ResourceShelf » Resources for Educators

NASA — New Education Robotics Site

ResourceShelf — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:09:37 +0000

Innovation, creativity, problem solving — the world of robotics at NASA is all of these things. Spend some time on this site to see if robotics might be in your future.

Things you can do on this site:
–Answer the question: What Is Robotics?
–Practice your programming skills with the interactive robotic activity.
–Watch and download video and multimedia features about robotics.
–Follow a timeline tracing the history of robotics.
–Check out lesson plans for your classroom.
–Stay up-to-date with information about NASA-supported robotics competitions.
–Visit the Robotics Image Gallery.
–Explore other worlds with NASA through robotic spacecraft discoveries.
–Read about scientists and engineers who design and test robots.
–Browse NASA Web sites for information about robotics.

Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Another Database of Asked and Answered Questions from the Library of Congress

resourceshelf — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:31:48 +0000

Yesterday we mentioned to searchable databases, one from the U.S. Census and the other from USA.gov with thousands of asked an answered questions about the federal government and the U.S. Census. Excellent ready reference tools to know about.

Today, another database of asked and answered questions This time it’s a Library of Congress resource.

The site is both browsable and searchable.

It’s name: Everyday Mysteries: Fun Science Facts from the Library of Congress.

The home page allows you to browse all of the questions or search with keywords.

+ Agriculture
+ Astronomy
+ Biology & Human Anatomy
+ Botany
+ Chemistry
+ Geography, Anthropology, Recreation
+ Home Economics
+ Meteorology, Climatology
+ Motor Vehicles, Aeronautics, Astronautics
+ Physics
+ Technology, General
+ Zoology

Both answers and the service itself come from Science Reference Services at LC.

Here’s a quick sample of five asked and answered questions from the collection. A link on the home page allows users to submit questions.

1) Does your heart stop when you sneeze?
2) How did the grapefruit get its name? It doesn’t look like a grape.
3) What is “freezer burn?”
4) Is it true that no two snow crystals are alike?
5) Who invented the TV dinner?

This is a great resource for the reference desk as well as for school media specialists and teachers.

National Assessment of Educational Progress Questions Tool

ResourceShelf — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:44:46 +0000

National Assessment of Educational Progress Questions Tool
From e-mail:

The NAEP Questions Tool, one of the most popular features of the National Assessment of Educational Progress website, now makes it easier than ever for teachers, parents, students, researchers, media and the general public to locate released NAEP assessment questions.

The updated NAEP Questions Tool still provides a quick selection of questions from past NAEP assessments, but now features many new capabilities. A tutorial and a detailed Help menu are available to help users of all levels navigate the new features. Also, be sure to check out the special localized help files, and information tags (i-tags) within the tool.

In the updated NAEP Questions Tool, users can:

select questions by choosing among different criteria, such as difficulty level, content classification, and type of question;
see actual student responses for constructed response questions, and learn why the answers were scored as they were;
explore detailed data for each question; and
bookmark results or individual questions so they can return to exactly the same place later.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics

Free Digital Edition — A Visual History of the Federal Reserve System 1914-2009

ResourceShelf — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 06:03:46 +0000

A Visual History of the Federal Reserve System 1914-2009 (PDF; 1.1 MB)

The Visual History of the Federal Reserve System portrays in 24 x 36 inches the Fed’s balance sheet from 1914 to present, as well as interest rates, reserve requirements, recessions, chairmen, US presidents, major events, and more. This is the first time this data has ever been compiled and portrayed in a single graphical display.

Dead.tree version available for purchase.

Source: Financial Graph & Art

Official Launch: More than 10K Free Educational Videos and Slides from WatchKnow

resourceshelf — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:47:27 +0000

From an Article:

WatchKnow – which launched Monday…is an Internet search engine that links teachers, students and parents to thousands of free educational videos and slide shows.

The idea of developing an educational video online search engine or “video encyclopedia” started in 2007 with a Lakeland philanthropist, who wishes to remain anonymous, and members of the Community Foundation of Northwest Mississippi, along with its president, Tom Pittman. Foundation leaders later enlisted the help of Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger.

An early version of the site was launched in 2008. This year, with the help of area teachers and librarians, more than 10,000 videos [officially 11,189 videos as we write this post} were posted to the newly redesigned Web site.

[Snip]

The videos, Sanger said, can be an invaluable teaching tool.

“We have videos that can spark the interest of a child when a book cannot,” Sanger said. “Children who would never read about a topic might, at least, watch a video about it.”

[Snip]

Sanger added the goal is to have more than 100,000 posted videos in the next few years. If WatchKnow is successful, Sanger said he may help develop a similar site aimed at college-age students.

Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)

Access WatchKnow

See Also: Learn More About WatchKnow.org
This page contains info about:
+ Project History
+ Advisory Committee
+ Media Review Panel
+ Partners
+ Sources

Searching WatchKnow is fairly robust once you get the hang of it. First, select the age range (3-18) using the age filter. Then, enter search term(s). Click search. Next, review results by category. The number of videos in the top-level categories are shown and change depending on the age range selected.

Now, click the + (plus sign in green) which reveals the first level of subcategories (the number of videos listed are also dynamic based on the search) and make your selections. Again, click the + (plus sign) to move down one more level. Keep doing this until you get to the desired sub-category.

Btw, it’s also possible to browse the entire database by selecting an age range (3-18 for everything), by leaving the search box blank and then clicking search.

For example, here are 10 videos about Pearl Harbor.

We found them by working our way through the following categories (we left the search box empty):
+ History
+ World War II
+ World War II Pacific Theatre
+ Pearl Harbor

WatchKnow requires very little “keyword” searching and more browsing through the different facets/categories. Yet another example of the power of faceted searching!

There is also a WatchKnow email discussion list and a change log that shows videos being deleted, title changes, having the description changed/modified, etc. We wish more sites offered this feature. Finally, some of you might want to consider joining the site. It’s free. Three types of accounts are available: simple, confirmed, and contest. More about these accounts here.

See Also: Larry Sanger is also the Founder of Citizendium.The FAQ does a good job how Citizendium and Wikipedia differ. More on the topic here.

Online Resources: The George Palmer Putnam Collection of Amelia Earhart Papers at Purdue University

resourceshelf — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 23:31:31 +0000

This Friday (in the U.S.) a new movie opens about the life of aviator, Amelia Earhart.

At Purdue University, the George Palmer Putnam Collection is the world’s largest collection of Amelia Earhart papers, photos, memorabilia and artifacts. Several resources from the collection are available online.

1) Searchable Digital Library (Images, cards, ephemera, newspaper articles, etc.), over 2200 entries

2) Biographical Sketch

3) Map of Second World Flight Attempt, 1937

4) Medals
Note: Some medals require Quicktime to view them.

5) Timeline

6) Learn About the Collection

7) Collection of Web Resources about Amelia Earhart

Select Bibliography

9) Bibliography for Children

10) Amelia Earhart at Purdue (Digitized Materials, Over 400 entries)

Source: Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections

Two New Primary Source Sets for Educators from the Veteran’s History Project

resourceshelf — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 06:01:27 +0000

From an E-Mail Announcement:

Two new primary source sets from the Library of Congress can bring your students face to face with American war veterans. Veterans’ Stories: The Veterans History Project and Veterans’ Stories: Struggles for Participation let veterans tell their stories firsthand through interviews, diaries, photographs, and drawings. All these items were collected by the Veterans History Project, and they’re accompanied by teacher guides and analysis tools that make them easy to use in the classroom.

+ Veterans’ Stories: The Veterans History Project

+ Veterans’ Stories: Struggles for Participation

+ Teachers Guide: Analyzing Oral Histories (1 page; PDF)

Source: Veteran’s History Project, Library of Congress

30 Resources to Find the Data You Need

ResourceShelf — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:01:10 +0000

30 Resources to Find the Data You Need

Let’s say you have this idea for a visualization or application, or you’re just curious about some trend. But you have a problem. You can’t find the data, and without the data, you can’t even start. This is a guide and a list of sources for where you can find that data you’re looking for. There’s a lot out there.

Source: FlowingData

ERIC News: CSC Wins $29 Million Contract From Department of Education to Operate Education Resources Information Center

resourceshelf — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 07:21:22 +0000

From the Article:

CSC will operate an online digital library for the Education Department under a new five-year contract worth up to $29 million, the company announced today.

CSC will support the department’s Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) under the contract. The new agreement has one base year and four one-year options.

Source: Washington Technology

From the News Release (via CSC)

“We recognize the importance of providing our country’s educators and others with easy access to educational resources that will improve learning, teaching, decision-making and research,” said Tom Anderson, president of CSC’s North American Public Sector Civil and Government Health Services Group. “CSC is honored to support this crucial system and continue our 36-year working relationship with the Department of Education.”

See Also: Access the ERIC Database and Thesaurus

Online Video Archive from The Institute of Politics at Harvard University

resourceshelf — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 01:00:08 +0000

Back in 2006, ResourceShelf posted an item about Harvard University and the John F. Kennedy School of Government making available to the public a video archive of lectures and presentations from the John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum.

Some three years later, the archive is still online and now home to over 1300 events, exclusive Q&A sessions, and student produced pieces on politics, policy, culture, and academic life. However, it has a new URL. You can now find the archive here. It’s keyword searchable and you can limit your search to a specific year (1978-Present). Also, if you want to see all of the video available from a certain year, leave the search box empty, select a year and then then enter (or the “go” button next to the search box).

For example, here’s a speech by Rev. Desmond Tutu (1986) and an address by Representative John Lewis (D-GA) from 2008.

They also do a nice job of keeping the database up to date. Here’s anaddress by Newt Gingrich from last week (October 8th).

Source: Harvard University Institute of Politics

NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”

ResourceShelf — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 06:01:13 +0000

NSF Releases Online Multimedia Package on Marine “Dead Zones”

The Earth currently has more than 400 so-called “dead zones”–expanses of oxygen-starved ocean covering hundreds, or even thousands, of square miles that become virtually devoid of animal life during the summer; the worldwide count of dead zones is doubling every decade.

Most dead zones, such as the Gulf of Mexico’s notorious dead zone, are caused by pollution that is dumped into oceans by rivers. But every summer since 2002, the Pacific Northwest’s coastal waters–one of the U.S.’s most important fisheries–has been invaded by massive dead zones that are believed to be caused by an entirely different and surprising phenomena: changes in oceanic and atmospheric circulation that may, in turn, be caused by climate change.

How could climate change cause dead zones? What do dead zones look like and what are their ecological impacts? And how, on Earth, are scientists sleuthing out the causes of perplexing marine processes that cover such huge swaths of the sea? Find out in the National Science Foundation’s new online, multimedia package on dead zones.

Entitled Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed, the multimedia package is posted at http://nsf.gov/news/special_reports/deadzones. It features:

a webcast with Jack Barth, an expert on Oregon’s dead zones from Oregon State University;
a dynamic, narrated slide show;
compelling videos;
eye-catching photos;
enlightening illustrations
informative, easy-to-understand texts; and
downloadable documents.

Dead Zones: Mysteries of Ocean Die-Offs Revealed is ideal for reporters, general readers, fishermen, water-enthusiasts, teachers, students, researchers and conservation organizations.

Source: National Science Foundation

New EIA (Energy Information Administration) Web Portal: Energy Explained

ResourceShelf — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:45:32 +0000

Energy Explained
From e-mail:

Energy Explained , a new web portal launched today by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), celebrates Energy Awareness Month with the most comprehensive energy education resource available from the U.S. Government.

The site explains where gasoline comes from, what determines the price of electricity, how much renewable energy the United States uses, and hundreds of other energy topics.

“Energy touches us in many ways every day, from the electricity that lights our homes to the fuel we use in our cars,” said EIA Administrator Richard Newell. “Energy Explained uses plain language and clear graphics to help explain a sometimes complex, but vital subject.”

Energy Explained allows easy navigation between major energy topics:

What Is Energy?
Use of Energy
Energy and the Environment
Nonrenewable Energy Sources
Renewable Energy Sources
Secondary Energy Sources

Source: Energy Information Administration

Wolfram|Alpha Officially Announces New Web Site for Educators and Students; Plans for “Homework Day” Webcast Also Released

resourceshelf — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 23:15:23 +0000

Last Friday we posted an item saying to expect an announcement (soon) from Wolfram|Alpha announcing a new web site for students and teachers. We also said that plans were in the works for a webcast aimed at that audience.

Well, that was fast. Today, the news is officially out. Here are some of the details.

First, the permanent new web site for educators (K-12 and Higher Ed) and students is now live online at: homeworkday.wolframalpha.com

On Homeworkday.Wolfrmam teachers will be able to contribute and discuss ideas and share lesson plans, screencasts, and online video. There are also sections for Higher Ed students as well as K-12 students.

Currently, in the educators section, there’s a link to a page where questions can be s†ubmitted and videos uploaded for the Homework Day Webcast?

What webcast?

On Wednesday, October 21, 2009 (the start time is TBA), Wolfram|Alpha founder Steven Wolfram, will lead a multi-hour webcast for students, parents, and teachers. The event will not only feature Wolfram but also scholars, subject experts, and members of the Wolfram Alpha team.

According to the company:

The goal of Homework Day is to broadly share how students and educators are using Wolfram|Alpha in K-12 and college education and to demonstrate the advantages of using this free site not only to solve specific problems, but to inspire students to probe subject matter further and promote deeper understanding of fundamental concepts.

The Homework Day webcast on October 21st will feature:

+ step-by-step lessons that will give everyone the ability to use Wolfram|Alpha to tackle problems in a variety of subjects, including math, science, engineering, health and nutrition,
English, history, economics, and many more.

+ Content and segments tailored to specific age groups

+ Ideas and examples for how to make subjects like math and science more engaging and relevant to students

+ Live interviews and demonstrations by educators who are already using Wolfram|Alpha in their classrooms

+ Conversations with guest participants who will further discuss the role of technology in education

Finally, there is a Homework Day Facebook page. The event will also make use of the W|A Twitter feed.

Cool stuff. Will do our best to keep you posted with updates about Home Work Day that come from Wolfram|Alpha.

Btw, if you have never used Wolfram|Alpha before you can get an idea of some of what’s available by reviewing and testing some of these examples.

We’re aviation buffs around here and we use W|A to get basic info about various aircraft. For example: Boeing 777

W|A is also useful for historical weather information. For example: What was the weather in Miami on Christmas Day, 1965?

Note that the database assumes Miami, Florida but also provides direct links for the same query for Miami, Oklahoma or Miami, Arizona. Look for these links directly below the search box.

Source; Wolfram|Alpha

YouTube EDU Goes International

resourceshelf — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:26:26 +0000

From the Post:

YouTube EDU, the Web site for video channels from universities, has recently added content from institutions in Europe and Israel.

Forty-five colleges and universities from those areas, including the University of Cambridge and distance-learning institutions like the Open University of Catalonia, now have channels on the site.

Access YouTube EDU

Source: Wired Campus

Online Databases from the Schoenberg Center for Electronic Text and Image (SCETI)

resourceshelf — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:38:25 +0000

From the Web Site Home Page:

Over 12,000 images from various collections of rare books, manuscripts, papyri, photographs and sheet music are available for your viewing. Each collection has its own web site that is unrestricted in the interests of knowledge and learning.

You can learn more about each collection by beginning with this page.

Each “about” page also contains a direct link to that specific collection. 17 collections are listed.

Direct links to to the search interfaces for some of the collections are also available (via a drop down menu on the home page).

Source: SCETI (from the University of Pennsylvania Libraries)

A Collection of English-Spanish Glossaries from the U.S. Government

resourceshelf — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:22:51 +0000

These glossaries are from the Spanish Language Style Guide from WebContent.gov.

+ English-Spanish Glossary of Federal Agencies, Officials and Laws

+ Frequently Mistranslated English Terms

+ Names of US States and Territories (in English and Spanish)

+ Spanish Health Care Terms in the United States (in English and Spanish)

+ Spanish Information Technology Terms (in English and Spanish)

Middle East Images in the Prints and Photographs Division: Subject Overview

resourceshelf — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 15:58:58 +0000

From the Introduction:

The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division (P&P) has numerous varied and unique collections of Middle East images. This visual material includes photographic prints, negatives, albums, book illustrations, posters, architectural drawings, and cartoons. The majority of images were created between 1840 and 1970, although some earlier and later materials are also available.

The images portray a broad geographic area from Algiers in North Africa to Samarqand in present-day Uzbekistan. The collections are particularly strong in coverage of Turkey, Israel, the West Bank (the Palestinian territories), Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, and Central Asia. Many images of Iran, Iraq, and North Africa, including Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya, can be found along with some images of Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf states such as Kuwait and Bahrain.

[Snip]

The Middle East visual materials came to P&P through copyright deposit, gift, and purchase, and today total about 75,000 items. [Our Emphasis] As of 2009, most of these have images or descriptive information available in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC) Researchers can view original materials, including pictures not yet digitized, in the P&P Reading Room. We recommend that patrons first search PPOC and consult a librarian before coming on site to do research.

Sections of the overview include:
+ Subject Overview
+ Search Tips (very useful)
+ Other Places to Look for Middle East Images
+ Bibliography
+ Online Resources

Access the Complete Overview

Access the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog (PPOC)
Over 1.2 digitized images (and growing) in this database. The database is not limited to only Middle East imagery. It’s very easy to spend a lot of time here. This is a resources to share with library/info center users. It’s also great for educators.

Source: Prints and Photographs Division (P&P), Library of Congress

Wolfram|Alpha Planning a Special Day and Special Web Site for Students and Educators

resourceshelf — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:16:46 +0000

We’ve learned that later this month Wolfram|Alpha will conduct a webcast aimed at both students and educators (K-12 and Higher Ed.) and calling it “Homework Day.” The program will be led by W|A founder, Steven Wolfram and will feature stories and demonstrations about how “Alpha” can be best used by both groups to do certain types of online work.

Prior to “Homework Day,” Wolfram|Alpha will “go live” with a new “specialty” web site designed for use by both students and educators.

Women of Invention: Women Inventors and Patent Holders: A Recently Published Science Reference Guide from the Library of Congress

resourceshelf — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:21:05 +0000

Access the Research Guide

The guide contains both print and Internet resources. You’ll find:

+ General Works

+ Early Works and Compilations

+ Journal Articles

+ Works About Individual Inventors

+ Selected Internet Resources

Source: Science Reference Section, Science, Technology, and Business Division, Library of Congress

New From the BBC: Giant Archive of Wildlife Content

resourceshelf — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:03:16 +0000

NOTE: The site described below is very impressive. It not only contains useful text and links but also images, sounds and video. However, the video is ONLY available in the United Kingdom. The audio of animal sounds and locations is available to everyone. For those of you outside the UK, don’t let the lack of video stop you from visiting and using this site.

From a Guardian Article:

Caught at night with infrared cameras, deep underwater with huge floodlights, and under microscopes which distinguish different sorts of microbe, the BBC’s Wildlife Finder is the product of years of planning – and dreaming. Technology and funding have finally made possible the corporation’s ambition to give its spectacular natural history photography and film a permanent global audience.

Starting with 370 animals, including four octopuses and a solitary starfish, the databank of clips and still pictures will be reinforced on a daily basis. BBC staff are combing through hundreds of wildlife programmes, from spectaculars such as Planet Earth to regional TV news items, to create an unprecedented collection. Early stars in terms of hits online include Darwin’s frog, a tiny resident of forests in Chile, which gives birth through the mouth of the male. The process is repeated in slow motion – another feature of the archive’s ability to spy on Earth’s wild creatures to an unprecedented extent.

[Snip]

Pages also contain content from Animal Diversity Web and Wikipedia, scientific classification, and related web sites. Here’s an example.

Access BBC Wildlife Finder

Much More in the Official Press Release

Source: The Guardian and BBC News Release
Hat Tip: Library Stuff

See Also: Recently Released: BBC Earth Explorers
From the News Release:

Natural history fans can enjoy the excitement of wildlife filming on location from their armchairs by following production teams working on future series…