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A critical analysis that challenges the myths in children's books about Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Great tips for coaches on moving forward in the face of resistance. 

"...importance of "critical design," or "design for debate," which he defines as a way of using design as a medium to challenge narrow assumptions, preconceptions, and givens about the role products play in everyday life"

"To make things easier, here are five of my favorite TED Talks on science. The selection rules were simple: - Was I engaged within the first few seconds?- Was I entertained, inspired and challenged?- Would my kids understand the talk? and- Together, do they tell a story?"

"Atmosphir is a 3D third-person video game that has been released in private beta. The adventure theme of the game allows players to explore various levels and challenges. It also allows users to create their own levels and upload them to share with others."

Getting good data on the many issues related to freshwater has long been a challenge. Here you will find data tables from the World's Water series, along with select content from the 2008-2009 edition.

This website is in Beta at the moment, and has games based on fractions, angles & symmetry etc. Geared for upper elementary & middle school

"At the annual TED conference in Long Beach, Calif., organizers on Thursday are to announce the winners of the inaugural TED Ads Worth Spreading Challenge, a contest the group began in December to get advertisers to create online marketing videos that people actually want to watch, said Chris Anderson, the curator of the conference."

1) They are bright and creative 2) They are optimists 3) They are good at sharing 4) They are global learners and excellent teachers 5) They are conscious and conscientious 6) They are bold and brave 7) They are challenge-seekers 8) They are active participants and problem solvers 9) They are question askers 10) They value friends and relationships 11) They are changing the world 12) They still want and need our guidance

The American Association for the Advancement of Science's Project 2061 (an imitative to improve science, math and technology literacy) -- "A new Web site is taking aim at this challenge, providing educators with quick lists of scientific statements broken down by subject matter, highlighting concepts that tend to be misunderstood by students.... The site (which is accessible after free registration) also provides teachers with some 600 multiple choice questions for tests that could help pinpoint conceptual sticking points. Multiple-choice tests have drawn criticism for being too reductive, and DeBoer acknowledges that "too often test questions are not linked explicitly to the ideas and skills that the students are expected to learn." So to figure out just what kids know-or think they know-researchers involved in the seven-year-long project tested more than 150,000 students in some 1,000 classrooms and conducted interviews with many of them to try to figure out how well the questions were getting at the underlying understandings."

A place to share e-learning and Web 2.0 tools for education. Computers and laptops in education are important only when used with good pedagogy. Digital content and creation is an important part of the process for educators in the 21st century.

This is a great list of resources for learning scratch for students who need challenges to extend their skills. 

ABSTRACT This article outlines a learning intervention which the authors call Learning by Design. The goal of this intervention is classroom and curriculum transformation, and the professional learning of teachers. The experiment involves the practical application of the learning theory to everyday classroom practice. Its ideas are grounded in pedagogical principles originally articulated in the Multiliteracies project, an approach to teaching and learning that addresses literacy and learning in the context of new media and the globalizing knowledge economy. The need for a new approach to learning arises from a complex range of factors - among them, changes in society and the economy; the potential for new forms of communication made possible by emerging technologies; and rising expectations amongst learners that education will maximize their potential for personal fulfillment, civic participation and access to work. The authors first brought together the Learning by Design team of researchers and teachers in 2003 in order to reflect upon and create new and dynamic learning environments. A series of research and development activities were embarked upon in Australia and, more recently, in the United States, exploring the potentials of new pedagogical approaches, assisted by digital technologies, to transform today's learning environments and create learning for the future - learning environments which could be more relevant to a changing world, more effective in meeting community expectations and which manage educational resources more efficiently. One of the key challenges was to create learning environments which engaged the sensibilities of learners who are increasingly immersed in digital and global lifestyles - from the entertainment sources they choose to the way they work and learn. It was also about enabling teachers to explicitly track and be aware of the relationship between their pedagogical choices and their students' learning outcomes.

The hard part about teaching. Great post identifying some of the challenges of this noble profession

"we are educators, not nannies. We are educated professionals who work with kids every day and often see your child in a different light than you do. If we give you advice, don't fight it. Take it, and digest it in the same way you would consider advice from a doctor or lawyer. I have become used to some parents who just don't want to hear anything negative about their child, but sometimes if you're willing to take early warning advice to heart, it can help you head off an issue that could become much greater in the future."

"one of the most important skills a parent can foster in children is resilience, which he says can be fostered through creativity. Ginsburg relies on the "Seven C's of Resilience" as a road map for helping students to find their inner grit. "

Great full body workout