Track Modern-Day Glaciers with Glacier Works

Ever wish you could look through a lens to see what things were like 100 years ago?  One site, GlacierWorks has made that possible for geologists studying glaciers.

"Founded by acclaimed mountaineer, photographer, and filmmaker David Breashears, GlacierWorks is a non-profit organization that vividly illustrates the changes to Himalayan glaciers through art, science, and adventure."

Explore maps of modern-day glaciers, learn about the rivers and local cultures surrounding the glacial sites, learn about the history of the glacier research teams, immerse yourself in 360° breath-taking photos of Himalayan mountain views, and best of all, interact with pictures that show the before and after views of the glaciers over a 50-100 year period.

This site would be an excellent discussion starter for your students, getting them to realize the minimal or vast changes that can happen over a human lifetime or a geological "eye-blink".

Free Documentaries - Inspire Knowledge, Debate, and more.

I wanted to share today's site because I think it can be the source of fuel for a great many debates in a high school classroom.  Have your students watch one of these documentaries on Free Documentaries.org and shake them out of their "blissfully unaware" status quo.

This site offers free steaming (and promised future download capabilities) of a couple hundred documentaries.  There are several topics including history, popular culture, politics, and more.  I have previewed several of the videos and I found that I only had to watch one advertisement at the beginning.  I was unable to watch the movies in their entirety, but I assume that they are uninterrupted by ads for the rest of their duration. 

I was excited to see that well-known documentarian Michael Moore also had some of his films listed on the site, but I was unable to get them to play.  However, that does not mean that the others are of a lesser quality.  Why not use the film Santa's Workshop in your economics class to provoke discussion on cheap labor and it's moral costs.  Maybe you would use the 6-part mini series Hitler's Holocaust to give your students a chilling story of what happened during that terrible time.  Or have your health class take a look at The Tobacco Conspiracy and have a debate over business vs. general good.

What's great about documentaries, is you can use them to show first hand facts.  If you are using them to spark a debate, you can show how not all issues are black and white, or the news you hear at 7:00 each night might not be the whole truth.  Share these with your students and see what you can spark within them.

Mission US, a fantastic US history resource!

I have discovered that there is a wonderful new online resource to learn about the Revolutionary War.  Mission US is an free online adventure game.  You as the teacher can preview by playing through each of the chapters and then set up a class of students so your students can do the same.  You can also track your students' progress through the game!

As you play, you will see the preceding events of the  Revolutionary War in 1770 Boston from the viewpoint of young apprentice, Nat Wheeler.  You can click on your surroundings, learning about daily life, political cartoons, and vocabulary of the time.  You can also unlock a Rock Band-esque mini game where students practice playing the penny flute and songs of that era.  It is loads of fun and completely educational, your students will LOVE it!

Register for FREE and share any experiences here!

Cinco de Mayo! Learn more about Hispanic Culture!

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! Vivo Mèxico! What a great day to take an opportunity to learn about Mexican heritage and culture!  I have compiled a few resources for you to explore on this dìa de celebraciòn!

Scholastic provides a nice learning experience, Celebrate Hispanic Heritage, where students can explore Hispanic history in the Americas, learn about famous Latinos, practice some Spanish vocabulary, and more.

Why not send some virtual greeting cards for Cinco de Mayo?  123Greetings has a special section of free and fun virtual greeting cards that students can send through email.

Finally, if your district has a subscription to BrainPop, check out the Latin Music video.  Learn about different types of music various artists, & origins.  Also BrainPop Jr. offers a free video (no log in required) about Mexico.  Annie and Moby discuss geography, history, culture, and the reason we celebrate cinco de mayo.

Note: If you are unsure if your district has BrainPop and you are in the St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES district, email me and I can help you log in or find out about purchasing!

Time Explorers....become Indiana Jones!

Yesterday, I was alerted to the existence of a website for The British Museum by Kristin Swanson, keeper of an awesome Ed. Tech blog, Teachers as Technology Trailblazers.

So, The British Museum has a section of their website dedicated to Young Explorers that is a fantastic place to find fun facts, games, pictures, and events that have to do with world history.  One of the best games, also the one that Ms. Swanson highlighted, was Time Explorer. Students are transported back to a period in time to recover precious artifacts while learning fun facts about the civilization they are visiting.  Some of the adventures include Ancient Rome, or the Mayan pyramids at Teotihuacan.  Don't forget to check out the other games, as well as the other areas of the main site!

Pathways to Freedom

Travel back to the 1800's and become an eyewitness to history.  You are a Maryland slave who must make some important and life-changing decisions.

In Pathways to Freedom, have your students decide what happens next.  It's up to you to make the decisions, but remember the dangers involved.  I went through the story once and I have to say that it really stirs up feelings and makes you feel the suspense, terror, uncertainty, and hope of a runaway slave.

Ben's Guide to US Government

Sorry I missed the last day of last week, what a busy day it was!  Anyway, I have the perfect site to make up for it: Ben's Guide to US Government for kids.  This is a fantastic site for K-12 students and teachers.  Here, you can find very accurate and useful information pertaining to the inner-workings of our government.  Games and a glossary can also be discovered here.  Enjoy!

Ben's Guide to US Government