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Hot Websites November/December
By Linda Lindroth

It's a small – and diverse – world after all, with these great geography links

National Geography Awareness Week is November 16-22, 2008, and December gives us a chance to study world cultures with holiday customs from around the world.

National Geographic Education
www.nationalgeographic.com/education
This year's National Geography Awareness Week theme is Migration – The Human Journey. The National Geographic Education site has hundreds of lessons, activities and resources to support your study of world cultures and a class study of the diverse cultures in your students' community.

Geography Action! is an annual conservation program that begins with National Geography Awareness Week. National Geographic and its partners have developed theme-based activities and lesson plans to help K-12 teachers address the need for geography education, one of the nine core curriculum areas identified by NCLB. Click on the Geography Action! link to follow the themes from past years and to see comprehensive lesson plans for the migration theme, as well as interactive games and related websites.

Kidspace: Culture Quest
www.ipl.org/div/kidspace/cquest
Take a world tour without leaving the classroom with this excellent resource from the Internet Public Library. Travel to Africa, Australia, North, South and Central America, Europe and the Middle East. Many of the tours include national parks and animal reserves. Visit museums in each country and link to holidays and games. It's a great way to celebrate holidays! This resource is sure to support many topics in your curriculum.

United Nations
www.un.org
December 10th is Human Rights Day. Visit the UN website and click on the CyberSchoolBus link for comprehensive lessons and resources on human rights, peace, and community. This is also an excellent resource for your study of countries and holiday customs from around the world.

InfoNation is an extensive database of country research divided into basic and advanced for use at different grade levels. Try your luck with Flag Tag, the Urban Fact game or the Water Quiz. Review the list of UN publications and download curriculum. Your students will want to view The Gallery of student artwork - and maybe submit some of their own art for curriculum projects.

Interwrite SchoolPad -- Tech Spotlight

The demand is rising in today's classrooms for wireless technology – teachers want the flexibility that comes with using a portable writing tool from anywhere in the classroom. GTCO CalComp's InterWrite SchoolPad 400 is an exciting addition to the Bluetooth wireless market. Teachers can now annotate, write notes or highlight using the pen tools included with SchoolPad. The School-Pad has 40 hours of battery life when charged. A USB adapter and software provide the Bluetooth for your PC or Mac. The InterWrite Software, or included RM EasiTeach Studio starter pack, makes it easy to create awesome interac- tive lessons. The pen is also a fully functioning mouse. You can save, print and e-mail lessons, too!

Visit www.gtcocalcomp.com for more inform-ation and to see other GTCO products, or call 800-344-4723. $585

Linda K. Lindroth is Technology Editor and Web Coordinator for Teaching K-8. She is also a Technology Resource Teacher in a K-5 computer lab in Lexington, KY.

Updated November 2008
November/December 2005, Vol.36, No.3