Geosphere
| Site Name | Geospatial Technology as a Core Tool |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | U.S. News and World Report |
| Suggested by | George Daily |
| Description | “Geospatial technology affects almost every aspect of life, from navigating an unfamiliar neighborhood to locating the world’s most wanted terrorist. “They couldn’t have found Osama bin Laden without it,” says Phillip Davis, director of the National Geospatial Technology Center, referring to the recent U.S. Navy SEALs raid on bin Laden’s compound hideout in Pakistan, where he was killed. “The world is so interconnected today, and everything is based on spatial relationships. It is one of our nation’s essential core tools.” Geospatial technology refers to equipment used in visualization, measurement, and analysis of earth’s features, typically involving such systems as GPS (global positioning systems), GIS (geographical information systems), and RS (remote sensing). Its use is well-known and widespread in the military and in homeland security, but its influence is pervasive everywhere, even in areas with a lower public profile, such as land use, flood plain mapping and environmental protection.” |
| Site Name | Volcanic eruption in Grimsvotn, Iceland |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | Jon Gustafsson |
| Suggested by | Mark Francek |
| Description | At 6:29, the clip is a little too long but the music, lightning, cloud patterns make sections of this video worthy to show students. |
Hydrosphere
| Site Name | Beaver Island Biking Video |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | Ben Schuller |
| Suggested by | Mark Francek |
| Description | This is a video some of my students put together while on a “Biking Beaver Island” field course. |
Atmosphere
| Site Name | Skin Protection Factor Resource Guide |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | SpaBeauty Schools |
| Suggested by | Rachel Morrow |
| Description | Although it’s a commercial site, this resource has a clean layout and condensed information on understanding facts and fiction regarding skin protection factor on sunscreen’s and the dangers of UV radiation. |
Space
| Site Name | Interactive Space Simulator |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | Giant Army |
| Suggested by | Larry Mascotti |
| Description | “Universe Sandbox is an interactive space simulator for Windows based PCs. Unlike most astronomy software that just shows you what the sky looks like or where the planets are, Universe Sandbox is a powerful gravity simulator. You can add another star to our solar system and watch it rip the planets from their orbits.” |
Environmental
| Site Name | Directory of Recycling Centers |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | Earth911.com |
| Suggested by | Tim Wozniak |
| Description | “Our Recycling Directory is the most accurate and comprehensive directory of its kind, and contains information for recycling over 240 different products that are free for consumers to use on our website, toll-free and bilingual hotline (1-800 CLEANUP) and our free iPhone application (iRecycle). We have over 800,000 locations and programs that people can search in our directory to find local recycling and disposal resources.” An interesting class project would be to see just how accurate this directory is. |
General
| Site Name | Create your own Comics |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | Hetemeel |
| Suggested by | Larry Mascotti |
| Description | “Welcome to Hetemeel.com! Here you'll find 'dynamic images'. These are images [from Einstein to Bush] that you can customize or add captions to, often to create a funny situation or to illustrate a joke. You'll be able to send these customized pictures to your friends (this feature will be added soon). Click on the links to the left, under 'dynamic images', to get started right away!” |
| Site Name | Pendulum Waves |
| Site Author | NatSciDemos |
| URL | |
| Contributor | Virginia Malone |
| Description | “This Harvard physics apparatus uses a series of pendulums of varying lengths, swinging together, to make a mesmerizing dance: View a series of pendulums of varying length on the same support are all set in motion at the same time. The lengths of the pendulum were adjust so that each shorter pendulum adds an oscillation in a sixty second period. Awesome results.” |
| Site Name | Out Of Control Rube Goldberg Device |
| Site URL | |
| Site Author | OK Go |
| Suggested by | Phil Median |
| Description | “I recently saw a pretty cool video of an out of control rube Goldberg device. This might give some ideas for projects. It is a new video by a group called OK Go, who are famous for the "treadmill" video. I don't have any details about it as to if it was one take or visual effects.” |
Humor
| Title | You Might Live in Michigan if….. |
| Suggested by | Tim Wozniak |
| Description | YOU MIGHT LIVE IN MICHIGAN IF..... ~ You show people where you're from by pointing to a spot on the back of your left hand ~ The only place in the world you can experience all four seasons in one day. ~ You've never met any celebrities. ~ At least one member of your family disowns you the week of the Michigan / Michigan State game ~ You know how to pronounce "Mackinac." and get annoyed when other people can't. ~ You've had to switch on the heat and the air conditioning in the same day. ~ Your little league game was snowed out. ~ Your year has two seasons: Winter and Construction. ~ Driving in the winter is better because the pot-holes are filled with snow. ~ Your favorite holidays are Christmas, Thanksgiving, and the opening of deer season, which you consider a national holiday. ~ You have experienced frostbite and sunburn in the same week. ~ You find 0 degrees "a little chilly." ~ You know that UP is a place not a direction. |
| Title | The Value of a Good Catholic Education |
| Suggested by | Tim Wozniak |
| Description | LITTLE ZACHARY Until a child tells you what he is thinking, we can't even begin to imagine how his mind is working.... Little Zachary was doing very badly in math. His parents had tried everything...tutors, mentors, Flash cards, special learning centers. In short, everything they could think of to help his math. Finally, in a last ditch effort, they took Zachary down and enrolled him In the local Catholic school. After the first day, little Zachary came home with a very serious look on his face. He didn't even kiss his mother hello. Instead, he went straight to his room and started studying. Books and papers were spread out all over the room and little Zachary was hard at work. His mother was amazed. She called him down to dinner. To her shock, the minute he was done, he marched back to his room without a word, and in no time, he was back hitting the books as hard as before. This went on for some time, day after day, while the mother tried to understand what made all the difference. Finally, little Zachary brought home his report card.. He quietly laid it on the table, went up to his room and hit the books. With great trepidation, His Mom looked at it and to her great surprise, Little Zachary got an 'A' in math. She could no longer hold her curiosity.. She went to his room and said, 'Son, what was it? Was it the nuns?' Little Zachary looked at her and shook his head, no.. 'Well, then,' she replied, Was it the books, the discipline, the structure, the uniforms? WHAT WAS IT?' Little Zachary looked at her and said, 'Well, on the first day of school when I saw that guy nailed to the plus sign, I knew they weren't fooling around.' |
