Phyllis' Favorites

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Site of the Day for Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Financial Bubbles
http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/historicalreturns/fb/

Today's site, from the Harvard Business School, presents an exhibit examining
aspects of one of the most famous financial meltdowns in history -- the infamous
South Sea Bubble. Gentle Subscribers, who feel that an historical perspective is a
sensible way of considering irrational behavior, may find this exhibit a calming
anodyne to current financial storms.

"Financial Bubbles, capsule one in the Historical Returns series, explores some of
the extraordinary similarities between the South Sea Bubble of 1720 and the recent
technology bubble. These similarities beg the question -- what and how do we learn
from the past? The purpose of this capsule is to encourage the exploration of these
similarities as a catalyst to thought about choices and behavior in bubble cycles."
- from the website

The site incorporates a number of elements in its presentation, whose the highlight
is a well-designed four minute video, which draws comparisons between the high tech
bubble of recent years and the eighteenth century South Sea Bubble. A notable
collection of historical images, complete with facilities to pan, zoom in and move
the images for a closer look, are accompanied by a useful commentary. An annotated
list of further resources on financial bubbles is also included.

Jump over to the site for an informative look at one of history's great financial
storms at:

http://www.library.hbs.edu/hc/historicalreturns/fb/

A.M. Holm
view the List archives on the web at:
http://www.freelists.org/archives/sotd

Facts for Features
Indianapolis Motor Speedway - 100th Anniversary
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/013417.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/c6n97q

From the site:
“Needing a test facility for Indianapolis’ burgeoning automobile industry, Carl Fisher and three other investors purchased 325 acres in 1909. They built a 2.5-mile racetrack and dubbed it Indianapolis Motor Speedway. “The Brickyard” — a nickname coming about later that year when 3.2 million bricks were used to pave the track — is the world’s largest sports venue with the ability to accommodate about 400,000 spectators.” <<>>

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:12 PM 0 comments

Four high school students claimed copyright infringement by TurnItIn, but a federal appeals court says it's just fair use.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/04/headline-here.ars

From the article:
“Here's how it works: teachers require students to upload their papers to the site, TurnItIn scans them for matches with a database of academic work and student essays, the service generates a report of all the potential problem areas for further investigation—and then the awkward conversations begin.

But teachers can also ask TurnItIn to archive the uploaded papers, adding them to the database so they can be used to suss out plagiarism in future essays. It was this practice—along with the fact that TurnItIn uploads were required in order to get a grade—that led students in Virginia and Arizona to sue TurnItIn for copyright infringement…” <<>>

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:11 PM 0 comments

Site found in:
******************************************
PBS Teachers Newsletter: April 26-May 2, 2009
Current PBS Teacher Previews Newsletter
http://www.pbs.org/teachers/newsletter/
******************************************

Nature
Crash: A Tale of Two Species
On-Air & Online
6-8 / 9-12
Sunday, April 26, 2009
8 - 9:00 pm
A story of the interconnection of life: "Nature" discovers how
the plummeting number of horseshoe crabs affects the red knot,
a tiny bird. (CC, Stereo, HD, 1 year)
http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/crash-a-tale-of-two-species/introduction/592/
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/clartg

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Copyright 2008 PBS Online

Cinco de Mayo
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/013395.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/cfubw2

From the site:

“Cinco de Mayo celebrates the legendary Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, in which a Mexican force of 4,500 men faced 6,000 well-trained French soldiers. The battle lasted four hours and ended in a victory for the Mexican army under Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza. Along with Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16, Cinco de Mayo has become a time to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.” <<>>

[NOTE: Site previously posted. Updated for 2009. - Phyllis ]

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Cinco de Mayo History and Traditions
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/cinco-de-mayo/about.html

Cinco de Mayo Activities - Mexico
Games, coloring pages, crafts for kids, word searches and more
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/cinco-de-mayo/

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:38 PM 0 comments

Facts About Japan
http://www.facts-about-japan.com/
From the site:
“…information about Japan's history and popular culture” <<>>

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:37 PM 0 comments

Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month: May
http://govdocs.evergreen.edu/hotopics/asian-pacifichistory/index.html

From the site:
“Asian / Pacific American Heritage Month is celebrated during the month of May in commemoration of the achievements and contributions of people of Asian and Pacific Islander descent in the United States of America.” <<>>

Links to Resources
http://govdocs.evergreen.edu/hotopics/asian-pacifichistory/links.html

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SEE ALSO: Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: May
http://www.loc.gov/topics/asianpacific/

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:36 PM 0 comments

Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month: May 2009
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/013385.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/ckon6h

From the site:
“In 1978, a joint congressional resolution established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week. The first 10 days of May were chosen to coincide with two important milestones in Asian/Pacific American history: the arrival in the United States of the first Japanese immigrants (May 7, 1843) and contributions of Chinese workers to the building of the transcontinental railroad, completed on May 10, 1869. In 1992, Congress expanded the observance to a month-long celebration.” <<>>

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:35 PM 0 comments

The Weather and You - - University of Richmond - Grades 1 to 5
http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webunits/weather/

Site found on TeachersFirst.com

“The Weather and You is an enriching site to add to any elementary weather unit. The site is designed to provide students with information regarding various aspects of the weather including: types of weather, weather phenomena, instruments used to measure weather, and how weather occurs. A variety of useful information, as well as helpful visuals such as maps and photos, is organized in a simple format for even the youngest students. The site also includes a link to activities. All activities are NON-computer challenges. But they include many subject areas (writing, science, art, math, and literature. There is also a link to MORE links about weather.”

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:
http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=9981

Physics of Motion: Renewable Sources of Electricity,
http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/9616-physics-of-motion-renewable-sources-of-electricity-video.htm
From the site:
“Hydroelectric and geothermal energy are two examples of renewable sources of electricity. Learn more these sources and the physics behind them in this video.”

[NOTE: Seven more videos in the Physics of Motion collection are listed. – Phyllis ]

New Science Reference Guide: Migration of the Monarchs
http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/SciRefGuides/butterfly.html

There are two main populations of monarch butterflies in North America; one in the East and one in the West--new evidence shows that these populations may intermix. Every fall, the monarch begins its migration south to an overwintering site. In the spring the monarch leaves its winter roost and heads northward, about half way back, to lay its eggs on milkweed plants. The offspring of this monarch must continue the journey north on its own. In the fall, this new generation will begin the migration cycle south. To learn more about these amazing creatures, this guide lists selected titles, journal articles and Web sites about monarch butterflies, conservation initiatives, and migration projects.

Guide includes: Internet Resources: General
Selected Internet Resources: Conservation
Selected Internet Resources: Monarch Migration Projects

--------Forwarded Message--------

Hi! It's Friday, October 3, 2008 and time for a Virtual Field Trip at
ClickSchooling!

Recommended Website:
Alcoa: It All Starts With Dirt
http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/about_alcoa/dirt.asp

Age Range: 6-18+ (Non-readers will need assistance. There is something for
everyone here. Young children may prefer to watch the video, and older
students can explore the topic in more depth.)

The Alcoa Company offers several great ways to find out how aluminum is
made. When you get to the site you'll see a selection of choices from
exploring a mini-website on the topic, to downloading a free colorful
brochure, to watching a video of the manufacturing process. I found it easy
to just follow the topics in order as follows:

*Visit the "It All Starts With Dirt Website" - Click on "enter site" and a
new window opens. From there, click on "Make Your Selection" to see a menu
of choices. Click on "Adding Value From the Ground Up" to take an
illustrated text tour of the entire aluminum manufacturing process. When
you're through, go back to the menu to read about the "Age of Aluminum" and
"The Alcoa Story."

Close that screen to go back to the landing page and look for...

*"Alcoa Can't Wait" - Under that heading you can click on links to hear the
Alcoa "Folk Song," watch a 1970s TV commercial, and watch a fast-paced 2008
video that is a quick timeline of the history of aluminum.

*See How Aluminum is Made - DON'T MISS THIS! Watch a 3-minute video of the
complete aluminum manufacturing process.

*Alcoa's History (Timeline) - Use your mouse for an interactive exploration
of events in the history of aluminum.

*Biography of Charles Martin Hall - Learn about this amazing aluminum
pioneer and manufacturing magnate.

*Aluminum Smelting - For budding chemists and techies - get a more in-depth
discussion of aluminum manufacturing.

Alcoa has gone out of their way to offer a variety of multi-media resources
to help visitors to their site understand how aluminum is manufactured.

Diane Flynn Keith
for ClickSchooling
Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved
http://www.homefires.com/
http://www.carschooling.com/
http://www.universalpreschool.com/

DID YOU MISPLACE A ClickSchooling Review? Do you need to find an educational website - fast! Visit the ClickSchooling archives at:
http://www.homefires.com/clickschool/archive.asp

Note: We make every effort to recommend websites that have content that is appropriate for general audiences. Parents should ALWAYS preview the sites for suitable content.

Click Schooling (Clickschooling) is a Federally Registered Trademark.

Did the Cow Do It?
A New Look at the Cause of the Great Chicago Fire
http://www.thechicagofire.com/index.php
An investigation into the cause of the Great Chicago Fire, formerly blamed on a cow thought to have kicked over a lantern in Mrs. O'Leary's barn.

The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory
http://www.chicagohs.org/fire/
[NOTE: Previously posted. - Phyllis ]

The Great Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory is
a duel-natured site that familiarizes students with
both the history of the city around the time of the
fire and how the fire has been remembered over the
centuries by eyewitnesses, journalists, artists, and historians. The site includes
galleries of visual material and historical artifacts, such as photographs,
lithographs, posters, and a variety of objects, as well as essays and
primary-source texts.

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Great Chicago Fire – Interactive Game
http://www.theweatherchannelkids.com/weather-games/games-and-interactive/the-great-chicago-fire-of-1871
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/cvpsdm
[Launch by clicking photo]

Students can learn more about the causes and effects
of the fire through this interactive Great Chicago
Fire game found on the Weather Channel Kids! website.

1968 - AARP - Grades 6 to 12
http://www.aarpmagazine.org/people/1968/

Site found on TeachersFirst.com

“Who better than AARP to present a multimedia overview of 1968 "The Year That Rocked Our World"? Even if some of us don't want to admit it, 1968 is history now, and current students have a fascination for this time period. This site contains a very comprehensive interactive timeline, with an event for nearly every day of that tumultuous year. The "Pop Quiz" is based on the timeline and could be a good follow-up exercise to a small group review of the timeline. In addition, there are audio files and interviews from musical stars from 1968.” <<>>

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:
http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=9977

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:37 PM 0 comments

1968
http://www.history.com/states.do?parentId=1968&HPF_rid=350574&HPF_mid=2178_T1_Url23
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/c636pf
Sections: The Civil Rights Movement, The Vietnam War, Hippies, and Music

ESL Bits - Skip Reske - Grades 3 to 8
http://esl-bits.net/main2.htm

Site found on TeachersFirst.com

“This site is an excellent way to help ESL and ELL students improve reading and comprehension skills using short passages of different kinds of reading. The site includes signs, multiple choice, true-false for details, questions on getting the "gist" of a reading, matching questions, and gap (fill-in) questions. This site is excellent for reading comprehension in the regular classroom too! Students select a "set" which contains a short sampling of each kind of question. Once they answer, they get immediate feedback.”

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:
http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=9950

Cramberrry – from: Cramberry - Grades 3 to 12
http://cramberry.net/

Site found on TeachersFirst.com

“Flash cards made easy —- sounds cliché, but this isn’t your normal flash card! Create words and meanings, organizing them into sets. Once a set is created, you may edit, add, delete, or share with others. Registration is so quick; you can create flash cards within 30 seconds. This website stores your word sets, and an easy login allows you to use them instantly. As you answer the flash cards, Cramberry tracks which cards you answer correctly. It will only flash cards that are giving you problems.” <<>>

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:
http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=9964

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:12 PM 0 comments

Crappy Graphs! - - Grades 3 to 10
http://crappygraphs.com

Site found on TeachersFirst.com

“So the name may NOT be the most appealing.... But this site Crappy Graphs offers some amazing tools (and of course some giggling from the students – from the name). The site claims they chose the name of the site, "Because ‘Awesome Graphs!” sounded way too pretentious." Whatever the name may be, this site is a MUST SEE if you are teaching your students about graphs or Venn diagrams, or even if you need to create your own.

“The first thing you need to do is choose your type of graph to create: Line Graph, Venn Diagram 2, or Venn Diagram 3. Then, visit the Tool Box. There you will find tools to enhance your graph: a brush, a tool to make thin white lines, a link to enable you to type text onto your graph, a tool to "grab and select stuff," and a color picker. This site is very simple to use.

“The site also includes a glossary, to help you understand WHAT all of the tools are for (it is directly below the graph on the main page). There is an option to SAVE your graph, by clicking submit. If you don't click submit, you will lose your graph. If you want to save the graph, you must include an email address.

Entire review and suggestions for using this site “In the Classroom”:
http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=9991

Sites found in:
=======
The Scout Report
October 3, 2008
Volume 14, Number 39
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The Scout Report on the Web:
Current issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/Current/
This issue: http://scout.wisc.edu/Reports/ScoutReport/2008/scout-081003.php

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Medieval Imaginations: Literature and Visual Culture in the Middle Ages
http://med-imag.english.cam.ac.uk/

Medieval Imaginations: Literature and Visual Culture in the Middle Ages is a
website created and maintained by the University of Cambridge's Faculty of
English. The purpose of the site is to provide access to the "images
corresponding to the main episodes dramatized in the English Mystery Plays,
because these present the medieval view of human history from the Creation
to the Last Judgement." This website is extremely well organized and
provides multiple ways of finding images. The "Collection Highlights" link
at the top of the page is one way to see some fantastic images with relative
ease. Once you have chosen an image, you can view it with or without the
applet. Viewing it with the applet allows you to zoom in and navigate in
the image. Without the applet, the image quality is the same, but more
detailed navigation is not possible. Another way to view images is by
century, which can be accomplished by choosing "Timeline" at the top of the
page. Visitors can move around from the 12th-16th and once they have chosen
a century, they will see a list of clickable images that correspond with the
major works of literature of the century. The dates of the image and the
medium of the visual (i.e. stained glass, manuscript, etc.) are also
included. Visitors can also search via episodes of the English Mystery Plays
by using the tool found in the middle of the home page. Once an episode
chosen visitors will see, in chronological order, all the images related to
that Mystery Play. If you want to read what story a Mystery Play tells,
click on "Mystery Plays" at the bottom of the page. From there you can read
the story, and also view all of its corresponding images. [KMG]

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World Bank: Global Challenges: Fragile States [pdf]
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0,,contentMDK:21708932~menuPK:4851994~pagePK:51123644~piPK:329829~theSitePK:29708,00.html
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/cn3gu9

The World Bank is concerned with many parts of the developing world, but
they are particularly interested in the so-called "fragile states". Loosely
defined, "fragile states" are countries "facing particularly severe
development challenges such as weak institutional capacity, poor governance,
political instability, and frequently on-going violence or the legacy
effects of past severe conflict." To provide policy makers and others with
information on their work in this area, the Bank has created this website.
The material on the site includes a number of slideshow features and essays
that address the fight against poverty in these countries, along with "best-
practices" approaches to solving some of these seemingly intractable
problems. Near the bottom of the page, visitors can click on sections such
as "Conflict Prevention and Reconstruction" to learn more about the Bank's
work in places like the Sudan and also take a look through the tremendously
helpful "Economics of Conflict" website. [KMG]

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MAA Minute Math
http://maaminutemath.blogspot.com/

The good folks at the Mathematical Association of America (MAA) keep on
turning out engaging and interactive mathematics resources, and this latest
release follows in that admirable path. The MinuteMath feature brings
together a host of problems from the MAA's American Mathematics
Competitions, and these playful problems can be used in a variety of
settings, including the classroom or a good-spirited mathematics get-
together outside the classroom walls. The site was launched in September
2008, and so far the offerings here are quite nice and they include
questions that deal with sums, geometry, and positive integers. Each
question is also rounded out with an interactive version of both the problem
and the solution. [KMG]

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>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2008.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

Olympic Symbols Fact Sheets:
http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_1303.pdf

From the site:
“The meaning and the values of Olympism are conveyed by symbols.
Among these are the rings, the motto and the flame.
These symbols transmit a message in a simple and direct manner.
They give the Games and the Olympic Movement an identity.”

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The Olympic Games in Antiquity
http://multimedia.olympic.org/pdf/en_report_658.pdf
Site includes information on the history, the athletes,
the sports program, the rewards, and the end of the games.

From the site:
“Origins of the modern Olympic Games, in Olympia, Greece, 8th century
BC, Sites of the Panhellenic Games, History and Mythology,…” <<>>

# posted by Phyllis @ 11:15 PM 0 comments

The LA84 Foundation Digital Archive
http://www.la84foundation.org/5va/over_frmst.htm

The LA84 Foundation Search Page provides free access to full text (as PDF files) to the official reports of all previous Olympics (except Athens 2004), the Olympic Review, and a number of other sport-related journals and books.

http://search.la84foundation.org/search?site=default_collection&client=default_frontend&output=xml_no_dtd&proxystylesheet=default_frontend&proxycustom=
Shortened URL: http://tinyurl.com/6yb7vg

TeachersFirst Resources for Baseball Season
http://www.teachersfirst.com/baseball.cfm
http://www.teachersfirst.com/single.cfm?id=142

“Looking for a way to include baseball in your teaching? Whether it is time for Spring Training or the World Series, browse these options for curriculum connections to engage the sports fans in your classroom.”

[NOTE: Some of the 35 annotated sites were previously posted. - Phyllis ]

Poe Revealed 1809 – 2009: Bicentennial
http://www.poe200th.com/

For Teachers
http://www.poe200th.com/teachers.php
Includes pages on Poe’s Life & Times, Poe’s Literary Contributions, Poe’s Technique, and more.

Classroom Activity Packet
http://www.poe200th.com/teachers-classroom-packet.php
From the site:
“Classroom Activity Packets are free all middle school and high school teachers. Provide the following information and we will mail a packet to you.”

For Students
http://www.poe200th.com/students.php
Includes pages on an Overview of Poe, Solve the Mystery of Poe’s Death, Fact or Fiction, Watch the Tell Tale Heart, and more.

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Poe Museum: For Students
http://www.poemuseum.org/educational_resources/for_students.html
The online Poe Museum offers students a helpful quiz

Poe Links
http://www.poemuseum.org/educational_resources/poe_links.html

[NOTE: Home page previously posted. - Phyllis ]