Engage the 21st Century Learner
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation’s grantmaking in education explores one of the most significant forces shaping student learning and educational experiences in and out of school in the 21st century—rapidly evolving new technologies, including digital media. Through grants to scholars, educators, designers and practitioners, MacArthur is exploring the hypothesis that digital media use is changing how young people think, learn, interact, confront ethical dilemmas and engage in civic life, and that there are significant implications for the formal and informal institutions—schools, libraries and museums among them—charged with the education of American youth. In 2011 the grant budget for this program area is $22.1 million.
Deadlines: No fixed dates
Click Here for More Information About the Grant
Click Here to Check Guidelines

Update Your School Library Media Center
The U.S. Department of Education’s Improving Literacy Through School Libraries program provides grants to local education agencies (LEAs) to improve student reading skills and academic achievement by providing students with increased access to up-to-date school library materials; well-equipped, technologically advanced school library media centers; and well-trained, professionally certified school library media specialists. Fifty LEAs will be awarded grants ranging from $100,000 to $600,000.
Deadline: March 28, 2011
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Promote Nutrition Through Gardening
The Jamba Juice It’s All About the Fruit program provides schools with fruit trees to create engaging nutrition and gardening experiences. Observing and exploring fruit production gives a deeper understanding and appreciation for this essential element of our diet. Recipients will be selected based on plans to promote nutrition education, ideas for incorporating fruit tree activities into the curriculum and ability to sustain the program over multiple years. Schools and community garden programs in the United States that involve at least 15 children between the ages of 3 and 18 are eligible to apply. The award consists of fruit trees valued at $500 and the Jamba Juice It’s All About the Fruit Youth Garden Guide; trees will be selected based on recommended varieties for each area.
Deadline: April 11, 2011
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Portray a Historical Figure That Reflects Oneself
Samsung Techwin America’s Electronic Imaging Division’s new SUPERHERO Competition encourages students to discover themselves while learning about historical characters. Any K–12 student who attends school in a United States or federal territory is eligible to enter a digital video of one to three minutes in length, portraying a historical character. Videos will be judged on presentation, performance, character and content accuracy and content quality. Competitions take place three times a year—winter, spring and autumn. One student winner will be selected per competition and will receive $500. In addition, the winner’s class will receive a SAMCAM 860 document camera (MSRP $799).
Deadlines: Winter competition entries due March 18, 2011; spring competition entries due June 17, 2011; autumn competition entries due September 23, 2011
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Gather Inspiration from Innovators
PBS Teachers second annual Innovation Awards will recognize preK–12 educators who have engaged students and improved learning through new teaching methods. Twelve grand-prize winners will be awarded a weeklong collaborative Innovation Immersion Experience at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. The most innovative teachers will also receive free enrollment in a PBS Teacherline online professional development course of their choice.
Deadline: March 31, 2011
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Participate in a Project Relevant to Today’s World
Google is partnering with groups, including National Geographic and Scientific American, to offer a worldwide online science competition. The Google Science Fair will accept entries from students, aged 13 to 18, who work individually or in groups of two or three on creative projects relevant to the world today. Projects will be judged according to the significance of the idea and the quality of the data, write-up and presentation. The grand prize is a $50,000 scholarship.
Deadline: Registration open until April 4, 2011; check Web site for competition timeline
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Recognize a Top Young Scientist
Discovery Education and 3M have announced the 2011 call for entries for the 13th annual Discovery Education 3M Young Scientist Challenge. The competition is for students in grades 5–8 who are enthusiastic about science. Ten finalists will be selected to receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, to compete in the final challenge. The winner will receive $25,000 and the title of America’s Top Young Scientist. New this year is a Summer Mentorship Program: the 10 finalists will be paired with 3M scientists to complete a summer assignment having to do with innovation. Together they will work virtually through pre-assigned objectives with resources and support provided by Discovery Education.
Deadline: April 15, 2011
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Win a 21st Century Classroom
CDW-G and Discovery Education have opened the ninth annual Win a Wireless Lab Sweepstakes, which will provide a $50,000 21st-century classroom to three grand-prize winners. Each classroom includes 20 notebook or tablet computers, an interactive whiteboard, student response devices, projector, document camera and more. Educators and school employees at public and private schools can enter once per day. From the entry page, participants can Tweet about the contest to earn an additional entry. New this year, the sweepstakes will capitalize on Twitter and Facebook to notify followers of special prizes awarded on select days throughout the contest period. To find out about these promotions, educators should follow @WinWirelessLab on Twitter and become a fan of Win a Wireless Lab on Facebook.
Deadline: May 2, 2011
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Frame Use of Technology in Schools
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) recently released Acceptable Use Policies in a Web 2.0 & Mobile Era: A Guide for School Districts aimed at assisting district leaders (superintendents, principals, chief technology/information officers and curriculum directors) in developing, rethinking or revising Internet policies to address the growing use of mobile devices and Web 2.0. The CoSN policy guide addresses the following questions: (1) How does policy differ from procedure, and does the difference matter? (2) What are the two major approaches used to develop district AUPs? (3) Is the district’s AUP a part of or the totality of the district’s technology policy? (4) What are the key federal laws affecting Internet access, safety and social networking in schools? (5) How do state laws or district policies affect school districts’ Internet policies pertaining to filtering, AUPs, cyberbullying and cell phone use? (6) Does the increasing prevalence of Web 2.0 and student-owned mobile devices necessitate updating district ICT policies? (7) Where can I find samples of various exemplary AUPs? (8) What are some timely, relevant and useful resources pertaining to the use of Web 2.0 technologies in schools? Access the guide online or download a PDF version at no charge.
Click Here to Access Free Guide

Share What Works
BetterLesson was founded by a group of teachers from Atlanta and Boston public schools to connect educators and help them create, organize and share their curricula. On the site, you can find lesson plans, classroom materials and instructional resources from high-performing teachers. Browse a wide array of documents, presentations, full lessons—even complete units and courses. You can also share your curriculum and connect with fellow educators around the world.
Click Here to Access Free Resources

Educate Students About Software Piracy
First appearing in the 1992 video Don’t Copy That Floppy, Digital Protector (aka MC Double Def DP) rapped his way onto the computer screens of millions, sparking awareness of the growing problem of software piracy. His message, heard around the world, generated enormous buzz as innovative technology flourished. Almost two decades later, DP is back, bringing his message to a whole new generation. This time, he’s sparking heated exchanges all across cyberspace with his new song, Don’t Copy That 2. With driving beats and edgy lyrics, he once again hammers home his point: it’s not just a copy; it’s a crime. In an ongoing effort to help teachers educate K–12 students about the ethical and legal use of copyrighted materials, the Education Division of the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) has released the Don’t Copy That 2 – School Version of the video. SIIA has also developed accompanying classroom resources, including support materials for the video, lesson plans for middle and high school teachers, a glossary and other materials to help educators teach these complex and important concepts.
Click Here to Download Free Video and Classroom Resources

Plus: Join the edWeb Community on March 8, 2011, from 4 to 5 p.m. ET, for a video screening and live chat discussion of Don’t Copy That 2. If you are unable to attend the live event, a link to the recording of the session will be sent to all registrants.
Click Here to Register for Screening and Live Chat

Inspire Middle School Literacy
Teachers’ Domain, an online repository of free media resources for teachers run by the Boston-based WGBH Educational Foundation, provides multimedia-rich science and social studies curricula infused with literacy lessons for struggling readers in grades 5–8. Each self-paced online lesson uses videos, interactive activities, note taking, reading and writing to present students with an engaging science or history topic. The lessons address a range of literacy strategies: Categorizing Basic Facts and Ideas; Comparing and Contrasting Ideas; Constructing Summaries; Determining Important Information; Establishing Cause and Effect; Identifying and Using Text Features; Making Inferences; Sequencing Events; and Understanding Problem/Solution. So far, there are about 15 lessons, with plans to create 25 more in 2011.
Click Here to Access Free Resources

Encourage Environmental Stewardship
Discovery Education and the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute’s Education and Research Foundation have launched TurfMutt, an online science-based program designed to help educators teach an appreciation of outdoor landscapes. The digital curriculum is led by Lucky, a real-life rescue dog who encourages students to protect the land around them. TurfMutt includes lesson plans for students in grades 3–5, engaging activities, videos and more.
Click Here for More Information

Plus: Discovery Education’s Landscapes Across America contest challenges students to illustrate the unique ecosystem attributes of their local region. Classrooms are encouraged to submit a slideshow with digital photos of the unique landscape in their area and include a written description of what environmental aspects of their region need to be protected. The grand-prize winner will receive a $5,000 grant toward the implementation of an eco-friendly program with his or her class and a $500 reward for the winning teacher. In addition, Discovery Education will plant a tree for every student and teacher in the winning class. Four second-place winners will receive a $500 grant toward implementing an eco-friendly program, as well as trees planted for every student and teacher in the winning classes.
Deadline: March 31, 2011
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Take on Current Challenges in Educational Technology
In the face of the most serious economic crisis in generations, K–12 schools across the United States are slashing budgets, and educational technology has become an easy target for cuts. The current crisis presents not just challenges, but also tremendous opportunities to strengthen technology investments, operations, programs, plans, staff and results. Attend the CoSN 2011 Annual Conference, March 14–16 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and learn how you can Master the Moment to successfully meet the current challenges we are all facing. Register now to join with education technology leaders from the public and private sector to address these issues.
Click Here to Register for 2011 CoSN Conference

Practice Classroom Management Techniques
simSchool is a classroom simulation that supports the rapid accumulation of a teacher’s experience in analyzing student differences, adapting instruction to individual learner needs, gathering data about the impacts of instruction and seeing the results of their teaching. In simSchool, developed by David Gibson, a Vermont entrepreneur, prospective teachers are given profiles of students or can make up their own. Characteristics include expected academic performance, openness to learning and emotional stability. They can also factor in whether students have difficulty seeing, hearing or moving their bodies. Teachers choose from a number of lessons and then see how students respond. They can also interact with students in several ways. If they want to go over last week’s lesson, some students will ask to go to the bathroom. Some will do homework from another class. Some will ask their neighbor whether they’re in a remedial class. The program ends with a graph that follows the effectiveness of the assignment and the teacher’s comments with each student. Prospective teachers usually start off with no more than five students, but they can teach up to 18. The program gives no grades.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Participate in Solving an Online Mystery
A mystery is brewing at the Smithsonian Institution, and the scientists there want the help of the nation’s middle schoolers to solve it. Children and teens aged 11–14 can get involved in uncovering the mystery in Vanished, an online science-fiction interactive mystery event that starts April 4. Students can sign up for the event, conducted by the Smithsonian and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at The Education Arcade. The mystery, which is unveiled during the course of the eight-week event, involves a fictitious environmental disaster. Each week, participants will get clues online that will allow them to come up with hypotheses about the cause that can be tested, debated and refined. As part of the event, players get an assist from real-world Smithsonian scientists in areas such as forensic anthropology, paleobiology and entomology. Scientists will have videoconferences online, and participants can send them questions that will be answered in real time. Students will be asked to collect real data, such as documenting a species in their neighborhood. They can upload pictures to the Web site and compare their finds with field guides. Some players near 20 or so Smithsonian-affiliated museums can find clues inside. Clues can also be gathered from several games that will be available on the site. As players participate, they will gain achievement points, just as in video games.
Click to Visit Web Site

Get Live Updates on a Space Mission
On February 24, 2011, the space shuttle Discovery took off on its final mission. Space fans can view the launch—as well as the remaining two shuttle flights—live on several Internet sites. NASA TV will offer its own coverage of the launches, and sites such as Spacevidcast Live and Spaceflight Now will stream the events and offer commentary.
Click Here to Visit NASA TV Online
Click Here to Visit Spacevidcast Live Online
Click Here to Visit Spaceflight Now Online

Find Creative Ways of Using Science News
Science News for Kids is a Web-based interactive site devoted to science news for children aged 9–14. The site features an Article Archive with information that resembles offerings in the Web-based informational reading systems; however, the archive sits alongside a menu of more interactive selections that actively engage students with science content. For example, in the GameZone, students can play various games, such as Slime Volleyball and Traffic Jam. In LabZone, they can follow directions to conduct experiments, such as measuring the effect of temperature on the rate of a chemical reactions (using Alka-Seltzer) or investigating what happens to layers of water with different densities. In SciFairZone, they can find tips for creating successful science fair projects and examples of winning entries. Elsewhere, students can post questions about science news topics and interact with others. The TeacherZone features instructional supports, including an annotated list of science Web sites to explore as well as question sheets intended to spark students’ thinking before, during and after reading articles in the archive. SciFiZone offers suggestions for how and why to integrate science fiction into science lessons.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Generate Enthusiasm for the Creative Future of Chemistry
The International Year of Chemistry 2011 (IYC 2011) is a worldwide celebration of the achievements of chemistry and its contributions to the wellbeing of humankind. Under the unifying theme “Chemistry—our life, our future,” IYC 2011 will offer a range of interactive, entertaining and educational activities for all ages. The Year of Chemistry is intended to reach across the globe, with opportunities for public participation at the local, regional and national levels.
Click Here for More Information About IYC 2011

Plus: To help celebrate the International Year of Chemistry, NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation have launched Chemistry Now, a series of media resources that can be used in, and out of, the classroom to engage youth in chemistry.
Click Here to Access Free Resources

Provide Individualized Math Practice
Designed for grades 1–6, Britannica SmartMath provides online math practice that adapts to each student’s ability. Unlike traditional math practice, SmartMath builds formative assessment into the learning process. Students who do well see more challenging questions, and students who struggle see progressively less difficult questions until they achieve success. With SmartMath, students spend more time on task because they are working at their own level and having fun, significantly improving their math skills and test scores. Try it out, for free, online.
Click Here for More Information
Click Here to Try Free Demo

Plus: Check out insideBritannica, a free monthly newsletter that includes tips to help librarians, teachers and students make use of the many educational resources in Britannica Online. Read previous editions of insideBritannica and learn more about this resource.
Click Here to Sign Up for Free Newsletter

Join in a Shared Writing Experience
In the fall of 2010, students in kindergarten through grade 5, from 200 schools in 21 states and eight countries, participated in the global Progressive Story Project. Each class wrote one paragraph at a time of a five-paragraph story, with the final stories posted online. The project was aimed at honing students’ 21st century skills, such as technology use, digital literacy, critical thinking, problem solving and social skills. Check out last year’s stories and voicethreads. Then join this shared writing experience in the spring of 2011. Find instructions and timelines online.
Deadlines: Register by March 11, 2011; classes will be grouped from March 12 through March 18, 2011; stories will be written from March 21 through April 22, 2011
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Discover Connections Among Cultural Artists
The American Masters are more connected than you may think! Choose two Masters from the pull-down menus on this PBS webpage to see how they’re related. First select the name of an American Master (for example, Clint Eastwood, Lena Horne or Robert Rauschenberg). Then select another American Master (for example, Truman Capote, Alfred Hitchcock or Buster Keaton) and click the Find the Connection button. Can you stump the Six Degrees Game?
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Tap into Musical Treasures
Humanity’s musical treasures—Beethoven piano sonatas, Schubert songs, Mozart symphonies and the like—come to life in performance, but they truly survive as black marks on a page, otherwise known as scores. Now a Web site founded five years ago by a conservatory student, then 19 years old, has made a vast expanse of this repertory available, free of charge. The site, the International Music Score Library Project, has grown to be one of the largest sources of scores anywhere. It claims to have 85,000 scores, or parts for nearly 35,000 works, with several thousand being added every month. The site is an open-source repository that uses the Wikipedia template and philosophy, “a visual analogue of a normal library,” in the words of its founder, Edward W. Guo, the former conservatory student. Volunteers scan in scores or import them from other sources, such as Beethoven House, the museum and research institute in Bonn, Germany. Other users oversee copyright issues and perform maintenance. Quality control, such as catching missed pages, is also left to the public. The site has recently begun adding recordings, and through a partnership with a freelance musician in Indiana who runs a publishing business, it offers low-cost, on-demand printing of the music.
Click Here to Visit Web Site

Encourage Literacy Exploration and Artsy Fun
Storybird is a collaborative storytelling site that allows students to tap into a library of illustrations to create digital books. Storybird reverses the process of visual storytelling by starting with the image and “unlocking” the story inside. Students choose an artist or a theme, get inspired and start writing.
Click Here to Visit Web Site
Click Here to Peek Inside a “Storybird”

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