Evaluate Progress in School Technology Use
For the fifth year, administrators and faculty members from K–12 and postsecondary educational institutions have the opportunity to take a short, online survey to evaluate their current technology use. Educators can use the 20 benchmarks in the Software & Industry Information Association’s (SIIA) Vision K–20 survey to evaluate their current implementation of technology and also establish goals for the future with the “ideal implementation” component of the survey. Focusing on goals outlined in the Vision roadmap, including 21st century tools, accessibility, differentiated learning, assessment tools and enterprise support, institutions—schools, districts, two-year colleges and four-year universities—will be able to use the Vision’s benchmarks to monitor their progress. They can also complete the survey periodically as they work toward the Vision for K–20 in education. All educators who complete the survey will be entered in a drawing for free iTunes or Starbucks gift cards.
Deadline: May 24, 2012
Click Here to Participate in Vision K–20 Survey
Click Here to Learn More About Vision K–20 Initiative

Encourage Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Seventeen magazine and the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) are sponsoring the Make Your Own Money competition for aspiring entrepreneurs. The competition is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia and Canada who are 13 years of age or older and residing in their state or province at time of entry. Three winners will be awarded $2,000 for their business idea, plus a membership and resources from NFTE. All they have to do is write an essay of up to 500 words describing the type of business they want to establish, who their customers will be, how they will market their products and services and what the seed money will mean for them. All entries will be judged by a panel made up of Seventeen editors and staff members from NFTE based on the following criteria: innovation (33.3%); creativity (33.4%); business savvy (33.3%).
Deadline: June 1, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Instill a Love of Nature
To honor the late preservationist and ecologist Rachel Carson, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Generations United and the Rachel Carson Council are holding a photo, essay and poetry contest that “best expresses the Sense of Wonder that you feel for the sea, the night sky, forests, birds, wildlife and all that is beautiful to your eyes.” In her book The Sense of Wonder (written in the 1950s and published in a magazine in 1956), Carson used lyrical passages about the beauty of nature and the joys of helping children develop a sense of wonder and love of nature. Entries must be joint projects involving a person under age 18 and a person aged 50 or older. Winning entries will be published on the websites of the EPA Aging Initiative, Generations United and Rachel Carson Council.
Deadline: June 1, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Encourage Active Lifestyles
The Saucony Run for Good program encourages children to lead active and healthy lifestyles and offers grants to initiate and support running and fitness programs in order to have a positive impact on the lives of participants. To be eligible, organizations must have programs whose participants are 18 years of age or younger and have 501(c)(3) status. Public schools are eligible for the grant. The amount of the award varies.
Deadline: June 13, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Lure Students into Mathematical Thinking
The Education Arcade at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has announced the Lure of the Labyrinth Challenge, a free online math competition for grades 6–8. While playing Lure of the Labyrinth, students use mathematical thinking skills to progress through a compelling graphic-novel story. Students and educators have many chances to win prizes, such as tablets, books and technology tools, just for playing. Since the game is web based, students can play at home or at school, in the classroom, computer lab, library or during an after-school program. The Teachers section provides corresponding lessons for integrating the challenge into your classroom activities, although use of the lessons is not required. Students can play as little or as much as they want—and they will have continued access to the game over the summer.
Deadline: June 15, 2012
Click Here for More Information
Click Here to Access Free Lessons

Create a Digital Math Assessment
Educational Testing Service (ETS) is accepting entries from game developers and educators for a contest to create a computer game or mobile app that acts as a K–12 math assessment. ETS is looking for innovative ideas that produce evidence of students’ knowledge, skills and abilities in mathematics. The assessment tasks should be based on a Learning Progression for a field of mathematics in grades K–12. The ETS Assessment Games Challenge features three categories of entry: (1) variables and Equality Learning Progression (approximately grades 5–9), (2) linear Functions Learning Progression (approximately grades 7–10) and (3) open entry for another Learning Progression in any other K–12 mathematical content. Entries must include a working software application that runs on a widely available software platform (web, desktop, iOS, Android, etc.). One grand-prize winner will receive $7,000 and an all-expenses-paid trip for one person to showcase the winning project in a learning and games demo space at ETS in Princeton, New Jersey.
Deadline: Entries accepted from May 1, 2012 through August 17, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Encourage Respect, Inclusion, Engagement
The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) and Facing History and Ourselves have partnered with Teaching Tolerance to present the Choosing to Participate poster exhibit. With a message of respect, inclusion and civic engagement, Choosing to Participate aims to help build a more global society and a safer world by providing a set of 11 posters free to the first 10,000 educators who order it. On the Choosing to Participate site, you’ll find an exhibitor handbook with instructions for mounting, installing and promoting the posters, as well as PDF designs for each poster should you or your colleagues want to print additional sets. Orders are restricted to school-based educators only.
Click Here to Order Free Posters
Click Here to Visit Choosing to Participate Website

Go Behind the Kony Story
When the Kony 2012 video went viral in March, Primary Source started hearing from teachers that their students had questions about Uganda, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Joseph Kony and the video. So, to go beyond this video, Primary Source has recommended resources and articles on its website for teachers looking for background and contextual information about the LRA and Joseph Kony.
Click Here to Access Free Resources

Name the Food Ingredients
Do your students know what’s in some of their favorite foods? The Museum of Science+Industry in Chicago has designed a game to promote awareness of the ingredients in common foods. Would You Eat That? presents a food and a list of 10 ingredients that students may not expect to find in that food—anything from Acesulfame K to Yellow #5. Students choose the four ingredients they think are in each food item. If they don’t name all four on their first try, they’ll get clues and more guesses.
Click Here to Access Free Game

Explore the Nation’s Fiscal Challenges
Columbia University’s Teachers College has developed a free curriculum that includes 24 lesson plans in five subject areas—economics, civics, United States history, world history and mathematics. The Understanding Fiscal Responsibility curriculum covers, among other things, information about taxation, debt and deficit, and aims to help students explore the questions raised by the country’s fiscal policies. The first 10 lessons are available in hard copy and will be mailed, at no charge, to every high school in the country. Digital versions of those lessons, and an online glossary of terms used in the curriculum, are available at the project’s website. The rest of the lessons will follow in the coming weeks.
Click Here to Visit Website

Measure College-Going Patterns Among Students
Researchers at Harvard University are developing common indicators that will help determine the health and performance of school systems, just as price-to-earnings ratios show the financial health of a business. Harvard’s Center for Education Policy Research has released three measures that schools can use to get a better sense of college-going patterns among their students. These new Strategic Performance Indicators (SPIs) were tested using 10 years of historical data in five districts: Boston; Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina; Fort Worth; and Fulton and Gwinnett counties in Georgia. Together the districts serve 500,000 students and provide a snapshot of high school-to-college trends.
Click Here for More Information

Scholastic Teacher Express offers 1,700+ teaching resources—all for just $1. The PDFs are available instantly; there’s no wait, or hassle, or special equipment needed. Just print or project to your whiteboard.
Deadline: Offer valid through May 31, 2012
Click Here to Shop Dollar Deals!

Explore the Genius of the Inventive Mind
The free ebook It’s Cool to Be Clever tells the true story of Edson Hendricks, an inquisitive schoolboy in the 1950s who is bullied because he is so smart. He finds comfort in an imaginary world where he has machine parts and no biological organs or emotions. Years later, Edson’s strange capacity to “think like a machine” helps him create a way for computers to communicate. His “connectionless” network design is used in today’s Internet. This free iPad app is ideal for all ages, especially clever children aged 6 and up and anyone with an interest in Internet history and inventing. The story by Leanne Jones includes narration by Edson Hendricks and an original musical score. In addition, there are loads of pre-Internet emails, anecdotes and other computer science archival material, 12 video interviews with Edson Hendricks and three audio interviews of author/composer Leanne Jones. The story combines history, computers, the Internet and powerful messaging about bullying. Download the app, free of charge, from the iTunes App Store.
Click Here to Download Free App

Graph It, Solve It, Calculate It
Scientific Graphic Calculator is a math application that allows students to solve math problems needing a scientific calculator or a graphing calculator. The application has a triangle solver, which solves for a missing side or angle in geometry problems. Students can also use a unit converter and a constants reference to complete math problems. The app is compatible with the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. The cost for downloading is $1.99 in the iTunes App Store.
Click Here to Download App

Journey inside the Cell
Cell and Cell Structure is an iPad app that teaches middle school students about cells, cell structure and function. Users can view 3-D interactive graphics on different cell types and parts, take quizzes to test their knowledge and use flashcards to review information. Videos also give users a microscopic view of the cell. The app is available at a cost of $2.99 in the iTunes App Store.
Click Here to Download App

Design a Shelter for Earthquake Survivors
Simulations and Modeling in Technology Education (SMTE) is a five-year National Science Foundation–funded project that is researching the potential of a hybrid instructional model that blends computer gaming and physical modeling using tools and materials. The project, conducted by Hofstra University, includes a four-week-long 3-D computer game called Survival Master and a companion physical modeling curriculum specifically for middle school engineering and technology education students and teachers based on the Standards for Technological Literacy. The browser-based 3-D computer game teaches students about surface area and volume of geometric shapes, heat flow and structural design in the context of a challenge to design a shelter for survivors of an earthquake in a very cold climate. The beta testing in fall 2012 provides eighth-grade technology education teachers with the opportunity to use the product with the assistance of the project developers and expert engineering and technology educators who have pilot-tested the materials. Participants will be provided with complimentary access to the game and the physical modeling curriculum for use with their classes. Complete details are online.
Click Here to Visit Website

Elevate Students’ Minds
The National Flight Academy (NFA) wants to reignite students’ passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education. Through a series of immersive, aviation-inspired learning programs, students will literally be put in the cockpit and challenged to apply principles of STEM learning to real-world scenarios. The Aviation in Residence (AIR) program takes place onboard Ambition, located on the grounds of the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida. For multiple days, seventh through twelfth graders compete against one another in engaging and intense real-life scenarios that combine the thrill of flight with critical thinking techniques. The Aviation Classroom Experience (ACE) is an immersive learning environment for 21st century middle schools and high schools. Using digital media and real-life simulations, students are exposed to science, technology, engineering and math in novel ways. The Aviation Inspired Missions (AIM) is an immersive attraction designed to be experienced by parents and students at a public museum or science center. AIM touches on a few specific STEM topics during a brief 10- to 20-minute immersive experience. AIM also provides regional competitions that can be standalone multiplayer activities or can engage ACE students in multischool, multilevel competitions. Summer enrollment to AIR is now open. Visit the website for more information about all three programs.
Click Here to Visit Website

Take Action for the Environment
Will any of your students be visiting a national park or heading out to the country? Are they interested in unlocking a few of nature’s mysteries during their visit? The activity-filled Nature BioKit is a diagnostic tool for evaluating the biodiversity of the site they’ll be exploring. Tips on how to take action to conserve biodiversity are also provided in this free, downloadable kit.
Click Here to Access Nature BioKit

Plus: Biodiversity exists in the city too. Using the Urban BioKit, students can discover all the facets of nature between their home and a nearby park. They can evaluate the biodiversity of their neighborhood using a diagnostic tool included in the kit. Different eco-friendly tips in favor of biodiversity are suggested all along their adventure.
Click Here to Access Urban BioKit

Hit One Out of the Park
The Science of Baseball, an online resource from the Exploratorium in San Francisco, helps students understand how science and mathematics are involved in the game. The site includes video and audio clips of baseball players and scientists explaining how weather affects the flight of the ball, the physics of various pitches and reaction times to thrown and batted baseballs. There are also hands-on activities that you can do with your students after they’ve gone through the online resources.
Click Here to Visit Website

Plus: In the 1870s, an American woman could not vote. She could not own property in her own name after marriage. But she could play ball. Students can learn about The Girls of Summer in this section of the Science of Baseball site.
Click Here to Visit Website

Communicate About the Dropout Crisis
Public media stations across the country are partnering with local schools to launch youth media projects that will encourage students to tell their stories related to America’s dropout crisis and to become more engaged in school. The projects are part of American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen, an initiative supported by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) to help communities keep students in school until they graduate. American Graduate youth media projects use multimedia tools to foster greater academic engagement, teach technical media skills in group settings and give students a platform to communicate about the dropout crisis, all in a safe and constructive after-school environment.
Click Here to Visit Website

Explore the History of Immigration
Scholastic recently released an interactive timeline of immigration to the United States. The timeline is divided into five eras: A New Land, Expanding America, The American Dream, A Place of Refuge and Building a Modern America. Each era has several subsections where students will find captioned images and videos that explain the significance of immigration in that particular era.
Click Here to Visit Website

Integrate the Arts into Other Disciplines
The Walters Art Museum’s educational resources use the visual arts to teach concepts of social studies, science, language arts and math curricula. Designed for middle school students but adaptable for elementary and high school, all content, including the printable lessons and flash interactives, help visual arts teachers who want to integrate the arts into other disciplines or non-arts teachers who want to venture into the world of art. The site includes the following sections: Integrating the Arts: Islam, which explores Islamic art through the lenses of mathematics, language arts, science and social studies. Students can translate their name into Arabic, repair an ancient glass beaker using the refraction of light or fire a lusterware vessel. Integrating the Arts: China, which traces the evolution of Chinese writing. Students can follow a red dragon through an ancient tale and learn about Chinese symbolism. And Mummies, Manuscripts and Madonnas, which presents ancient, medieval and Renaissance art through dozens of language arts, science, social studies and math activities. Students can assemble a Roman sarcophagus, create a suit of armor or restore an ancient Mesopotamian relief to its original color.
Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here to Visit Islam Section
Click Here to Visit China Section
Click Here to Visit Mummies Section

Plus: Lesson plans based on Integrating the Arts were developed by teachers who participated in the Walters Art Museum’s Revive, Contemplate and Integrate workshop. Lesson plans for elementary, middle school and high school may be downloaded freely, as PDF files, from the museum’s website.
Click Here to Download Free Lesson Plans

Capture the Cyber Criminal
AT&T’s Safety Land is a game through which students learn and practice recognizing dangers on the Internet. The game is set in the city of Safety Land. As students navigate from building to building in the city, they’re confronted with a series of scenarios and questions to which they must respond. If they respond correctly to each scenario, they will capture the cyber criminal and send him to the Safety Land jail. Students who send the cyber criminal to jail receive a certificate they can print out.
Click Here to Visit Website

Browse K12TeacherStore.com for a wide variety of products published by leading K–12 education companies, all of them delivered digitally. Many of the ebooks can be used on interactive whiteboards and various mobile reading devices. All of the books whose covers you see displayed are on sale at a 15% discount. To stay informed about what’s going on with ebooks in K–12 schools, sign up for the free enewsletter, K12 TeacherFile.

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