms.
• Soy Unica! Soy Latina!
  This site is designed to help Hispanic girls ages 9-14 "build and enhance their own self-esteem, mental health, decision-making and assertiveness skills, and to prevent the harmful consequences of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs." Find information about family history, planning for the future, and Latina role models. Includes homework tips.
• Star Schools Program
  - Use of mobile, handheld, and other emerging technologies in reading and math achievement in addition to supporting SES activities .
• Summary of Current Research and Evaluation Findings on Technology in Education
  http://www.wested.org/techpolicy/refind.htmlSummary of Current Research and Evaluation Findings on Technology in Education.by John Cradler. "The following is a summary of findings of research and evaluation studies derived from several sources including: state technology plans, national policy documents, a Far West Laboratory study on state technology programs, the Report on the Effectiveness of Technology in Schools from 1990-1994, and a review of model technology schools.
• Taglit
  Taking a Good Look at Instructional Technology (TAGLIT) is an online set of assessment tools designed to provide school personnel with information about the current status of instructional technology at their school. TAGLIT includes Leader, Teacher and Student questionnaires.
• Teaching and Learning on the WWW
  http://www.scu.edu.au/sponsored/ausweb/ausweb95/papers/education2/alexander/ "Why do exciting new applications of information technology .. seem to begin with a roar and...then stall and fade? " This paper puts forward one explanation for this phenomenon: that adopters of new technologies such as the WWW have as their primary focus the features of the new technology.
• Teaching Best Practices
  Organization: The Office of Technology for Education at Carnegie Mellon • Abstract: A comprehensive website devoted to the enhancement of teaching through the use of instructional best practices, technology and assessment. Includes information about course design, common teaching problems, using technology, understanding student audiences, and the ongoing assessment of teaching.
• Teaching Tolerance.org
  Founded in 1991 by the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance supports the efforts of K-12 teachers and other educators to promote respect for differences and appreciation of diversity.Teaching Tolerance serves as a clearinghouse of information about anti-bias programs and activities being implemented in schools across the country. The ideas presented on this Web site and in our semiannual magazine, Teaching Tolerance, represent some of the most innovative, useful initiatives we've found to date.
• Technology 2008- Preparing Students for our Changing World
  This is a pdf file on preparing students for the future. This gives teachers a perspective on what is needed for the preparation of our students.
• Technology Integration Proficiency Rubric
  Technology Integration Proficiency Rubric Rubric for assessing teacher integration of technology.
• The Abacus
  (Scientific American Sci/Tech Award) The under-appreciated abacus is given a worthy devotion on this site, which has been translated into four other languages besides English. Relying largely on javascript, the site features an interactive history of the ancient calculator, and an online tutorial.
• The ABC's of Web Site Evaluation by Kathy Schrock
  The author states this as the ABC's or beginning evaluation of web sites for teacher use in quality instruction.
• The Athena Project
  On June 10, 2003, the first Mars Exploration Rover (MER) spacecraft was launched on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. After a seven month flight, it will enter the martian atmosphere in January, 2004.
• The Career Key
  Online career planning assessment, with interpretation The career testing is quite interesting, for career pathway thinking. http://www.careerkey.org/ .
• The Center for Informal Learning and Schools
  The Center for Informal Learning and Schools (CILS) supports research and scholarship in the improvement of K-12 science education through the study of informal science learning and institutions, and their relationships to schools. Informal science institutions are content-rich resources found in most urban areas throughout the U.S.
• The Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education
  Center for Innovation in Engineering and Science Education provides inquiry-based activities and collaborative projects in science and math. Topics include real-time weather and climate data, air pollution, remote sensing data, the Gulf Stream, water use and testing around the world, boiling water, plants and animals in your schoolyard, measuring the circumference of earth, population growth, and tracking a real airplane in flight to see how vectors and trigonometry are used for navigation.
• The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use
  The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use (http://www.techlearning.com/db_area/archives/TL/2002/10/copyright.html)Short article from TechLearning (October 15, 2002) that helps clear up these educational issues. There is even a short quiz to test your knowledge and a handy reference chart.
• The Electronic Curator: Using a Handheld Computer at the Exploratorium
  The Electronic Curator: Using a Handheld Computer at the Exploratorium. The Concord Consortium Newsletter, Fall.by Stephen BannaschConsider this: a successful museum exhibit draws a museum- goer's attention for only two minutes; many visitors spend even less time.
• The Evaluation Center: Evaluation Support Services
  Created by The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University, the Evaluation Support Services Web site is intended to increase the use and improve the quality of program evaluations. Resources available include evaluation checklists, a glossary of evaluation terminology, a directory of evaluators, a directory of professional development opportunities related to evaluation, and a collection of user-submitted evaluation instruments.
• The George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia
  GLEF uses the Web site, Edutopia Online, to celebrate the unsung heroes across our nation who are making "Edutopia" a reality. They have shown what can be done, often with the same number of resources as other schools and sometimes with fewer.
• The GLOBE Program
  GLOBE -- Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment is a worldwide network of students, teachers, and scientists working together to study and understand the global environment. Students and teachers from more than 9,500 schools in over 90 countries collect data that are then used by scientists and other researchers.
• The Globe Program
  This is a time tested environmental program that is truly international. What is The GLOBE Program? GLOBE is a worldwide hands-on, primary and secondary school-based education and science program.
• The Intellectual Property and Technology Forum
  Designed and edited by students at the Boston College Law School, the Intellectual Property and Technology Forum is a legal publication "dedicated to providing readers with rigorous, innovative scholarship, timely reporting, and ongoing discussion from the legal community concerning technology law and intellectual property." The site is divided into several key sections, including news headlines, articles, commentary, and resources. The commentary section includes transcripts of recent speeches on intellectual property and telecommunications law, along with pieces on biotechnology and the Internet.
• The LOC.gov Wise Guide
  This Wise Guide portal was designed to introduce you to the many fascinating, educational and useful resources available from the nation's library and one of the most popular Web sites of the federal government. The federal government and the Library of Congress, in particular, maintain and develop hundreds of Web sites.
• The Math Forum
  For mathematicians, math teachers, math students, and parents. Resources are broken down by grade level and type of math.
• The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education
  The NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education [pdf] The National Education Association (NEA) has a number of laudable public outreach programs, but the NEA Foundation for the Improvement of Education may be one that is of special interest to teachers in particular. The primary function of the Foundation is to make grants that will improve public education across the nation, including those grants to honor teaching excellence and to create the necessary conditions to attract and retain accomplished teachers in high-need schools.
• The Pros and Cons of Technology in the Classroom
  The Pros and Cons of Technology in the Classroom The debate over the value and role of computing technology in K-12 classrooms rages on. Nationally recognized experts on the subject, Dr.
• The TEACH Toolkit
  An Online Resource for Understanding Copyright and Distance Education. The Technology, Education, and Copyright Harmonization Act (TEACH Act) "updates copyright law pertaining to transmissions of performances and displays of copyrighted materials.
• The Valley of the Shadow
  The Valley of the Shadow Project takes two communities, one Northern and one Southern, through the experience of the American Civil War. The project on Augusta County, Virginia and Franklin County, Pennsylvania, creates a social history of the coming, fighting, and aftermath of the Civil War.
• U.S. Education Standards
  Education World presents the objectives of the voluntary National Education Standards for the major subject areas. This site allows educators to stay abreast of the current efforts being made in the area of National Standards.
• UCLA Center for Communication Policy
  On January 29, 2003, the third report of the UCLA Center for Communication Policy's Internet Project was released. The series of reports, collectively titled "Surveying the Digital Future", seeks to understand and document "theimpact of online technology on America." Many aspects of online behavior are analyzed in the latest report, revealing several trends in Internet usage.
• Understanding Prejudice
  An overview of research on prejudice has been translated into multiple languages as part of an American Psychological Association initiative known as "Prejudice in Any Language: The Prejudice Translation Project." .
• Urban Classroom Success Stories
  Urban Classroom Success Stories Featured in October Issue Of Enc Focus. http://www.enc.org/text/focus/ In the fall issue of ENC Focus, teachers who work in urban classrooms sharetheir approaches to math and science instruction, and at the same time point out that their challenge is the same as their colleagues' in suburban and rural schools-to teach all children well.
• Urban legends, scams, spam, and viruses
  Urban legends, scams, spam, and virusesA big concern for teachers and students is determining the validity ofdire warnings, alarming messages, and heart-rending requests that arereceived in the daily flood of emails. Scambusters, an e-Zine with afree monthly newsletter, helps you protect yourself against Internetfraud and scams.
• USGS National Mapping Information
  The U.S. government has spent our tax dollars mapping and snapping its territories and the world.
• Vcatch Virus Catcher 5.0.12.2
  Vcatch Virus Catcher 5.0.12.2 Designed to check all the files sent or downloaded to any given computer, this latest edition of Vcatch will prove quite helpful to users concerned with the integrity of their operating system. Vcatch utilizes the Advanced Malicious Application Detection system, which scans every incoming file looking for suspicious characteristics, while utilizing a flexible rules system.
• WebLog Expert Lite
  http://www.weblogexpert.com/Designed to collect information and statistics about Web sites, the WebLogExpert will be a useful tool for those users who are looking to know moreabout the use of their site. The Lite version of the application collectsbasic statistics about visitors to a Web site, how many times they visited,and which pages and files they accessed.
• WebQuest Rubric Template and Rubric Collection
  WebQuest Rubric Template and Rubric Collection can be found at this site produced by Education Service Center Region 20 (San AntonioTX) and teachers in that region.The site features rubrics to evaluate student products created as a result of webquests. Some are based on the excellent rubric template found at the Rubric Collection web site, while the majority are based on the ingenuity and creativity of teachers.http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/rubrics/Default.htm.
• WestEd Technology Planning Toolkit
  The toolkit provides rubrics, checklists, and other guides for planning technology implementation. Where appropriate, links are provided to other sites that offer models of best practice, example plans, and additional tools and resources to support a more informed technology planning program.
• What's Wrong - and What's Right - with Rubrics
  The author of this article describes several flaws in teacher-constructed and commercially available rubrics.URL:Lesson ideas.
• Witness & Response: September 11 Acquisitions
  Witness & Response: September 11 Acquisitions presents photos, prints, eye-witness accounts, headlines,books, magazines, songs, maps, & videotapes related to September 11, 2001. Photos of ground zero taken during & after the attacks by news photographers in New York City are included, as are press reactions from around the world.