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Jon White is an artist. Not only is he skilled in the ways of character animation, drawing, CSS and HTML, he also knows a thing or two about education. From his bio:

But beyond everything else, what gets my blood pumping are the lightbulb moments. The episodes of clarity, of understanding, and of fun when new ideas and concepts get made real.

White’s site has a bundle of fun videos and interactive segments designed to make learning fun, especially when it comes to understanding our political system. In the first video he presents on the page, White shows how the 1968 Presidential election played out by using caricatures of the candidates to illustrate how topsy-turvy the race actually was. The animation is fun and presents the information in a way that allows users to digest and retain the information.

Not all of White’s creations are entirely educational in the traditional sense of the word, but his creativity and use of time lines and interactive flash elements make for a lot of fun for teachers and students alike. The page is really a chance for White to show off his skills, but honestly, I’m impressed. I wish more web designers would take education more seriously, and Mr. White can serve as a role model. You can also subscribe to Jon’s RSS Feed to find out what he’s up to. -JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Jon White Studio

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By now, I assume that many of your students are interested in an upcoming event involving two major political parties and several men named Joe (Biden, Six-Pack, The Plumber). I also gather that this country called America is divided into 50 territories, known as “states.” It would appear that these “states” have something to do with determining the outcome of next week’s big event, which is why USDemocrazy.net is so extraordinarily useful.

Developed by the political cartoonist for The Economist and students at the University of Maryland, USDemocrazy.net provides an informative and entertaining look at state politics. The main page of the site is a humorous map of the United States, displaying amusing, alternate names for each state. For example, Wisconsin is called “Cheesehead,” California is renamed “Dude,” and our great state of North Carolina is referred to as “North Barbecue.” Clicking on a particular state will reveal relevant state facts, such as the percentage of votes cast for or against George W. Bush in the prior two elections, famous and infamous natives, as well as the state’s overall political climate. Each state is also rated on a scale of one to five for political craziness.

Whether shedding more light on the intricacies of the Electoral College or highlighting distinctions among neighbors, USDemocrazy.net is a valuable resource for teachers. And even if you’re not crazy about the American political process, it would be foolish to ignore a site as witty and unique as USDemocrazy.net. –JIMI RADABAUGH

USDemocrazy.net

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Instructify Election Roundup

There’s apparently a presidential election in a couple weeks. If you’re looking for a few election-related resources for your next civics lesson, here’s a roundup of political sites, tools, what-have-you.

Access, Analyze, Act: Three cheers for representative democracy!

Make sense of electoral votes with the 2008 Swing State Map

Keep track of elections with Gallup

The candidates answer tough questions about science at Sciencedebate 2008

Cut through political spin with PolitiFact

Social Networking and Social Studies Collide with iCue

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Understand Your Local Election

For more great election resources, have a look at the 2008 Election Guide from our parent site, LEARN NC. -BILL FERRIS

Every four years, men with funny names and expensive suits begin proposing vague solutions to our country’s problems. In November, citizens are asked to choose one of these men to lead the executive branch of the United States government. You probably refer to this event as a “Presidential Election.” Your students probably refer to it as “Boring.”

Fortunately, PBS has developed an excellent online curriculum guide for this year’s election. The site is called Access, Analyze, Act: A Blueprint for 21st Century Civic Engagement. Naturally, the site is divided into three main sections, each containing a set of lesson plans.

The Access section suggests the use of social media tools such as blogs, mashups, and widgets to stimulate student interest in the election. For those of you who’ve never heard of a mashup or a widget (What about blogs? Hint: you’re reading one right now!), PBS also provides a helpful glossary of terms.

The Analyze section promotes critical thinking by examining the various ways that candidates present information. This section covers topics ranging from Aristotelian persuasion techniques to the expanding role of media in presidential campaigns.

The Act section encourages “civic engagement” on the part of students by allowing them to cultivate and express their own political identities. In the end, students will learn that although they must wait until their 18th birthdays to vote, their voices can still be heard across the internet. –JIMI RADABAUGH

Access, Analyze, Act: A Blueprint for 21st Century Civic Engagement

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Need help teaching the electoral system? For a visual aid, check out Politico’s 2008 Swing State Map. You can see at a glance which candidate has the lead in each state, and how much of a lead he has. The Swing State Map has up-to-date polling results for all 50 states, and shows how each state’s electoral votes would get divvied up if the election happened today. It also provides information on voting history and candidates’ strategies in several key swing states. It’s a great companion to the data you looked up at Gallup, too. This is one map you should keep checking throughout the election season. -BILL FERRIS

2008 Swing State Map

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I’m sure you’ve heard the results of various Gallup polls throughout this election season. Rather than waiting for the nightly newscast to mention what the pollsters say, you can keep track yourself by going straight to the source. Gallup.com has the latest results, updated daily. Further, you can see the results from a seemingly infinite number of demographics, such as candidate support by race, gender, church affiliation, education, age, and many more.

Gallup records people’s opinions on pretty much every topic, from baseball to economics to Russia. So once the election is over, there are plenty more statistics available for your classroom use.

How can you use this information in class? Have your students follow along or chart the results. When one candidate’s numbers rise or dip, you could ask them their opinion on why the flux occurred. Or have them propose solutions to America’s falling consumer confidence. You can do a lot with this kind of data at your disposal. Now is a great time to put it to use. -BILL FERRIS

Gallup

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Did you know Iceland celebrates their independence from Denmark every June 17th? How about that Samoa has 2,337 kilometers of roadways? Or that Ukraine is an actual country and not just a territory in Risk? You too can use facts like these to win at Jeopardy, lord it over your colleagues, or even impart it to your students. It’s easy with The World Factbook from the Central Intelligence Agency (yes, that Central Intelligence Agency).

The CIA World Factbook has information on pretty much every country on earth — not surprising, since it’s the CIA we’re talking about. They’ve got the skinny on every country’s climate, type of government, prominent religions, literacy rates, natural resources, infant mortality rate, and lots more information you’d probably never think to ask about. The only way to find out more about these places would be to visit them yourself.

This site should be your students’ first stop if they’re researching a country for a social studies or a foreign language class. They can also print a PDF of the book for offline usage. You seriously won’t believe the depth of information available at The World Factbook. See for yourself so you and your students can put those facts to good use. -BILL FERRIS

The World Factbook

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“Objection your honor! Badgering the witness with boring judicial system lessons!” Prevent this from happening in your classroom by taking your class to the heart of our judicial system with a trip to Kids Court.

Kids Court is an interactive site from the US District Court of North Carolina’s Western District. It’s designed to help teachers teach their students about the judicial system in a fun, real-world environment. Do your students know the importance of the roles of each court employee in the court room? Students can read biographies on some of their United District Court Judges, learn about court facts, and why we observe certain federal holidays. Have your students take on the role of a judge, attorney, or defendant as they participate in a mock trial.

Engage your students in an interactive history lesson where colorful diagrams and illustrations help explain the complex makeup of our judicial branch of government in terms that your students can understand. The activities are broken up into two age groups, K-5 and 6-12. Students can continue to construct their knowledge of the court system or put into practice what they’ve learned with the many games such as Jeopardy, Court TV, and many more.

If you can’t find what you’re looking for on this site, just access the many links that are provided for additional ideas. Don’t be held in contempt by not taking advantage of this useful site. -MONIQUE ST.LOUIS

Kids Court

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How does your candidate stand on scientific issues? Like it or not (and my guess you do not), science has become A heavily politicized topic. With a presidential election coming up, our nation’s scientific policies may change drastically. Before you head to the voting booth, it’s important to know how each guy will handle science during the next four-to-eight years.

That’s why Sciencedebate 2008 has asked both McCain and Obama the tough questions on how their respective administrations would handle scientific issues. From an initial pool of 3400 questions from 38,000 scientists, Nobel laureates, elected officials, and regular folks, Sciencedebate whittled it down to 14 questions to ask each candidate. The questions deal with innovation, climate change, energy, stem cell research, genetics and more. Sciencedebate cleverly posted each candidate’s answers side-by-side for easier comparison, though you can view a single candidate’s answers, too.

Your students who are of voting age will want to read up on these issues, whether they’re in a biology or a civics class. Scientific policy will affect America’s health, the environment, as well as national pride in good old American ingenuity and innovation. No matter which man you support, get to know the sort of science he advocates. -BILL FERRIS

Sciencedebate 2008: Presidential answers to the top 14 science questions facing America

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How often have you had the urge to make a salad from office plants? How long have you secretly wanted to play the Theremin? How much better would your life be if you could describe the weather in Japanese?

WonderHowTo.com will help you satisfy hypothetical urges, fulfill unidentified wishes, and perhaps even improve your life. The site advertises itself as the largest collection of free how-to videos anywhere. From the main page, you can search for a specific how-to, browse by category, or check out recommended videos. Each clip comes with a short description and a letter grade assigned by other viewers. The collection runs the whole gamut of instructional video, covering everything from an explanation of the U.S. Presidential election process to how to draw and color a cartoon.

Of course, some of WonderHowTo.com’s content may not be suitable for children. A glance at categories ranging from Alcohol to Weapons may raise a few educators’ eyebrows. However, the site does at least make an effort to separate potentially objectionable videos by designating them 18+ and requiring an account to view them. The bottom line is that adult supervision may be a good idea, depending on the age and relative maturity of the student. The rest of us will only wonder how to describe the amazing instructional video we watched last night on WonderHowTo.com. –JIMI RADABAUGH

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Note: Instructify has just learned about this opportunity. The registration deadline is Friday, September 12.

Here’s a chance for your students to discuss issues facing this year’s presidential candidates. The National Constitution Center’s program, The Exchange: A Marketplace of Student Ideas will host a videoconference on September 23 from 1-3 p.m. Eastern time.

The Exchange allows students all over the country to converse with one another about current constitutional issues.

If you’d like your school to take part, your school must have connectivity to the Internet2 network and the ability to do H.323 videoconferencing. You’ll then select one student to be part of the videoconference round table. Participants will use this deliberation to assess each issue, and create a student platform for the upcoming presidential election. But what about the kids who didn’t get picked for the videoconference round table? They can still participate by sending in questions and comments via a simultaneous online chat. If only congressional hearings could do the same.

If you’re interested, you can email Jason Allen at jallen [at] constitutioncenter.org or give him a ring at 215.409.6644 by September 12 (that’s tomorrow, folks) for more information or to register.-BILL FERRIS

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“Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people.”-Abraham Lincoln.

Recently, congress passed legislation requiring all educational institutions that receiving federal funding to provide an educational program on the US Constitution. September 17th of each school year has been named Constitution Day, commemorating the September 17, 1787 signing. As you put together your lesson plans for this very important date in history, visit Constitution Day 2008 at Constitution Facts.com.

This site provides numerous free educational resources and internet links to make planning and implementation of Constitution Day lessons easy and fun for your students no matter what the age. The site includes a toolkit full of resources to put your students’ knowledge of the constitution to the test. It also offers several interactive activities to allow your students to explore the different parts of the constitution and its vocabulary in levels ranging from basic to intermediate. In addition, you can find information pertaining to the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers, and much more.

Don’t let this valuable teaching opportunity pass you by. Ensure that the next time your students hear the words, “We the People of the United States,” they immediately think of the constitution.- MONIQUE ST.LOUIS

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Photo credit: Thorne Enterprises on flickr

In 1988, Public Enemy released their single “Don’t Believe the Hype”, which encouraged many of us to check our facts and beware of media spin. So it’s a strange twist of irony that about 18 years later, one of the most recognizable members of Public Enemy, Flavor Flav, began starring in the reality TV dating game show, Flavor of Love. Its difficult to find a better example of media being spun than reality TV… unless you consider politics.

PolitiFact.com, a service of the St. Petersburg Times and CQ, is a fact-checking site that examines the truth—and truthiness—behind many of the political messages that are being made. Not only do they examine major speeches, TV spots, and other high profile comments, they also show that nothing is too minor. Chain emails that are being passed around or comments made during off-the-cuff interviews also get vetted for accuracy.

You can view candidate profiles, look at their analysis of attacks made against candidates, and, my favorite, see who is caught Pants-on-Fire through their Truth-o-Meter breakdown.

Encourage your students to get involved in politics, at every level. Even more importantly, encourage your students to do their fact-checking (and then check the facts they’ve checked). A healthy dose of skepticism is the perfect compliment for youthful political ideals. –NICK YINGLING

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Okay, let’s be honest — I know that some of you still have maps hanging in your classroom with Germany separated into two distinct counties and the USSR. Or worse, some may not even have a map or globe in your classroom at all. Are you fighting with other teachers for use of the limited reference books in your school’s library? Are your Social Studies or Science books not presenting enough information for your lessons? Well Fact Monster is here to put an end to that, and bring your classroom up to date with the latest facts from around the world.

Fact Monster is a great child-friendly reference website that is full of factual information. It has Almanacs, an Encyclopedia, Dictionary, and Thesaurus. You can find maps of any place in the world (think of all the wall space you will save). The site allows you to calculate distance to and from places or find the exact coordinates of a location. You can access information from all over the world on wars, geography, natural disasters, accident archives, and religion.

Explore information on the US in the areas of history, government, education, laws and rights, population, race and ethnicity, landmarks, and speeches and documents. Learn about people with fun facts, biographies, and information on US Presidents and Famous Women. The sports section presents information ranging from any sport you can think of to the Olympics to animal sports including the Iditarod and much more. There are endless Science, Technology, and Math resources. This is a great site to use for current events discussions. Your students can use the site to help with homework or project assignments. They can also accesses a Blog for Boys and Girls from age 6 – 14 to read articles on current events or participate in interactive activities. -MONIQUE ST.LOUIS

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Former US Supreme Court justice Sandra Day O’Connor wants to do for civics what John Madden did for video game football. That’s why she’s speaking on behalf of Our Courts, an still-in-development video game that will let students learn about government by tackling true-to-life legal issues online.

In a recent Reuters article, former Justice O’Connor said students aren’t learning enough about how government works. “[O’Connor] said the only way to preserve an independent judiciary was through public education, which she said was failing to produce citizens with enough knowledge about the three branches of U.S. government — legislative, executive and judicial.” To help make up the difference, Our Courts will provoke student debate on issues such as the 1st Amendment rights of a student wearing a controversial T-shirt to school.

Though Our Courts isn’t yet complete, you can already find useful resources like information on state governments,the structure of the state and federal court systems, plus key definitions that will translate legal mumbo-jumbo into plain English.

Once Our Courts is complete, make sure to send your students there. If they play it even a fraction as much as they play Madden football, they’ll become veritable experts on the workings of government. -BILL FERRIS

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