Hot Websites March 2007
By Linda Lindroth

Incorporate women's history and arts education into your lesson plans with these wonderful new curriculum resources.

iWASwondering
www.iwaswondering.org
The National Academy of Sciences showcases women scientists and their accomplishments with this website. An animated character, Lia, is the narrator for all of the career stories. Comic animations for each of the scientists let students scroll across the story to reveal more information about each scientist.

Each of the ten working scientists has a homepage with an interactive scrapbook of text, pictures, and animations about her life - from childhood to current workday. Also featured are videos to watch, science labs to try and related web links. A Games link lets students apply knowledge of science careers to interactive science games.

• Astroscope challenges students to choose a view of the universe and use a telescope to complete a scavenger hunt on objects in space.
• Gorilla Quest! is a simulation where students become nature biologists and track gorilla clues to find and observe these animals in the jungle.
• In Make a Robot, students design their own robot and then test it in the Robot Lab.

There is also a Time Travel Timeline of 25 amazing women scientists where students can scroll and learn more about the lives of these incredible scientists.

The site features the lives of ten contemporary women scientists, based on a 10-volume biography series, Women's Adventures in Science published by Joseph Henry Press and Scholastic Library Publishing. Stories include careers in oceanography, astronomy, neuropsychology, space geology, nature biology, and anthropology. For more information about the book series, visit www.nap.edu/catalog/was/ $89.50 for the series; $9.95 per book.

Renaissance Connection
www.renaissanceconnection.org
Thirty-seven digital images from the Allentown Art Museum form the basis for this middle school study of Renaissance Art. Lesson plans and online interactions focus on learning about the arts with integration into the core content areas of the curriculum.

Using audio and animation, students explore the visual arts of the Renaissance, study the life of artists and connect innovations to today's world. The Time Telescope looks back over the innovations of the 1400's forward to 2000 - and even design your own innovation!

MuseumKids
www.metmuseum.org/explore/museumkids.htm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has a web resource for kids that's a must-visit. There's even a Daily Artwork Archive and Family Programs in Spanish.

Use the Timeline of Art History to expand any project-based study of the arts. The Timeline allows students to research art and artists by using the art icon, the timeline bar by year or era, by feature or special topic category. What a comprehensive resource for a class research project during Art Month.

The interactive "For Kids to Try Right Now!" is rich with online art exploration of the Museum's collections and special exhibits. "Cezanne's Amazing Apple" uses animation to guide students through a study of art still life with Things to Do, an art tool for creating original artwork using shapes, and "An Apple a Day" story students can listen to. Dozens of online features include "In the Footsteps of Marco Polo," "George Washington Crossing the Delaware," and special topics in "Explore and Learn."

Polycom PowerCam Presenter-- Tech Spotlight

Even if you are just beginning to use videoconferencing, the PowerCam Presenter by Polycom lets you move about the room to provide student assistance or illustrate a teaching point on the whiteboard while the camera follows your movements. The PowerCam Presenter is an automatic tracking camera which works with any videoconferencing system with an S-video port..

The PowerCam uses a wireless locator tracker pack and ultrasonic acoustic technology - just press the track button on the remote and the camera follows your movements up to 50 feet. The PowerCam comes with camera module, locator pack, tracking controller and cables. The eight-hour battery life makes it easy to use throughout the day.

Visit www.polycom.com/education for more information, or call 800-765-9266. $7,995

Linda K. Lindroth is Teaching K-8's technology editor and website coordinator, and a technology resource teacher at Russell Cave Elementary School in Lexington, KY.

March 2007 Volume 37, Number 6