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"Enter your question or calculation and Wolfram|Alpha uses its built-in algorithms and a growing collection of data to compute the answer."

Wolfram/Alpha is to be the first web-based tool that can find answers to all systematic knowledge in the world. For educators, this "computational iknowledge engine" can find objective and fact-based answers for a variety of subject areas. Type in "Newton's Law," for example, and the formula for force is explained. Enter in an equation for a line, and the site plots the line on a graph. Ask "What is the GDP of the United States and Canada?" and a chart depicts a side-byside comparison of the nations' economic data.

" In order to look at each student through fresh and positive eyes, we read aloud the book What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? (1998) by Richard Van Camp. Van Camp is a member of the Dogrib nation of the Northwest Territories of Canada, and an emerging voice in the Native American literary movement. He wrote this children's book in order to understand horses, since his people are not horse people and he's always been curious to learn more about them. The format of his book is simple: he asks different people, "What's the most beautiful thing you know about horses?" He receives responses such as: "The most beautiful thing about horses is that they always find their way home" and "I love their breath. You can feel their breath move through their chest. They stare at you as they breathe. Their soul comes right out.""

"The amount of homework assigned is less important than the quality and value of the work being done. Assigning homework only has value if the work contributes to students' learning and engagement. Studies show a wide variation in the kind and quality of homework assigned and in its perceived importance or value by students and parents."