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1. National Archives- Even though the “Elvis Visits the White House” exhibit was tempting, I decided to explore the archive titled “Eyewitness.” This exhibit had first hand accounts, many of which were handwritten letters, of some of the most famous events in history. Accounts included Thomas Jefferson’s reaction to the violence of the French Revolution, John F. Kennedy’s personal recorded diary of his strategic plan during the Cuban Missile Crisis, images from Apollo 8’s journey into lunar orbit, and many more. These accounts really bring to life the events of our past and would undoubtedly enrich the lessons in any classroom.

2. NEA – We often assume that minority groups are the ones most susceptible to gaps in educational achievement. However, the NEA website points out that many groups are at risk, including American Indians/Alaskan Natives, Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, Blacks, and GLBT (Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender). The website has great tips on how to become a culturally competent teacher. Some of the ideas I found most appealing were:
• Determine the diverse groups served by your school. Consider cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic diversity. Find out the degree to which families and students in these groups are accessing available school services.
• Gather and organize resource materials related to culturally diverse groups for use by school staff.
• Network with parent, family, minority community, and faith-based organizations concerned with the needs of diverse students. Solicit their involvement and input in the design and implementation of initiatives for culturally, linguistically, racially, and ethnically diverse groups.
I felt that these were the most non-invasive ways of improving myself, the staff, and the community, and were tactics that I was most likely to actually use in the field.

3. CyberBullying – Well, according to the CyberBullying self-assessment quiz my score of 4 earns me the title “CyberSaint!” I have a feeling this has more to do with my limited use of the internet than with my actual sainthood, but I’ll take it. After exploring this site for a bit, I discovered that there are different “types” of cyberbullies and that many of them are different than your typical bully. It could be important to remember this in dealing with cases of cyberbullying, as the “model student” might actually be the culprit.

4. Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Teachers – Under “subject access,” I chose to do some research for math. I particularly liked the AskERIC database of lesson plans. Don’t call me lazy…I understand the importance of creativity in developing my OWN lesson plans. But, let’s face it, two heads are better than one and, in terms of the internet, a billion heads are better than two. Kathy Schrock’s website also offers a variety of “teacher helpers.” One of my favorite was a link to the Apple Computers website that gave suggestions on incorporating the iPod into the classroom! Apparently, through iTunes U students can download lectures and presentations that have been uploaded by their teacher. Next thing you know, students are not even going to attend classes as part of their education.

5. Multiple Intelligences – I was a little surprised I wasn’t higher in kinesthetic learning, but my top three (in order from highest to lowest) were: Logical/Mathematical (88%), Intrapersonal (81%), and Naturalistic (75%). I took the opportunity to watch Howard Gardner’s video on multiple intelligences as well. I found his views on student self-assessment to be a breath of fresh air to the educational tradition of rigid testing.

6. Teaching Tolerance – I was happy to see that this website did, in fact, have ideas (or I guess I should say an idea…there was only one) about how to incorporate tolerance into daily math lessons. The lesson I viewed involved having students classify a variety of functions as they applied (or did not apply) to the following categories: even, odd, increasing, decreasing, one-to-one, passing through the origin, etc. They were, as a consequence, forced to see that very few functions had similar characteristics. The natural progression was to then relate this to the fact that no two people share the same traits/characteristics and that we must “explore” them to find out what makes them unique.

7. EdChange Quiz – “According to a study by the American Association of Physicians for Human Rights, what percentage of physicians report witnessing a colleague giving reduced care or refusing care to lesbian, gay, or bisexual patients?” Would you believe that the answer to this is 52%?!? That is unbelievable to me, especially with the importance of physician care. “ According to a 2006 report from the American Civil Liberties Union, African Americans comprise more than 37% of people arrested for drug use, 59% of those convicted for drug use, and 74% of those sentenced to prison for drug use. African Americans comprise what percentage of U.S. drug users?” How about 15%!!! When you compare the fact that African Americans make up only 15% of all drug users in the U.S. but make up 74% of those sentenced to prison for it, you are able to see just how stark the contrast is here.

8. Netiquette – I just received 100% on my Netiquette score so, consistent with the rules outlined on the website, I am going to share my expert knowledge. =^D In our increasingly technological world, it is extremely important for us as teachers to not only practice proper netiquette, but to pass along these skills to the students. Part of our responsibility is to prepare them for the professional world and understanding how to present themselves via the internet is part of that preparation.