IrfanView Ask any techie and you'll probably hear IrfanView mentioned as one of the top two or three pieces of freeware around. For PCs only, IrfanView helps you crop, add effects (sharpen, blur, color depth), create a slide show, and convert images from one format to another (.jpg to .pict). And, you can do many of these things in batches (multiple photos at once), saving time! Lastly, this is a small program, saving valuable space on your hard drive.

The Closing the Gap Professional Development Toolkit is designed to be used in both group-facilitated sessions and by individuals in self-directed learning. Customized instructions are provided for each type of professional development.

Created by Jeff Kinney of "Wimpy Kid" fame, this virtual world invites young gamers to create a character and to undertake age-appropriate quests on over a dozen "islands" based on themes from history, nature, and human culture.

Bandaids and Blackboards The intent of this site is to sensitize children to what it's like to grow up with a medical problem. This site provides personal experiences submitted by children (some have their own Web page with photos) and games for viewers. The benefits of this page for children with medical conditions and their parents are obvious, but the site also is a great resource for educators dealing with student illness.

Through the use of colorful text and interactive games, this engaging site from the American Museum of Natural History teaches about the causes of infection, and about how to detect and prevent infection. The site includes facts about infections, interactive games that teach about microbes and bacteria, tips on solving microbe mysteries, and more.

Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood Developed as a companion to the PBS series Red Gold: The Epic Story of Blood, this site is rich in content and interest, providing information about such topics as blood composition, circulation, typing, donations, and more. Visitors can take a multimedia journey that follows a pint of blood through the transfusion process, learn the basics about blood, and trace the history of blood through an interactive timeline. Middle- and high-school teachers also will find lesson plans and a 12-page discussion guide.

Simple Steps to Better Dental Health The interactive tools, diagrams, videos, games, and animations at this comprehensive resource from the University of Pennsylvania Dental School make information about dental health accessible to visitors of all ages. Topics range from the most basic -- such as brushing and flossing -- to the sequence of gum disease and root canal treatment. The site includes sections specifically for seniors, parents, and children.

This site contains lesson plans as well as resource information for various levels of teaching government, civics, and history. The Classroom Web site hosts numerous contests throughout the year, as well as great give-aways for teachers. (For example, during the 2004 campaign, they gave teachers huge Electoral College maps.)

"Intel® Teach helps K-12 teachers of all subjects learn to engage students with digital learning, including digital content, Web 2.0, social networking, and online tools and resources. Intel Teach professional development empowers teachers to integrate technology effectively into their existing curriculum, focusing on their students' problem solving, critical thinking, and collaboration, which are precisely the skills required in the high tech, networked society in which we live."

The For Teachers section includes free classroom materials written for students in grades 6-12 to deepen their understanding of the world and related social issues. These activities are intended to raise awareness of individuals who make a difference and show how problem solvers begin and carry out their work.

Becoming a social entrepreneur takes both a vision for revolutionary change and the gumption to do something about it. Students can try the games and activities on The New Heroes website to learn about the characteristics of a successful social entrepreneur and find out if they might have what it takes to transform a vision into reality. They can play a game that requires them to tackle the challenges of building a business with a social conscience. They can determine how they can make a difference by taking a quiz to find out which issues and problems most inspire them. And if they have an inspirational story or great idea for changing the world, they can share it with others on the site.

The goal of Encyclopedia of Life is to be a portal to information about all species of life on Earth. Ultimately, the Encyclopedia hopes to "serve as an online reference source and database for every one of the 1.8 million species that are named and known on this planet, as well as all those later discovered and described. Encyclopedia of Life will be used as both a teaching and a learning tool, helping scientists, educators, students, and the community at large gain a better understanding of this planet and all who inhabit it." Many resources are available already, however, this site always will be a work in progress.

According to the Touchspin (Design) Chemistry Web site, "Some other sites have more in depth information on chemistry, but I double-dog-dare-you to find anyplace with a better interactive periodic table. None other have the features and capabilities that this one offers." You can check out those features at the tool's FAQ page. When you're done, check out the site's new Biology area and find out what a horsefly's eye - or a pig's gall bladder -- look like under a microscope.

Tackk is a free web service that allows you to instantly and easily create and share content online. No login, no fees. Just go to the Tackk page and start typing. When you are finished, you can share it via the web or social networks. You can have a title, subtitles, photos, change fonts and colors, media, text and lists.