·http://www.edutopia.org/article/new-teacher-resources-toolkit

Teaching is both an art and a science. The first several years, as new teachers begin to master their field, can be an overwhelming series of fits and starts, trial and error. This list of resources, compiled by the team at Edutopia, can be a helpful aid for both new educators and more experienced teachers looking for assistance with classroom management, working with parents, lesson planning, and more. Here readers will find resources in seven categories, including Designing the Learning Environment, Lesson and Curriculum Planning, and A Primer on Assessment. Each category boasts at least 15 resources, and some include more than 40. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/free-lesson-plans/introduction-to-bacteria.cfm

This lesson plan from Discovery Education delivers an Introduction To Bacteria over the course of three class periods. Adhering to National Science Education Standards, the site outlines clear objectives, required materials (for example, poster board, markers, and Internet access), and procedures, discussion questions, and evaluation standards, as well as suggested readings and vocabulary words. The three-day lesson includes a day of introducing students to the basic characteristics of bacteria, a day in which half the class studies helpful bacteria and half the class studies harmful bacteria, and then a third day in which students present their findings to one another. This lesson is suitable for middle school students in grades five to eight. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.fromthetop.org/

From the Top is "America's largest national platform dedicated to celebrating the stories, talents, and character of classically-trained young musicians." While the organization features a number of in-person programs, the website also boasts fascinating and inspiring stories about these talented youth musicians. Readers may like to begin with the Top Stories on the landing page, where they may read about the latest performances and performers, or view a YouTube video of select young musicians. The blog is another great feature, where interested readers can filter by All Posts, Arts Leadership, Behind the Scenes, On the Road, Links We Like, and other topics. For young musicians and their supporters, the From the Top website can serve as a true inspiration. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.philamuseum.org/teacherresources

These excellent teacher resources from the Philadelphia Museum of Art can provide hours of instructional guidance across a range of subjects. For instance, 100-Patch Geometric Quilts, one of the dozens of resources on the site, fulfills Common Core standards in three separate math content categories for grades two through four, while What Do Primary Sources Tell Us About Lifestyles? encourages the use of primary sources in social studies education. Each lesson plan includes sections providing background on the subject and outlining the lesson process, assessment suggestions, and ideas for enrichment. Teachers of various subjects, from art to social studies to literature, will find much on this site to inspire. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/

The philosophy of science concerns itself with fundamental questions related to science, such as what is - and is not - science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the purpose of the scientific enterprise. The PhilSci-Archive archive, hosted by the University Library System of the University of Pittsburgh, is an electronic collection devoted to the rapid dissemination of contemporary philosophy of science. This means users are presented with the most cutting edge articles in the form of preprints (early versions of works that have yet to be peer reviewed). Readers may search the archive using a variety of categories, including subject, year, or even conference. If unsure where to start, the Latest Additions section can be quite enticing. Here readers will find the most recent submissions to the archive, which, at the time of this writing, included Joshua Rosaler's "Local Reduction in Physics" and Sally Shrapnel's "Discovering Quantum Causal Methods." [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.pblprojects.org/for-educators/

Problem Based Learning (PBL) is "an educational method that engages students in inquiry-based real world problem-solving" in which they work together on quandaries and present their solutions to the class, rather than listening to a teacher lecture or taking tests. The approach seeks to be dynamic, engaging, and applicable to the world that students will confront after high school. This site from the New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE)'s PBL Projects offers educators an overview of PBL, including resources related to Common Core & Standards Alignment, Implementation, Assessment, PBL Challenge Guides, and Grade Level Adaptations. Of special interest, educators may like to link to the PBL YouTube channel (from the left hand tab bar), where they will find a How To about PBL, and a number of lectures, activities, and interviews. For college and secondary school educators searching for ways to integrate more problem based learning into their curriculum, this site provides a welcome introduction. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.ikeepsafe.org/educators/

As the world moves more and more toward a computerized and networked workflow, cybersecurity is quickly becoming an essential skill. This site, from the Internet Keep Safe Coalition (iKeepSafe), an international nonprofit, offers teachers a window into needed knowledge about cybersecurity. The resources are divided into three broad categories: Teacher Professional Development, Elementary School Curriculum, and Middle/High School Curriculum. Helpful items abound in each area. For instance, Teacher Professional Development offers resources across four subgroups: Dive Into Data Privacy and Security, Engage Your Whole School Community, Brush Up on Hot Topics, and Integrate Digital Citizenship. Here readers will find helpful guides such as, FERPA 101 For Educators. This downloadable PDF introduces educators to the basics of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and suggests ways to clearly communicate smart uses of data. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/

The Harvard Film Archive's (HFA) cinematheque in Cambridge, Massachusetts presents films from around the world four days a week, all year round. Anyone living in the Boston area will likely jump at the chance to see selections of the Archive in person. For readers who live far from Boston, however, there is still much to appreciate on the this website. Under the Film Screenings tab, for instance, readers may find detailed descriptions of all of the films presented at the HFA theater, all the way back to 1999. In addition, readers may read about the various HFA Collections, including The Aldo Tambellini Collection, the Andrew Bujalski Collection, and others. While films are not available for viewing on the site, there is a virtual cornucopia of information related to film and film history. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://time.com/health/

Few heath resources on the Internet can match the Time Health Blog for the frequency of its updates and the variety of its reporting. Here readers will find fresh posts three, four, or even five times a day, on everything from what studies are suggesting about sugar (it's toxic), to whether acupuncture successfully treats neck pain (it does), to why interval training works (hint: free radicals). Readers may filter the blog by subject, including Alzheimer's, Cancer, Diet, Medicine, Mental Health, Should I Eat This, and Sleep, among others. With such a plethora of entries, readers are encouraged to browse through the thousands of entries that have been posted over the past several years. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.therefugeeproject.org/

This richly informative and interactive website from the Refugee Project opens with vivid photographs of refugee life and a short explanation of the worldwide refugee situation. From there, readers will want to select Explore to access the interactive map that tracks refugee migrations, year by year, from 1975 to the present. Readers may select a year to view the annual number of refugees that were forced to flee their homes, as well as view the affected areas on the map in the form of red circles. From there, hovering the mouse over an area offers more information on the region and conflict. In addition, clicking on the name of the conflict pulls up a more complete description of the circumstances. For example, for the year 1978, selecting Ethiopia Defeates Somali Invasion of Ogaden, pulls up a history and description of that event. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·https://www.youtube.com/user/thepsychshowdotcom

Psychology, the study of mind and behavior, is both an academic discipline and an applied science. Though the subject is woven inextricably into every aspect of modern life, from psychotherapy to advertising, few people take the time to understand the foundations of this important discipline. Dr. Ali Mattu, a psychologist at Columbia University, is seeking to change that with The Psych Show, a fun-filled, fast-paced YouTube channel. Here readers will find episodes dedicated to the psychology of New Year's resolutions, the psychology of nostalgia, and a psychological argument for why diversity in media matters. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.jellyfishmagazine.org/11/

Founded in 2009, Jellyfish Magazine publishes fresh, new, cutting-edge poems, primarily from younger writers, at least twice a year. Access is free. Each issue features poems from about a dozen poets. Readers may like to begin with the current issue and then work their way back through the Archive, where they will find hundreds of excellent poems in a range of styles. For example, in the Fall 2012 issue, Laurie Saurborn Young's "After Odysseus Says She's Beautiful" examines the intimacy of new love, while in the Spring 2009 issue (the magazine's first), Anne Cecelia Holmes points to the ineffable in "The Cosmos, Etc." [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.unep.org

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) plays a big role in helping the international community set a global environmental agenda and promotes "the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development within the United Nations." Readers may scout the site by a number of categories, including Climate Change, Disasters & Conflicts, Ecosystem Management, Environmental Governance, Chemicals & Waste, Resource Efficiency, and Environment Under Review. Of special interest to many readers, the site also boasts an excellent Publications page, where users may download dozens of UNEP reports, including an annual report, which includes a very informative Year in Brief section. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/copland/archives.html

November 14, 2000 was Aaron Copland's 100th birthday and NPR celebrated with this website, pulling together a nice variety of resources on the composer, some created by NPR, and some by other organizations. As is to be expected from a 15-year-old website, a fair percentage of links no longer work, especially audio files from older NPR programs and links to Sony Classical's Discography. NPR provides an overview of Copland's life, written by Andy Trudeau, NPR's Executive Producer for Cultural Programming at that time. Some of the most viable resources linked to from the NPR site are those held in archives and libraries, for example, Library of Congress' Copland Collection, which offers thousands of photographs and documents, including annotated music. Duke University also holds a number of Copland resources, although not a specific Copland collection itself; instead a quick search reveals materials from other digitized archival collections, such as the William Gedney Photographs and Writings, with a dozen classy b&w images of Copland. Finally, the search function retrieves a number of newer programs from the NPR website, dating from 2011, 2009, 2013, etc. as well as a reference to the original, 11/14/2000 show: "NPR's Elizabeth Blair reports on composer Aaron Copland, who would have been 100 years old today." [DS]

Back to Top  |

·https://momentumdash.com/

Momentum, a free Chrome browser extension, wins excellent reviews on several counts. First, it is simply nice to look at. Once downloaded, a personalized dashboard will open every time you use Chrome to check your email or read the news, featuring a beautiful landscape image from Iceland, Spain, or some other locale. Reviewers also like the inspirational quotes ("What is your main focus today?" or "Be awesome.") that greet users. Finally, the easy-to-use to-do list that automatically appears on the screen helps keep users on track and doing what they most want to be doing with their computer time. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

·http://www.needtomeet.com/

Scheduling meetings - whether for work, for volunteer activities, for sports, or for just about any other occasion - can be laughably difficult in today's hyper busy world. That's where NeedToMeet, a handy online app, comes in. Using the calendar is easy. Simply enter your available times and then share the invite with guests who may then mark the times they, too, are available. A single glance shows you when everyone is available so you can easily schedule the meeting, avoiding the incessant loops of emailing back and forth. [CNH]

Back to Top  |

See the Original Coke Bottle Patent Granted 100 Years Ago
http://time.com/4105134/coke-bottle/

The Classic Coca-Cola Bottle Turns 100 Today
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/classic-coca-cola-bottle-turns-100-today-180957291/?no-ist

Why We Took Cocaine Out of Soda
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/01/why-we-took-cocaine-out-of-soda/272694/

Watch 128 Years of Coca-Cola's History in 2 Minutes
http://www.fastcompany.com/3035762/watch-128-years-of-coca-colas-history-in-2-minutes

The Coca Cola Bottle
http://www.high.org/Art/Exhibitions/The-Coca-Cola-Bottle.aspx

Soda & Mineral Water Bottles
http://www.sha.org/bottle/soda.htm

The Coca-Cola bottle may very well be the most recognizable commercial image in history. In fact, a 1977 study found that 99 percent of Americans could identify the bottle by the shape alone, excluding text, color, or any other identifiable features. An iconic bottle was exactly what Coke executives wanted when they commissioned a glass company in Terre Haute, Indiana to patent them a new, innovative bottle design 100 years ago this week. Many experts believe that the unique design has contributed to Coca-Cola's unprecedented success in a constantly changing and globalizing market. While much has changed since the company began selling its iconic beverage (they no longer add trace amounts of cocaine, for instance), the bottle that has inspired artists, designers, and consumers alike remains basically the same. [CNH]

The first link takes readers to an article from Time Magazine featuring an image of the 100-year-old patent for the original Coca-Cola bottle, while the second link, from the Smithsonian Magazine, navigates to an article outlining the history of Coca-Cola's efforts to distinguish themselves from their competitors. Next, the Atlantic's James Hamblin answers the question of why we took cocaine out of soda, followed by a fascinating, two-minute overview of Coca-Cola's 128-year history, including the ill-fated launch of New Coke. Readers may also find much to admire at the High Museum of Art's exhibition on the Coca-Cola bottle and the many artists and designers it has inspired. Finally, a homey site by former Bureau of Land Management official, Bill Lindsey, traces the history of dozens of seltzer, soda, liquor, and other bottles.