·http://www.msichicago.org/education/

Located in Chicago's Hyde Park, the Museum of Science & Industry is housed in the Palace of Fine Arts, the one remaining structure from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. Within these walls, visitors can learn about coal mining in southern Illinois as well as the human body. Through this website, visitors can take advantage of the museum's online offerings that are specifically designed to assist educators. For example, the What's New area allows visitors to take advantage of free classroom activities and hands-on experiments in Summer Brain Games. Moving along, the Featured Classroom Activities area contains activities that are designed to help students learn how to build a wind turbine or learn how to craft an electric motor. All told, there are over two dozen activities here, including Cookie Mining and a step-by-step tutorial on how to make slime. [KMG]

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·http://guides.ucf.edu/homepage

Many academic libraries pride themselves on their online research guides on a variety of interests, including comparative literature, chemistry, and dozens of other subjects. The University of Central Florida Libraries has just such a collection and it covers fourteen different topical areas, including Engineering, Florida, and Public Affairs & Law. Each of these areas contains additional subtopics, complete with detailed annotations and references. The Florida section is a true gem as it covers topics such as GLBTQ resources, cartography, and weather. Additionally, each heading also includes specific references to other digital collections created by the University of Central Florida Libraries. [KMG]

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·http://www.compadre.org/precollege/features/FeatureArchive.cfm?Type=TechTool&C=Precollege

Out on The Physics Front, there are many fabulous apps, resources, videos, and the like devoted to the teaching of Physics and Physical Science. Within the Technology Tool Archive, the curious physicist can look over hundreds of resources, including video modeling, a virtual microscope, and even a browser-based graphing calculator. Visitors can also explore Editor Selections by topic or unit, such as conceptual physics and algebra-based physics. Frequent users are encouraged to create their own shared folders for future reference, which may prove particularly helpful for referring to the educational standards provided with each available resource. [KMG]

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·http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13398

What skills do people need to survive in the 21st century? It's a great question and one that is examined in painstaking detail by the authors of this 242-page report published by the National Academies Press. Released in 2012, the report responds to a charge from the National Research Council to define the set of key skills that are referenced by the labels "deeper learning, "21st century skills," and so on. The chapters here include "A Preliminary Classification of Skills and Abilities" and "Importance of Deeper Learning and 21st Century Skills." This is a great read for those with an interest in education, public policy, and the like. [KMG]

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·http://www.geo.umass.edu/stategeologist/frame_edu.htm

Created and maintained by the Massachusetts Geological Survey, this set of remarkable resources is the perfect thing for earth science teachers working with high school and college students. Adapted from original resources from the from the Maine Geologic Survey and the Kentucky Geologic Survey, these resources are organized into nine areas, including Lesson Plans, College Educators, and Fact Sheets. The Lesson Plans are a great place to start, containing over a dozen sites of note, including those from the American Geological Institute and the Society for Sedimentary Geology. Visitors would also do well to peruse the Fieldtrip Resources area as it offers up some great suggestions for getting up close and personal with the roadside geology of New England. [KMG]

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·http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/

If you have ever dreamed of finding a place to access over 100,000 publications written by experts at the United States Geological Survey, you can stop dreaming. This publication warehouse is a scientific cornucopia of epic proportions. A great place to start is with the New Publications by USGS Authors. Here, publications range from thoughtful meditations on suspended solids in West Fork Beaver Creek to critical appraisals of climate change in Accra. Visitors can also browse all of the publications by type and year or sign up to receive news updates via email. The site is rounded out by a very useful FAQ area and contact information. [KMG]

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·http://uli.org/publications/featured-videos/

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) offers up high-quality seminars, conferences, research materials, and long term planning information for real estate professionals, urbanologists, public leaders, and others. Its Featured Videos include observations from professionals in Europe talking about large scale megaprojects to conversations about transit planning in Chicago. A good place to start is with "The Changing World: A ULI Speaker Series," which includes conversations on "The Power of Face-to-Face Crowdfunding" and renegade urban gardening. Other great videos highlight infrastructure challenges in African cities and how communities rebuild after major environmental disasters. [KMG]

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·http://mathbits.com/

The goal of Math Bits is to offer "fun, yet challenging, lessons and activities." The site was created by two mathematics educators intent on increasing the love of math. The resources provided here are divided into more than two dozen categories, including algebra and geometry. Visitors should also note the Math and the Movies area, as it contains some great ideas on ways to teach math using movie clips. Another great feature of the site are the basic lessons on programming in C++ along with helpful instructional materials for utilizing PowerPoint in the classroom. The site is rounded out by MathBit's newsletter and a place where visitors can download 31 different types of graph paper. [KMG]

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·http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz001dzc12

Born in 1920, cellist James Arkatov performed with the San Francisco Symphony and other organizations before helping form the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. As the son of a photographer, he also became quite well known for his shots of various artists, conductors, and soloists in performance. He later donated this amazing trove of images to the UCLA Library allowing for this digitized collection of over 780 photos for public consideration. The collection is a wonderful way to learn about the vitality of the Los Angeles music scene in the second half of the 20th century, presenting photos of Aaron Copland at the podium, Abbey Lincoln singing, and Andre Watts at the keyboard. Visitors can scroll through the photos at their leisure or search by name or subject. [KMG]

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·http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/obama/

In 2008, Cornell Library's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections (RMC) began building a collection of political campaign publicity and memorabilia documenting the campaign and election of President Barack Obama. These materials are archived on this website, complete with a digital catalog and index. As the site's introduction notes, the collection will be of interest to multiple disciplines, including art, art history, history, and American studies. Visitors can use the Browse/Search feature to explore over 80 images, including iconic posters created by Shepard Fairey, promotional materials, and folk art. [KMG]

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·http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/georgiansrevealed/index.html

What was life like during the Georgian era in Britain? During the period between 1714 and 1830, cities and towns were transformed, conspicuous consumption became the pastime of the emerging middle classes, and gardening and shopping for leisure became commonplace. This digital companion to the British Library's "Georgians Revealed" exhibit brings together some of the key books and newspapers from the period, along with details about guided tours through the physical exhibitions, a Georgian London walking tour, and more. For those unable to view the exhibit in person, this companion site provides brief but detailed narratives on interesting facets of the exhibit, including dancing with the Georgians and celebrity culture. The site is rounded out by an excellent timeline of key events from the time of George I (1714-1727) to George IV (1820-1830) accompanied by vivid illustrations and portraiture. [KMG]

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·http://guides.lib.usf.edu/content.php?pid=49131&sid=364819

What's so special about oranges? They are a major cash crop for Florida and other warm weather places, and this fascinating oral history project from the University of South Florida (USF) explores the very nature of this industry. Working together with the USF's Patel Center for Global Studies, oral historian William Mansfield conducted 20 interviews regarding the impact of globalization on the Florida citrus industry. Visitors can listen to or read the interviews, as well as look over the online exhibition, "Selling Sunshine: Florida's Citrus Industry." The exhibition details Florida's unique relationship with the citrus industry, incorporating documents, promotional material, and post cards with its information. The website hosts a remarkable collection that will be of interest to oral historians, folks with an interest in Florida, and many others. [KMG]

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·http://www.hagstromerlibrary.ki.se/

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Hagstromer Medico-Historical Library is the Introduction. Visitors are treated to a fine prologue that explains the wide benefits and importance of using historical texts to understand the history of science and medicine. After building a foundational knowledge of medical history, visitors can then explore the site's collections. There is the option to learn more about Andres Johan Hagstromer himself, as well as view upcoming events sponsored by the library. The site also provides access to the remarkable Bibliotheca Systema Naturae. From here, users can find hundreds of digitized books ranging from acupuncture to zoology. Finally, visitors can read short biographies of prominent individuals who have contributed to the field of science and medicine throughout history. [KMG]

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·http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2013/isagenzken/

Visit this website from the Museum of Modern Art in New York City (MoMA) for a crash course on Isa Genzken (German, b. 1948), who "is arguably one of the most important and influential female artists of the past thirty years." Genzken is primarily a sculptor working with found materials to create assemblage sculptures, but the exhibition encompasses the variety of work she has created in different media, between 1974 and 2012, including paintings, photographs, collages, drawings, artist's books, films, and public sculptures. The website provides a chronology of Genzken's life and work, an interactive map of her activities in New York City, and a comprehensive, illustrated list of the works in the exhibition, many accompanied by text or audio. Work is arranged partially thematically and partially by date. For example, Gallery 9: 2003?2012, includes Genzken's Ground Zero series of pieces proposed as an alternate, human scale set of buildings for the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks as well as other work from the period that was not part of that series. For more personal insight, watch Interviews, a 22-minute video that records the answers of gallery owners, art collectors, artists, museum curators, and people in the street who were asked "Who is Isa Genzken?" [DS]

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·http://kindred.stanford.edu/

Are Charles Darwin and Jane Austin connected by blood? It's a good question, and this remarkable site from Stanford University has answers for the curious visitor. The Kindred Britain site presents a network of nearly 30,000 individuals connected through family relationships of blood, marriage, or affiliation. Visitors can use the Learn More area to first find out how to use the site. After this exploration, visitors can "connect the dots" by dragging the circles onto each other to learn about connections between individuals. There's also a color guide to the various tabs and circles here that is most helpful. The site also features a timeline that's a real pip and the Stories area has some nice, short historical essays on Frankenstein and "Centrality and Notability in Genealogy." [KMG]

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·http://ir.uiowa.edu/goldfinch/

What is a goldfinch, you ask? Of course it is a beautiful bird, but it is was also an Iowa history magazine for young people. Published quarterly by the State Historical Society of Iowa from 1975 to 2000, each issue had a theme (such as immigrants) and included articles, games, and fiction. The University of Iowa Libraries has digitized all of these back issues and visitors can scroll through all of them from this site. Visitors might do well to start by looking at the issues titled "Health in Iowa" and "Traveling Entertainment." Educators might consider these works as a model for teaching young people about history as each issues is well-curated and contains a mix of visual materials and thoughtful text. [KMG]

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·https://sumall.com/

Interested in learning about your social media reach? You may want to check out SumAll which is a rather nice way to do just that. After signing up for the free version, visitors will receive a daily digest of their social media influence on over a dozen platforms, including LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ and others. It's a powerful tool that is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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·https://www.vocabularynotebook.com/

If you're looking for a fine way to get your vocabulary up to speed, you should definitely check out Vocabulary Notebook. Teachers can use the program to study words with their students in the classroom and individuals can use it to craft their own personalized vocabulary lists for reviewing while on the go. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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The Beatles: 50 years after 'Ed Sullivan' they're everywhere, in everything
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/2014/0209/The-Beatles-50-years-after-Ed-Sullivan-they-re-everywhere-in-everything-video

CBS's 'Grammy Salute' Belongs to McCartney and Starr
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/11/arts/television/cbs-grammy-salute-belongs-to-mccartney-and-starr.html?_r=0

The guy who brought The Beatles to America
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/09/opinion/greene-ed-sullivan-beatles/

A Rare Look at the Origins of Beatlemania: Watch the Throwback Footage
http://entertainment.time.com/2014/02/09/beatles-50th-anniversary-ed-sullivan-show-beatlemania/

What the critics wrote about the Beatles in 1964
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/commentary/la-oe-beatles-quotes-20140209,0,1146431.story#axzz2sxo48rHT

The Beatles "White Album:" The Untold Story
http://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbyowsinski/2014/02/09/the-beatles-white-album-the-untold-story/

On February 9th, John, Paul, Ringo, and George came to play on Mr. Sullivan's "big shew" and everything changed. Americans were introduced to the Beatles through the wonder of television, people screamed with joy at home, and some critics were less than receptive to the four lads from Liverpool. By the time the Beatles appeared on Sullivan's show, they were already on the music charts in Britain and even some Americans were already exposed to their music. It's hard to realize this now, but they were quite unusual for their time. Not only did the Fab Four write all of their own music, but they had little formal classical training. This week, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr made an appearance on a CBS special dedicated to the Beatles and dozens of journalists weighed in on their lasting legacy. No doubt the encomia will continue and certainly we haven't heard the last of the four fine fellows. [KMG]

The first link will take visitors to a wonderful appreciation of the Beatles and their legacy via Noelle Swan of the Christian Science Monitor. The second link leads to a writeup of the CBS Beatles tribute that aired on Sunday. Moving along, interested parties will find another bit of commentary from noted columnist, Bob Greene, on the man who brought the Beatles to America, Ed Sullivan. The fourth link leads to a great video clip courtesy of TIME that documents the true mania of "Beatlemania." Next up, is an amusing collection of what critics (including William F. Buckley) had to say about the Beatles in 1964. Finally, visitors will find a great behind-the-scenes look at the making of the White Album, courtesy of Forbes.