·http://www.compadre.org/quantum/

The Quantum Exchange is a collection of information and resources for teachers of quantum physics. To get started, visitors can look over areas such as Featured Materials, Quantum Pictures, and Resource Categories. The Featured Materials area contains helpful items like Paradigms in Physics: Quantum Activities and a rather exciting quantum mechanics visualization project from the University of St. Andrews. Moving on, visitors can browse Quantum Topics that include bound state systems, multi-particle systems, and spin and finite dimensional systems. The site also has a great search engine for those with a specific topic in mind. [KMG]

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·http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/acts-of-congress/

George Washington's personal copy of the Laws of the United States, First Session 1789 has returned from a whirlwind tour of the Presidential Libraries and has taken up permanent residence at Mount Vernon. This historic publication, also known as the Acts of Congress, offers a rare glimpse into the establishment of the American government. On this site, visitors can look over a photo gallery featuring more than a dozen images of this rare item, complete with Washington's own annotations. The site offers insights into Washington's thoughts about the presidency, his own role as chief executive, and much more. A pamphlet on the traveling exhibition and Teacher Resources are also available. [KMG]

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·http://sites.nationalacademies.org/DBASSE/BOSE/Literacy_for_Science/index.htm

What will the future of science literacy look like? That's the subject of this study based on a panel of experts convened by the National Academies' Board on Science Education. Brought together for a workshop held in February 2014, these scholars looked at how Common Core education standards work to achieve various federal school guidelines as well as the areas where the standards may intersect between subjects and disciplines. This 80-page document summarizes the findings from this workshop and includes a detailed appendix and list of additional resources. Policy makers and other education analysts will find much to ponder here. [KMG]

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·http://blogs.nature.com/

This site brings together all of the blogs for the Nature Publishing Group, including discussions on public health, genetics, chemistry, and other interesting topics. First-time visitors can glance over recent meditations from British physicians on new and improved surgical operations and the Higgs-Boson particle. Visitors can read through one or all of the fifteen blogs or scroll down to the New Comments and Popular areas. In this last section, visitors can get a sense of the Most Read, Most Shared, and Most Commented items by other readers. [KMG]

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·http://www.nctm.org/PrinciplestoActions/

How can schools around the United States turn "the opportunity of the Common Core into reality in every classroom, school, and district?" This very question occupies the minds at the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. This thoughtful report gives guidance to teachers, mathematics coaches, administrators, parents, and policy makers. Visitors can learn about eight essential mathematics teaching practices and also learn how educators can engage students in mathematical thinking and reasoning. The site also contains several webcasts, news releases, and helpful reflection guide. [KMG]

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·http://gallery.lib.umn.edu/exhibits/show/becoming-minnesota

How do you tell the story of a state- its history, its culture, its people? It's complicated and this mindful site from the University of Minnesota brings together a ream of wonderful artifacts contributed from a range of exhibits and organizations including the Kautz Family YMCA Archives, the James Ford Bell Library, and the University of Minnesota Archive. The materials here are divided into six sections, including Who We Are, What We Produce, and When We Imagine. Each lovely area contains postcards, posters, original legal documents, and so on. It's a great way to learn about the rich cultural history of the land of 10,000 Lakes. [KMG]

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·http://ebooks.library.cornell.edu/r/ruffner/

Greek Revival architecture in upstate New York is worthy of consideration by architects, historians, and the generally curious. This fine document was originally created as a bachelor of architecture thesis at Cornell University in 1939 and it explores a wide range of public buildings from around this distinctive region. Visitors can download the entire document or explore one of its seven chapters as they see fit. Users will note that there are a number of helpful citations in the document that will be most edifying for additional reading and the like. [KMG]

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·http://oregonexplorer.info/wildfire/

The Oregon Explorer initiative was started by the Oregon State University Libraries "to help Oregon citizens, communities and land management agencies prioritize resources and reduce wildfire risk." This corner of its site provides information about wildfire risk throughout the state, complete with a glossary of related terms, mapping tools, reports, and community wildfire protection plans. Moving along, there's a special section designed specifically for homeowners on reducing wildfire risk to residential properties. Visitors should also take advantage of the Issues & Actions area that includes information on reducing wildfire fuels in the wildland-urban interface, as well as materials on how to access state-wide data sets on wildfires. [KMG]

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·http://openarchives.umb.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/p15774coll13

How do you build a tunnel under Boston Harbor? Very carefully, of course. This remarkable digital archive from the University of Massachusetts-Boston brings together photographs that document the construction of the first Boston Harbor Tunnel, which was later renamed the Sumner Tunnel. This key part of Boston's infrastructure was constructed to handle automobile traffic from the North End of Boston to East Boston. The tunnel finally opened in 1935 and this collection contains over 70 photographs documenting construction and the properties that were demolished to build this impressive structure. [KMG]

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·http://nagt.org/nagt/teaching_resources/field/index.html

Knowing how to effectively teach geological sciences can be tricky, so it's nice to learn about this lovely collection. This particular website exists to facilitate interactions that will promote models for effective educational field trips around the world and also provide an archive of field guides for future reference. Visitors can look over Field Trip Examples to get started and then peruse helpful fact sheets that include "Safety in the Field" and half a dozen other useful items. The site also includes information about upcoming field trips sponsored by the organization that might be of interest to educators within the United States. [KMG]

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·http://digital.library.ucla.edu/campaign/

The UCLA Online Campaign Literature Archive is a slice of political ephemera gold. It is billed as "a century of Los Angeles elections" and it contains hundreds of items from elections in Los Angeles, California, and a few national campaigns of notes. Visitors can Browse the Archive to look over the folders by subject, candidate, and year of election. There's a real trove here, including items from the highly contested mayoral election of 1924 and a number of other interesting items. [KMG]

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·http://artscouncil.ky.gov/

The Kentucky Arts Council is the state government agency responsible for developing and promoting support for the arts in Kentucky. Its mission is to "create opportunities for people to find value in the arts, participate in the arts, and benefit from the arts through programs, grants and services." On this website, visitors can look over the What's Happening area to get a taste of the events and galleries celebrating the arts around the Bluegrass State. The Resources area contains a list of practicing artists from around the state, along with information about grant opportunities, and Arts Council publications. Finally, the Opportunities area contains information about upcoming exhibits and important arts festivals that artists can participate in across the state. [KMG]

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·http://amhistory.si.edu/starspangledbanner/

Noting its "broad stripes and bright stars," Francis Scott Key turned the Star-Spangled Banner into the principle symbol of American patriotism with his poetic account of the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812. This engaging site from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History accompanies an in situ exhibit celebrating the history and legacy of the flag behind the National Anthem. As the homepage suggests, it's a good idea to begin with the War section of the site, which sets the historical stage. On this page, interested visitors will even find links to suggested resources for classroom use. Visitors can also Explore the interactive flag feature in the Interact section of the site. Through several images, complete with informational captions, it's possible to get up close and personal with this American icon. [CBD]

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·http://contentdm.library.unr.edu/explore/ILTExplore/ILT-home.html

Lake Tahoe is quite the sight anytime of year. As traveler Grace Greenwood noted in 1873, the lake "is an emerald on the brow of the mountain." This splendid digital collection from the University of Nevada-Reno brings together hundreds of photographs documenting this unique body of water that sits on the California and Nevada border. All told, there are over 1,000 items here that document the lake's transformation from placid and pristine to buzzing with tourism activity by the mid 20th century. Along the way, visitors can view items by date of creation, category, and photographer. Keyword searches can be quite revealing and first-time visitors might like to start with "beach," "casino," or "Emerald Bay." [KMG]

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·http://www.astr.org/

Founded in 1956 to encourage theatre scholarship, the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) is a U.S.-based professional organization that works to encourage scholarship around dramaturgy and related fields. On its website, visitors can read a comprehensive history of the organization, learn about the ASTR's annual conference, or check out the numerous Resources. With this last option, the ASTR offers a directory of doctoral programs, news items, the ASTR job list, and a catalogue of allied organizations. The ASTR Initiatives area includes thematic documents on its internal archive projects and the changing landscape of graduate education in theatre research. The site also contains an Awards section where interested visitors can learn about grants, scholarships, and prizes available to support and recognize outstanding scholarship in the field. [KMG]

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·http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/locked-up-in-america/

FRONTLINE explores "America's fixation on incarceration" with this two-film report, Locked Up In America. Through the episodes "Solitary Nation" and "Prison State," viewers are offered a dramatic and intimate look at this pressing issue. First-time visitors can look at some short clips, including "Who's Locked Up in America" and "How Much Time U.S. Prisoners Spend in Solitary." Moving on, the site also includes a range of other materials, including teachers guidebooks and discussion questions, along with three separate podcasts. Visitors are also encouraged to leave their own comments and meditations. [KMG]

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·http://wudatime.com/

The Wuda Time project management tool is designed to help individuals keep track of their dedication to various tasks and operations. Visitors can sign up right on the site to have instant access to this powerful tool. It's easy to use and users can prioritize certain tasks with a color-coded system or designate certain task completion times. This version is compatible with all operating systems. [KMG]

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·http://getoverswipe.com/

Let's say you'd like to share some photos with friends, but just certain ones. With Overswipe you can select the images from your camera roll you'd like to share and that's it. This simple app makes sure there's no over-sharing. Users can even save settings for future sharing sessions. This version is compatible with Apple devices running i0S 7.0 and newer. [KMG]

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At 50, The Civil Rights Acts Creates 'Opportunities For All Americans'
http://www.npr.org/2014/07/02/327686138/at-50-the-civil-rights-act-creates-opportunities-for-all-americans

Students join civil rights veterans on symbolic bus ride
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/07/02/students-symbolic-civil-rights-bus-ride/12107803/

5 Things to Know About the 1964 Civil Rights Act
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/things-1964-civil-rights-act-24403686

NPR: Behind the Civil Rights Act
http://apps.npr.org/behind-the-civil-rights-act/#/annotations

Medgar Evers & Civil Rights Act of 1964 Linked
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/journeytojustice/2014/07/01/medgar-evers-civil-rights-act-1964/11949425/

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was a rather momentous occasion as the law made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. It was also intended to end school, work, and public facility discrimination. The act was first suggested by President John F. Kennedy in a televised speech the previous year. Fifty years later, a number of scholars, activists, and pundits continue to discuss what the act has meant to a broad segment of American society. A number of young people have stepped up to help celebrate this very important act, including a group who joined Freedom Riders and others on a long bus ride throughout the South this past week. Commenting on the entire experience, college student DeVon Pruitt noted that "Civil rights was not just for African Americans, but for all Americans." [KMG]

The first link leads to a great conversation from NPR with two well-known historians about the long-term ramifications of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The second link will take interested parties to a great piece from USA Today this week about the college students who joined a group of civil rights activists for a long and wonderful bus trip. The third link leads to a nice primer detailing five important things to know about the act, courtesy of ABC News. The fourth link will take users to an excellent annotated version of the act from a team of scholars who were recruited by NPR for this fine initiative. Next is a great piece from M.J. O'Brien writing in this Tuesday's Clarion-Ledger about how the assassination of Medgar Evers spurred the quest for meaningful civil rights legislation in the United States. The last link will take users to a great set of documents from the National Archives that will help teachers educate their charges about the act.