Free Documentaries
Watch free documentaries online.

UUorld
Explain the world with Maps:  A map-making and data-visualization tool.

10 Sites to Learning Something New in 10 Minutes at Day
Links to neat things.

Chirbit
Share audio clips

SafeShare.Tv
Not only does SafeShare.TV remove distracting and offensive elements around YouTube videos, but it also allows you to crop videos before sharing them.

Mixbooks is a new site that allows users to create an online book.  It is a fabulous digital storytelling site for educators.  Click here for the specific mixbook for educators information. 

Highlighted on the site is a social studies class project on Famous Americans.   See the mixbook.  Below is a quick example I created.  If you are interested in trying this with your students, let us know if we can help. 

| View Sample Photo Books | Create your own Photo Book

Students research and collect data on an environmental issue using digital resources creating a documentary of their findings. *

Students create a digital story about a significant local event based on first-person

interviews.*

Two examples of 21^st Century projects and amazingly, these projects were completed by elementary students!

What are the 21^st century skills?   Why do we hear a lot about it lately? 

Standards for the 21^st Century Learner became a reality in 2002 as an initiative to help educators effectively integrate 21^st Century skills into the curriculum. 

The following skills were defined as important for students to enter the workplace:

•Information, media literacy, and communication skills

• Thinking and problem-solving

• Interpersonal, collaborative, and self-direction skills

•Global awareness

• Economic and business literacy, including entrepreneurial skills

• Civic literacy

Such skills are becoming a part of the educational dialogue as research shows these skills are necessary for life-long success. 

All skills are intended to be integrated into the curriculum.  Throughout the year, we will highlight helpful ways to incorporate these skills. 

Resources:

http://www.21stcenturyskills.org/documents/frameworkflyer_072307.pdf

http://www.iste.org/*

http://www.mmischools.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=13874

See “25 Tools every Learning Professional should have in their Toolbox – and all for FREE!”

A list of the most popular tools that educators are currently using.  A few are listed below that we have highlighted or used in the library. 

Overview:

#2 Delicious – Social Bookmarking (see previous article)

#3 Google Reader -  keep track of all your favorite websites & their most recent articles – in one place

#8 Igoogle (see previous article)  everything in one place

#11 Voicethread (see previous article) We recently purchased the classroom subscription of Voicethread.  Let us know if you want to us it and we can help you set up.

#13 Audacity – Create podcasts with this easy recording and editing software.

#15 Jing – Records images of your screen as you move your mouse.

#16 PB Wiki – (see previous Wiki Article)

#17 Polldaddy – Set up a fun poll for your students.

#18 NVU – web authoring tool (for student projects perhaps)

#19 Ustream – live video broadcast

#21 Ning (previous print article)

#22 FreeMind – Mapping Tool

#23 Twitter – see previous article