Short motivational videos to start a meeting

Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) uses properties listed in the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places to enliven history, social studies, geography, civics, and other subjects. TwHP has created a variety of products and activities that help teachers bring historic places into the classroom.

Resource for the Constitution with lesson plans, activities, games, and historical documents

Web literacy and search skills/strategies

One goal is to help yourself become aware of how you use your time as one resource in organizing, prioritizing, and succeeding in your studies in the context of competing activities of friends, work, family, etc.

"It's Not a Pipe: Teaching Kids to Read the Media"

Make sure that you protect yourself from hackers. Here is one person's experience that allowed a hacker to access his Amazon and Apple accounts. This can be pretty scary stuff.

"Educational Technology and Mobile Learning has compiled a list of some of the best web tools we have reviewed before. These tools are aggregated into lists that you can bookmark and access whenever you want."

Google Search makes it amazingly easy to find information. Come learn about the powerful advanced tools we provide to help you find just the right information when the stakes are high.

"101 Spectacular Nonfiction Stories Conor Friedersdorf's annual collection of the very best that journalism has to offer."

"Copyright and Fair Use:Information and Lesson Plans"

A set of instructional pages written in an easy-to-understand language and complemented by graphics and Check Your Understanding sections. An ideal starting location for those grasping for understanding or searching for answers.

This site contains myths, folklore, fairy tales, legends, and sagas from a wide variety of countries. Sites are annotated with notes about specific topics covered.

Jason Bedell is an instructional technology consultant and a library media specialist at Belmar Elementary School in New Jersey. In his columns, Jason explores how effectively integrating technology can deepen student learning and make the school environment more student-centered.

What we need to do to prepare students for college.

"The WPR Listening Booth represents a combination of recent WPR recordings (2008-onward) and highlights from the first phase of our digitization initiative, which focused on the preservation of reel-to-reel recordings. The Poetry Room makes every effort to refine the metadata associated with these recordings. We welcome your assistance in keeping this information accurate."

"Engage the class using any device Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets." Now in Beta testing, it is free, quick and easy to set up and use but may have bugs that I didn't experience.

This is a realitively new web tool that creates digital ebooks, pamphlets, and brochures. Educators can upgrade to the premium service for free by e-mailing scott.brownlee@middlespot.com

"How to Plan an Author Appearance Welcome to the home for Penguin Young Readers Group's author and illustrator appearances. We want to help you to bring great authors to your school or library. Below is a step-by-step guide to a planning your next event! Learn the Basics This overview sheet will give you pointers and information you need to know. Then look at a sample author schedule for more ideas. Choose Your Authors Click on the Author Appearance Listing button on the right. It can help you narrow your choices down by type of appearance, suitable age level, and author location. Request Your Authors It's easy! Just access the Author Request Form , fill it out, and send it in. Prepare for your Event Once you have scheduled your event and you have a finalized and signed contract, you'll need do the following to get ready!: organize transportation, have equipment ready for the presentation, provide a schedule to the author/illustrator, and prepare the payment. You should also have books available to sell-we encourage you to go through a local bookseller, an institutional wholesaler (if you use one), or you may order directly from Penguin . Best wishes for a successful event! -The Penguin School and Library Marketing Team Featured Author Sheila Turnage Sheila Turnage grew up on a farm in eastern North Carolina. A graduate of East Carolina University, she is the author of two nonfiction books and one picture book, but Three Times Lucky is her first middle grade novel. Today Sheila lives on a farm with her husband, a smart dog, an ill-tempered cat, a dozen chickens, and a flock of guineas. Learn more about Sheila Turnage here. If you are interested in hosting a Skype appearance by Sheila Turnage at your school, library, or conference, please use the online request form or send an email to authorvisits[at]us.penguingroup.com with