Instructify

Who can forget that classic Alice Cooper song, “School’s In for Fall”? To help you think of some lyrics for the song title I just made up, take another look at these Instructify posts for August.

Five great online tools for art teachers

Find great elementary resources at e-Learning for Kids

Free Language Learning Resources from Universitiesandcolleges.org

Connect students through Dweeber

Two blogs for a science teacher’s Google Reader

Budget, schmudget. Take your students to the Smithsonian (virtually) with History Explorer

Science IS for girls! – Women’s Adventures in Science

Take a virtual tour of America’s national parks via the National Park Service’s multimedia collection

Take a look at the past with historical maps on Google Maps and Google Earth

Follow ThatWhichMatter on Twitter for bite-sized grammar tips

BY BILL FERRIS

During summer vacation, elementary kids get kinda used to running around and playing all day. So now that it’s time to head back into the classroom, I doubt they think the old grindstone looks like the best place to place their little noses. Make sure kids’ pent-up energy doesn’t overwhelm your class this year by reviewing this list of 30 timeless outdoor games for kids courtesy of Wired magazine’s GeekDad blog.

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BY NICK YINGLING

One of my fondest memories growing up was this time when my friends and I found an old treasure map. We eventually ran afoul of a family of gangsters, but my one heavyset buddy was able to befriend the deformed son of the head gangster, Mama Fratelli. Just as the gangsters caught up with us, Chunk and his new friend, Sloth, were able to swoop in and save the day. We were, truly, a bunch of Goonies. No, wait—there I go again, confusing myself with Corey Feldman.

That image you get in your mind when you imagine treasure maps isn’t just fascinating because of the promise of riches. That classic example of some old, yellow, frayed-at-the-edges map also maybe has some crazy artwork of an agitated seabeast where there be dragons or something. You can just feel the wonder of exploration resonating from old-world cartography.

The David Rumsey Historical Map Collection has been busy scanning these old maps and making them available free-of-charge in digital high-resolution images. (more…)

BY REBECCAH HAINES

Back to school is just around the corner and now is the time for stocking up on lots of school supplies.  All those new pens, notebooks, binders, erasers, excuse me while I have a moment…. In addition to the physical supplies I’ll need to set up my classroom for the year, I’m always on the lookout for online teaching resources as well.  If you teach about the weather, Scijinks Weather Laboratory, created by NASA and NOAA is for you. 

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BY NICK YINGLING

MBTN last week was a straight up embarrassment. Bill called in to Instructify headquarters and handed down two options: I should commit seppuku immediately OR I should make certain that MTBN for 8/24/09 is a slam dunk. Did I choose the razor-sharp samurai sword or rapier-like witticisms? Find out after the jump.

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Two blogs for a science teacher’s Google Reader
When I first learned about Google Reader, I thought it was the bomb. I taught everyone about it — my parents, my husband, and so on. As time has passed, I’ve tweaked my reading list. Blogs have come and gone (of course Instructify has never gone), and I’ve recently discovered two new ones that you should take a look at: Not Exactly Rocket Science and American Scientist: Science in the News.

Follow ThatWhichMatter on Twitter for bite-sized grammar tips
I love pithy advice. I also love good writing. Twitter user ThatWhichMatter encapsulates both. Named after the distinction between using “that” and “which” in a sentence, ThatWhichMatter dispenses tiny tips that will help drive home those grammar lessons you’ve been trying to impart to your students. Find out how to use hyphens, when to use “either” or “neither,” even lessons in netiquette regarding how not to sign an email.

BY NICK YINGLING

Lately, during my lunch break, I usually sit at my desk and drop crumbs of food into my keyboard. That’s a terribly boring way to pass your lunch hour. So, naturally, I started watching my favorite show, The Golden Girls, on a streaming TV site. The main problem now is that most sites don’t have full episodes, just the excerpts. So I dug deeper. One site that streams shows is based somewhere in Asia. There are all sorts of foreign characters bannered across the top of the screen and the subtitles can sometimes take up one-third of the screen. How cool would it be if I managed to learn to read Chinese from passively exposing myself to the subtitles on my streaming episodes of The Golden Girls during my lunch break?!

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BY BILL FERRIS

I love pithy advice. I also love good writing. Twitter user ThatWhichMatter encapsulates both. Named after the distinction between using “that” and “which” in a sentence, ThatWhichMatter dispenses tiny tips that will help drive home those grammar lessons you’ve been trying to impart to your students. Find out how to use hyphens, when to use “either” or “neither,” even lessons in netiquette regarding how not to sign an email.

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BY REBECCAH HAINES

When I first learned about Google Reader, I thought it was the bomb. I taught everyone about it — my parents, my husband, and so on. As time has passed, I’ve tweaked my reading list. Blogs have come and gone (of course Instructify has never gone), and I’ve recently discovered two new ones that you should take a look at: Not Exactly Rocket Science and American Scientist: Science in the News.

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BY NICK YINGLING

Today’s MBTN is a little short because I don’t subscribe to the same newsfeeds as Bill, so I apologize and beg for your mercy. These two are about going back to school, which, for a good number of you, is very soon. I’m also going to cheat a little bit by calling them “Back-2-School”. See what I did there? By the numbers!

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Great news! Bill and Jennifer Ferris recently welcomed Wyatt Edison Ferris into the world! We here at LEARN NC and Instructify wish them all the best of luck.

While he is off on paternity leave, trying to pitch a reality TV series about a family with 2 children and whatnot, you may notice a little bit of downtime around here. We have some content and postings ready to roll, and we’ll still be updating sporadically, so no need to panic. Things will be slowed down a little, but you’ll still get your Instructify fix.

BY REBECCAH HAINES

It’s sad, but it’s true.  Even in today’s world of equality and opportunity for all, the typical public stereotype of a scientist is middle-aged, male, and wearing a white lab coat and glasses.  Women’s Adventures in Science is set up to try to dispel that stereotype.

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BY EMILY JACK

Quick: Which is more likely to stimulate your students’ interest in the Cold War?

A. A PowerPoint presentation about the Cuban missile crisis
B. A creepy photo of a real family fallout shelter

If you answered A, your PowerPoint skills are supernatural and you probably need no further help from Instructify. If you answered B, have a look at Smithsonian’s History Explorer.

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BY REBECCAH HAINES

Understandably, this summer has included a lot of reminiscing about the Apollo 11 Lunar Landing, as this year was its 40th anniversary. Since it’s also the International Year of Astronomy, I thought a review of a really cool website related to the moon landing was in order. A really spectacular resource I’ve found is called We Choose the Moon, a multimedia, interactive site created by the JFK Presidential Library.

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BY NICK YINGLING

Calling someone a “dweeb” basically aims to call that person socially inept. Essentially, everyone is on a level playing field, so when I call other people names and put them down, I generally feel better about myself. What’s really sad is that I get the pop psychology for what I’m doing but I keep doing it. The best time to call someone a dweeb, I’ve found, is during gym class, right before you blast them in their thick glasses with a dodgeball.

So what can dweebs do? They can take that pejorative name and repossess it. By creating a social website for students to help get homework done, Dweeber connects youths and helps them work with their school friends online. See what just happened? Dweebs aren’t socially inept anymore—they’re socially connected!

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