Internet Media Specials

Hard to believe, but it's the 10th year of the Edublog Awards. Here's the history of the awards, as taken from the Edublogs web page: "The Edublog Awards started in 2004 in response to community concerns relating to how schools, districts and educational institutions were blocking access of learner and teacher blog sites for educational purposes.  The purpose of the Edublog awards is promote and demonstrate the educational values of these social media."  Nominations are taking place now until December 1st. Here's how it works: write a blog post mentioning your favorite blogs, (categories are listed here) then send the link to your blog post by completing the form here.  The one condition is that you can't nominate yourself. LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

I've been using the full version of TechSmith's SnagIt for about seven years now and love it. It's not an expensive program (I was lucky and won a copy at EdCamp Philly a few years ago) but can cost a bit when you need hundreds of licenses for your school. SnagIt just partnered with Google to offer an app and extension of their program which can be used with the Chrome browser and is linked to your Gmail account. Screen captures are saved to a folder on your Google Drive named "Techsmith". If you wish to share a capture with your students, you are given a shortened URL where the image resides. Please note that if you are used to the full SnagIt version, this one has its limitations; image size cannot be changed, one arrow, circle or square style is available, (a handful of colors) one font can be used and the image is saved as a .png. For most people, this will be quite enough. Here's a brief tutorial which I made with the full version of SnagIt. You can find both the extension and app at the Chrome Store.

I have had an interest in the Kennedy Assassination since eighth grade, when I wrote a research paper on it. This monumental event has captivated the world and has remained a mystery to those of us who believe that a conspiracy was involved. Friday, November 22, 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's death. John F. Kennedy was the  youngest person to ever be elected to the presidency, and his youthful good looks will forever be frozen in time. This is a teaching moment for all students.

SIDE NOTE: The majority of teachers in my school were not even born yet when this occurred. Makes me feel old, but it also seems like just yesterday.


5 Things You May Not Know About JFK's Assassination- from CNN





Books on the Kennedy Assassination- over 2,000 books, Kindle, audio

The Cuban Missile Crisis: How to Respond?- lesson plan from the JFK Library and Museum

Documents Related to the Kennedy Assassination- from DocsTeach; list of eleven items includes photos, memos, diagram, speech

Everything Changed: JFK's Life and Death- Tom Brokow interviews famous people about JFK

Footage of Kennedy Assassination Used as a Teaching Tool in Oklahoma City High School

JFK50- Kennedy speaks about civil rights, public service, science and innovation, foreign policy

JFK Assassination: Conspiracy or Not?- webquest for 6th grade students

The JFK Assassination Timetable- from M.I.T.

JFK Biography- from bio.com








JFK Media Library- from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

John F. Kennedy Biography- from Whitehouse.gov

John F. Kennedy Timeline- Sparknotes

Kennedy's Final Days- photos capture the last few days of Kennedy's life, from his arrival in San Antonio, Texas on November 21, 1963.

Killing Kennedy-National Geographic's interactive shows Oswald and Kennedy's life stories side-by-side

The Life of John F. Kennedy- from the JFK Library and Museum

A Look Back at the Death of President John F. Kennedy 50 Years Ago- CBS News page of interviews, photos and much more

New Photos of JFK's Final Minutes- recently released



The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection- from the National Archives

Readers Remember a Terrible Day- stories published in the LA Times

Remembering JFK: Required Reading- from School Library Journal

Remembering John F. Kennedy- interactive from Associated Press includes a map of Dealey Plaza

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza- "approximately 40,000 items related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the local and global aftermath of his tragic death, the legacy of his presidency and the history and culture of the 1960s." Online collections highlights here.

Timeline: Most Important Events of the Kennedy Presidency

USA Today Article: Most Still Believe in JFK Assassination Conspiracy



The Warren Commission Report- from the National Archives

Was Kennedy Tied to the Mob?- from the National Geographic Channel

What Does the Zapruder Film Really Tell Us?- article from Smithsonian Magazine

In December of 2012, I posted 30 Resources to Help Students Cope with Tragedies. Last night, only five minutes from where I live, another incident occurred involving guns. A lone man entered the Westfield Mall in Paramus, NJ dressed all in black and carrying an assault weapon. The only person he killed was himself, but it once again brought up the topic of gun violence, and why anyone needs to own such a powerful weapon. If you discuss the topic of gun violence and gun control, here are some excellent sites:

2nd Amendment Teacher Resources-  867 resources from Lesson Planet; grades 5-12

C-Span Classroom Deliberations- lesson plan handouts include vocabulary sheet

Google Scholar- searches only scholarly or academic articles

Gun Control Lesson Plan- for grades 9-12 from Discovery Education

The Gun Debate- from PBS NewsHour

Gun Violence Prevention- Huffington Post articles




Points of View- database included in the EBSCO subscription  

Political Cartoon Interpretation- does not specify age level, but my guess is 7-12

Pro-Con.org- covers 49 controversial

Pros and Cons of Gun Control- Prezi by Elizabeth Mathis

Teaching About Gun Control After Newtown- from the NY Times Learning Network

Times Topics- topic page collect news, reference and archival information, photos, audio and video files; goes back to 1981

Watershed: Teaching About Gun Control After Newtown- NY Times Learning Network lesson plan

The first version of this presentation was so well done, that I was surprised the creator did an update. After watching this, you will always think about how you should do your own presentations. Excellent job again, Jesse!