Inspire Creativity and Innovation
The Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship’s (NFTE) World Series of Innovation, presented by Microsoft, is a fun, experiential activity that allows students to think creatively and invent new products or services that address everyday opportunities. All students are encouraged to participate to develop their creativity and innovative thinking. The categories for the innovation challenge in 2012 will be announced in mid-August, with further details, sample submissions and even additional activities to support your work on the different challenge levels. There will be two winning teams per category: one chosen by a committee of elite judges from the sponsoring organization, and one chosen by popular vote through NFTE’s online voting platform. The winning students will receive prize packages from this year’s sponsors; their sponsoring classrooms, schools or youth groups will receive grants of $2,500 from the sponsors and NFTE. If a winning student team is not affiliated with a school or nonprofit youth-serving organization, the $2,500 grant will be donated to a school or nonprofit of the team’s choice. When the innovation challenges are announced in mid-August, specific additional prizes will be announced as well.
Deadlines: Check website in mid-August for 2012 information
Click Here for More Information

Foster Leadership in Women and Girls
The Open Meadows Foundation is a grant-making organization that funds projects designed and implemented by women and girls, particularly those from vulnerable communities. The projects must be led by and benefit women and girls and reflect the diversity of the community in both its leadership and its organization. The projects must also build community power and promote racial, social, economic and environmental justice. All 501(c)(3) organizations that have an organizational budget no larger than $150,000 and have limited financial access, or have encountered obstacles in their search for funding, are eligible for a grant of up to $2,000.
Deadline: August 15, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Integrate the Arts into Special Needs Programs
The P. Buckley Moss Foundation for Children’s Education has grants available for up to $1,000 to be awarded for year 2012 with the grant monies to be used in 2013 programs. Applications may be made for a grant of up to $1,000 to support a new or evolving program that integrates the arts into educational programming. The purpose is to aid and support teachers who wish to establish an effective learning tool using the arts in teaching children who learn differently.
Deadline: September 30, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Plant the Seeds of Learning
The Herb Society of America (HSA) is accepting applications for its Donald Samull Classroom Herb Garden Grant. Public and private school teachers of grades 3–6 with a minimum class size of 15 are eligible to apply. Five schools will each receive four Prepara Power Plant pro indoor soil-less gardening stations, plus educational materials from HSA to use in the classroom. Each gardening station will include the unit, grow sponge, nutrient, seeds and lamp. Four schools or classrooms will receive $200 in “seed money” to establish an outdoor herb garden. The funds may be used for supplies, such as soil, plant trays, containers and child-sized or youth-sized tools. HSA will provide seeds and educational materials.
Deadline: October 1, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Say It in Six Words
SMITH Magazine, home of the Six-Word Memoir project, has announced a new book of Six-Word Memoirs with a new twist: all the memoirs will be illustrated by students—from grade school to grad school, art classes of all ages or the work of MFA candidates. Both the word and the image should be by the same author. Submissions will be accepted through October 15, after which a selection of the illustrated memoirs will be chosen for inclusion in a forthcoming ebook entitled Things Don’t Have to Be Complicated: The Art of Six-Word Memoirs by Students of the World. Published by TED Books, a division of the TED Conference, this book will be the eighth in the Six-Word Memoir series—and the first entirely by students.
Deadline: Submissions accepted through October 15, 2012
Click Here for More Information

Encourage Responsible Digital Citizenship
Google has developed an interactive YouTube curriculum to support teachers in educating students on how to be safe, engaged model “netizens.” The initiative aims to help students aged 13–17 develop digital literacy skills on YouTube that would be applicable across the web. Ten lessons have been devised, in which students learn about YouTube’s policies, including how to report content, how to protect their own privacy and how to be responsible YouTube community members and, in the broader picture, digital citizens. The lessons range from five minutes to 50 minutes but can be adapted to fit teachers’ schedules. Each of the lessons includes a teacher’s guide, presentation slides and a list of related videos. There’s also a YouTube Curriculum channel where videos related to the project are posted.
Click Here to Access Free Google Interactive Curriculum
Click Here to Access Free YouTube Curriculum Channel

Learn a New Computer Term Every Day
Webopedia is a free online dictionary that includes words, phrases and abbreviations related to computer and Internet technology. Webopedia provides easy-to-understand definitions in plain language, avoiding the use of heavy jargon so that the site is accessible to users with a wide range of computer knowledge. The entries are compiled by experienced editors who gather information from standards bodies, leading technology companies, universities, professional online technical publications, white papers and professionals working in the field. The sources used are often listed in the links section below the definition if the sources can provide more information than was included in the definition. The definitions evolve and change as technologies change, so the definitions on Webopedia are frequently updated to reflect trends in the field. New terms are added daily, and many of the new terms are suggested by the site’s users. In addition to a definition of the term or phrase, Webopedia also provides links to sources of further information on the topic, where applicable.
Click Here to Access Free Online Dictionary

Plus: From top tips and best practice guides to protocols and biometrics, Webopedia’s Quick Reference section helps users understand how technology works. Because complicated technology can be intimidating, the Quick Reference articles break down the subject to just the facts and information needed to learn about common computer, Internet and technology topics.
Click Here to Access Free Quick Reference Articles

Submit Your Lit
YouLit Magazine is an online digital arts and literary publication for teens by teens. The magazine features poetry, photography, essays, illustrations and graphic designs created by teens. The first issue of YouLit was published in the spring of 2012. The magazine accepts all genres and styles of literary and visual art from high school students from anywhere in the country. This includes poetry, spoken word, lyrics, fiction, creative nonfiction, essays, reviews, graphic design and photography.
Click Here to Access Guidelines and Submission Form

Teach History and Culture Through Art
The University of Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery offers teachers materials that link history and culture to artworks. One of the lesson plans is based on Jacob Lawrence’s painting The 1920s: The Migrants Arrive and Cast Their Ballots. Another lesson plan is based on Albert Bierstadt’s paintings of the American West, which gave Americans a spectacular view of their expanding nation.
Click Here to Access Free Lesson Plans

Plus: The Memorial Art Gallery’s free Guidelines for Leading a Guided Looking Process in the Classroom helps teachers create their own visual literacy lesson plans using any object.
Click Here to Access Guidelines

Network to Learn, Collaborate to Innovate
This August the US Department of Education’s Office of Educational Technology (OET) and the American Institutes for Research (AIR) will convene the Connected Educator Month. During Connected Educator Month, teachers and other school leaders are encouraged to collaborate and innovate online. More than 50 organizations—from the American School Counselor Association and Cisco to the National Association of Elementary School Principals—will participate in the online event. Throughout August, educators will have opportunities to participate in dozens of online activities, including forums, webinars and contests, intended to develop skills and enhance learning. The Connected Educators website also will offer tools and resources to help educators become more connected.
Click Here for More Information About Connected Educator Month
Click Here to Visit Connected Educators Website

Talk About Scary News with Children
Talking with Kids About News, a website sponsored by PBS Parents, can help teachers, parents and other caregivers develop strategies for discussing today’s headlines—from war and violence to the latest storms. The site offers age-by-age insights to calm children’s fears, stimulate their minds and encourage them to think about their place in today’s world.
Click Here to Visit Website

Keep Up with News on the Olympics
The London 2012 Olympics have begun, and this year’s Olympics tout a first for the games—all participating countries will send female athletes to compete. More than 200 countries will compete for gold medals in London, reminding us of just how interconnected our world is. The News and Events section of Primary Source includes a listing of recommended websites where you can keep up with Olympics news. You’ll also find Twitter handles and hashtags to follow so you can stay current with winners. In addition, the Primary Source site provides book suggestions for learning more about the host city, London.
Click Here to Visit Website

Interact with Robotic Explorers
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory has created an augmented-reality app for the iPhone and iPad called Spacecraft 3D. This free app lets students learn about and interact with a variety of spacecraft used to explore our solar system, study Earth and observe the universe. Using a printed AR Target and the camera on their mobile device, students can get up close with these robotic explorers, see how they move and learn about the engineering feats used to expand our knowledge and understanding of space. Spacecraft 3D will be updated over time to include more of the amazing spacecraft that act as our robotic eyes on Earth and beyond.
Click Here to Download Free App

Use Mobile Devices to Move and Learn
Open a magazine or catalog, or take a look at signs in your local grocery store these days and you’re likely to see a QR (Quick Response) code. (A QR code is a two-dimensional matrix barcode readable by smartphones with cameras to help users identify a specific URL and other information that a company wants them to access via their mobile device.) QR codes can be used in schools for academic purposes as well. The QR Treasure Hunt Generator provides you with everything you need to get started creating your own QR codes and use them in your classroom. To use the QR Treasure Hunt Generator, you simple type a series of questions and answers, generate the QR codes using the tool on the site and then print and display the codes around your classroom or school.
Click Here to Access QR Code Generator

Plus: When they’re ready to scan QR codes, students can visit Kaywa to get QR readers for their smartphones. Alternatively if they have Android phones, they can try the free QR Droid app, and if they have iPhones, they can try the free NeoReader App.
Click Here to Download Kaywa Reader
Click Here to Download Android App
Click Here to Download iPhone App

Move Beyond Awareness of Bullying
The Stop Bullies app for iPad, iPhone and Android devices allows students to report incidents of bullying anonymously by sending photos, messages and other information to school administrators, who are alerted in real time. Each message includes a GPS tag that can help adults intervene.
Click Here for More Information
Click to Download Demo

Plus: The Back Off Bully (BOB) app was created by students and offers similar features, along with resources on bullying and a function that allows students to schedule counseling appointments. BOB is the brainchild of 15 students in a research, design and development class at Metropolitan Business Academy, a magnet high school in New Haven, Connecticut. With the touch of a finger on a cell phone, students can anonymously report a bullying incident to school administration. The app works on any cell phone, tablet or computer with access to the Internet.
Click Here to Try Out Application

Bring Scientific Breakthroughs to Life Through Art
In a new collaboration, artists are taking the inventions of teenage scientists and turning them into posters. The SciArt Series is a collection of art that celebrates the scientific breakthroughs at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). To celebrate innovations that have the potential to solve global problems, Intel paired artists with high school students at ISEF to create original pieces of art based on scientific breakthroughs. Illustrators, graphic designers and sculptors collaborated with high school students from the fair to artistically bring their breakthroughs to life and increase scientific awareness across the globe.
Click Here to Visit Intel Science and Engineering Fair Website
Click Here to Visit SciArt Website

Plus: Check out the trailer for NPR’s “What’s Your Big Idea?” video contest, featuring Intel ISEF finalists. Then invite your students to enter their own big ideas. NPR will promote their ideas and connect the grand-prize winner with an expert for advice on how to make the winning big idea reality. The video contest is designed for people aged 13 to 25. Students can make the video by themselves, or as a team of up to three people. Entering is simple: first students upload their video to YouTube; then they fill out the online registration form.
Deadline: August 12, 2012
Click Here for More Information About NPR Contest

Join a “Cool” Science and Engineering Collaboration
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Khan Academy have partnered on an initiative called MIT+K12. As part of the collaboration, videos produced by MIT students will be available through the academy’s website. MIT students are creating five- to 10-minute videos teaching the basics of engineering and science to K–12 students. The MIT students select the subjects or generate videos on topics requested by instructors, students or others. The videos are then posted on an MIT website and a designated YouTube channel. MIT students have created approximately 75 videos so far, and half can currently be viewed on the MIT+K12 YouTube channel. The videos cover topics such as Earth’s rotation, flying robots, basic chemistry, forces on an airplane, heat transfer and pixel engineering. The MIT+K12 program will also connect K–12 students and teachers with the MIT students who created the videos.
Click Here to Visit Website

Bring the Joy of “Making” to Students
SparkTruck is an educational build-mobile! The project began as SparkLab, a group of Stanford d.school students passionate about making, education and technology. As part of a yearlong thesis project, the Stanford group talked with teachers, students and other experts about hands-on learning. They were shocked to find that due to tight budgets and strict testing requirements, many schools don’t have the flexibility or equipment to support hands-on building. So they decided to do something about it. They ran a campaign to raise some money for a truck and some high-tech maker equipment, such as a laser cutter and 3-D printers. Now they’re driving across the country, spreading the fun of hands-on learning and encouraging youth to find their inner maker. At each stop, their general plan is to host three events: a hands-on workshop for students (aged 8–12) with tools from the truck (20 students per workshop); a workshop for local educators centered around using the hands-on learning approach in the classroom (10 teachers per workshop); and a community coffee chat, hanging out in a local gathering spot for a few hours to chat with other members of the community about technology, education, design or just life in general!
Click Here to Visit Website
Click Here for Road Trip Schedule

Teach with Popular Culture
Making Curriculum Pop (MC POP) is a resource-sharing community for educators interested in best practices and teaching with/about pop culture. It’s hard for individual teachers to catch every cool website, video clip, song, study guide or comic, but collectively MC POP is a forum where educators can share resources to reinvent the core curriculum and the larger dialogue on public education. So if you use popular and common cultures to reflect, refract, refocus and reinvent your core curriculum, visit MC POP and join a group or set up one of your own. Groups in the community include Media Education/Literacy, New Media and Technology, Math and Science Educators, Sustainable/Green Educators, Digital Storytelling, Graphic Novels & Comics, Modern Languages & ELL, Adolescent Literature—and more.
Click Here to Visit Website

Bring Real Life to Learning
All Terrain Brain (ATB) is a multimedia project designed to help students take their brains “off road” and tap into their entrepreneurial spirits. The project includes several components, including 25 animated music videos, interactive ATB website and free downloadable Team ATB Activity Guide. Each of these components helps students discover they have the power to do whatever they want in life. The Educators page, for teachers and group leaders working with youth aged 8 to 12, has a wealth of resources to help young people develop the critical and creative thinking skills they need in order to get excited about opportunities and take control of their futures. With brain-twisting group activities, singable animated videos and a series of badge-collecting web experiences, ATB inspires students to discover passions, think creatively, take responsibility, embrace change, persevere, set goals, solve problems and dream big.
Click Here to Visit Website

Turn Learning on Its Head
Launched in the spring of 2012, the Flipped Learning Network (FLN) provides educators with the knowledge, skills and resources to successfully implement the Flipped Learning Ideology. Under the Schedule of Events heading is a listing of workshops and other events hosted by FLN, co-hosted with FLN or generally open to the public in regards to Flipped Learning. Flip Your Classroom: Reach Every Student in Every Class Every Day (2012) is the first book on flipped learning co-published by ISTE and ASCD. The book is now available for your eReader. In addition, you can watch hundreds of videos in the Flipped Learning Education TV channel, hosted by JDL Horizon’s EduVision. The videos are sorted by subject area, grade level and presenter.
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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Explore the Web Wednesday feature on www.bigdealbook.com. Here you’ll find new interactive experiences and resources that incorporate 21st century themes and skills into the study of core subjects.