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Finally, educational comic books students might actually enjoy. Howtoons are single-page comics that provide an illustrated tutorial of kid-friendly science projects like an ice skateboard, or a zoetrope.

The illustrations are top-notch, with bright colors and panels to give it that authentic comic book flair without sacrificing clarity in the directions. The projects will definitely appeal to kids—marshmallow shooters and soda bottle submarines might not be a match for Dr. Doom, but might enable your nerdier kids to liberate the monkey bars from bullies.—BILL FERRIS

Howtoons
via Instructables

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So your students need to do research for your latest assignment. You’ve probably shown them a few Web-based tools to make their lives easier, too, like Footnote or SlideShare.

Nowadays kids can find out almost everything they want to know online. But as the Luddites love to point out, the Web’s full of half-truths and stuff that’s just plain incorrect. Anybody with an ISP can communicate anything they want to the entire world. So how do you separate the PhD who wants to share his knowledge about Physics from the guy who thinks he’s a scientist because he watched a few episodes of Nova?

If you want your students to grow into intelligent, productive members of society (hint: you do), the best lesson you can teach kids is how to separate the nuts from the nougat for themselves.

With that in mind, here are 5 strategies students (and you) can use to figure out what information is worth citing, and what is worthless.

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Mike Wesch has created a visually stimulating video to help explain what Web 2.0 is all about, along with a bit of history of how we got there. The Web is Us/ing Us is chock full of energy and enlightenment and moves at the same breakneck speed in which the world and technology seem to be moving. Wesch determines the factors that first brought on the idea of Web 2.0, and challenges his viewers to change the way they think and work in order to embrace the future.

Using examples of our perceptions of text, pictures, and web development, Wesch takes his viewers on a journey through the internet as it is known and how the applications that are readily available to us all will alter what the web is ultimately capable of. Web 2.0 will give way to a new way of educating, and the sooner we can understand the impact of it, the sooner we will be able to utilize its capabilities. This video is an excellent place to start, and just may change the way you perceive the web. –JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

The Web is Us/ing Us

When I was growing up, I believed what my grandfather told me about how the world works. Although I know he meant no harm, I was taught that objects are weightless on the moon because gravity is zero in outer space (actually, it’s not), I was told that water in lakes looks blue because it reflects the sky (again, wrong), that cheering for the Atlanta Braves would lead to a life of unhappiness and depression (ok, that one is true).

And it isn’t just Grandpa who has these crazy ideas. Even kids’ textbooks can be filled with scientific bunk such as electrons in an electronic current travel at the speed of light (they don’t). But with today’s technology, students have a world of resources at hand, and they can fact-check Grandpa faster and more efficiently than kids of yesteryear. No excuses!

Unfortunately, now I will not have the pleasure of telling my future grandchildren that Ben Franklin discovered electricity when his kite was struck by lightning (it wasn’t), but I will be able to warn them which sports teams to avoid. -DAVID BARGER

Recurring Science Misconceptions in K-6 Textbooks

Photo from Ben’s Guide to the US Government for Kids

It’s amazing how much of an impact instant message programs and text messaging have had on just about everyone. I use IM at work and home, and I use it as a primary means of communication to my friends, family and coworkers. AOL may have changed the way we communicate with their IM service, and programs like Skype and Apple’s iChat allow instant video relay as long as you have a webcam. I remember way back in 1994 (i.e. the good old days) thinking about the time when I would be able to someday chat with my grandkids over some sort of “video-phone.” Technology, of course, is faster than fiction.

The capabilities of instant messaging have breached our expectations once again in the form of Meebo. Meebo integrates all of your instant messenger clients (including AIM, Yahoo! Messenger and G-Chat) and allows anyone who has access to the web to message you using a widget that you can install on any personal website. All you have to do is sign up for a free Meebo account, post the widget, and sign in to the website. The site displays windows containing messages from friends or whoever decides to send you a message on your site. Your Meebo homepage acts as a “room” where you can manage all of your chat buddies in one spot.

The educational opportunities of this application are vast, as the widget can be easily installed on any site you manage, including Blackboard, Moodle, or any other online classrooms you might use. Interact with your students from any location, and let them utilize the widget to send you a message whether you are online or offline (Meebo will send it to you when you sign back on) without them having to sign up. The future of instant messaging is here. –JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Meebo

2008 will arrive soon. In addition to making resolutions you’ll break within two weeks, a new year means a new calendar. Before you shell out ten bucks for this year’s Far Side calendar, try this free 12-sided calendar that’ll definitely be the most distinctive one in your school.

If you’re a math teacher, this calendar is practically mandatory. Also check it out if you teach a foreign language—you can choose from 50 languages, including Basque and Esperanto (seriously). Just print, cut and fold, and you’ll have a 12-sided calendar the envy of teachers and D&D players everywhere. —BILL FERRIS

12-Sided Calendar

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My senior year of high school, my family hosted a Thai foreign exchange student. Some mornings I spent the entire ride to school modeling pronunciations for her. She was endlessly fascinated with the sequence of sounds in “oil” (and endlessly frustrated trying to produce them herself) and would have me toil through “boil, broil, coil” ‘til my tongue felt despoiled by the moil of it. I was not always the most patient instructor.

If only I could have offered my eager student the services of Chuala.com, where you can hear looped recordings of standard pronunciations: voila (which looks like it rhymes with “oil” but thankfully doesn’t), tireless tutor. My favorite part of the site is that you’re able to record yourself saying a word and listen to it in comparison to the site’s pronunciation in turn. Students who come across difficult new words in their readings could look them up here, or you could check on the pronunciations of words that have always given you trouble (I practiced with “accompanist”… I never say that right!).

The site offers pronunciations in 9 other languages, so it could potentially be of service in foreign language classrooms. My own searches in Spanish were disappointing, not even the days of the week were offered, but Chuala is a “language community,” so if you find words that are missing you can register to add them yourself.

One word of warning: the woman who speaks the samples is no computerized voice, she’s a total sweet-talker… monitor your time on the site, if you notice yourself looking up words like “cat” you may have fallen victim to her siren song. –MARIELLE PRINCE

Chuala.com

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If you are still using Microsoft Paint, then it might be time to either a.) come out from under that rock you’ve been living under for the past decade, or b.) make the leap to Inkscape. Inkscape is an open source software program that works as a combo of Illustrator and Paint, with just a touch of Photoshop thrown in. So if you fancy yourself a techno-Bob Ross (RIP), you might like this drawing program especially. It’s user-friendly enough that even amateur arteests like myself can get the hang of it, but advanced enough that those who are more Photoshop savvy can get a lot of mileage from it.

Inkscape is a good tool to create simple designs and add a bit of flair to otherwise humdrum presentations or slideshows. Some of the handy-dandy tools include a calligraphic line function, a text editor, and several fun effects like negative and color removal options. Inkscape is a great way to begin using a drawing tool for grown-ups, but simple enough that your students might find a niche into the world of computer generated graphic art. –JEREMY S.GRIFFIN

Inkscape

We’ve all got our own ways of doing things. But does “Hey, it works for me!” really mean “I’ve got bad habits that I’m too old to fix”? Everybody has bad habits. Often, they originated when we were young, when our tasks were small enough that we could compensate for poor organization. Blogger Eric MacKnight at The Good Habits Blog writes about developing solid organizational habits when you’re young so you’ll have them when you really need them.

MacKnight discusses how tasks such as scheduling events and writing down assignments may seem unimportant as a kid when you don’t have much to do. But as we grow, responsibilities multiply, and it’s not so easy to keep everything straight without having some sort of organizational strategy.

Though it’s never too late to change, even for old farts like us, this is a good lesson to impart to your students. Learning to manage their lives while they’re young can mean extra productivity and success for them when they’re grown. –BILL FERRIS

The Good Habits Blog

I’ll admit that I am a little slow getting the hang of things at times, so it was a while before I even had any clue what Digg and del.icio.us were all about. I use both occasionally now, but I still find a lot of what I find ends up being irrelevant to my life and business. Fortunately for you—for us all— there is Edtags.org.

Edtags does for educational websites and resources what Digg and its ilk do for news and net-culture related sites and resources. Content is organized by keywords, with the most popular searches made clearly available on the home page. Not surprisingly, the most popular right now is “education”— go figure. The links are all based on user submitted sites, found by educators in order to help other educators get things done more efficiently utilizing the best of the web and technology. This concept sounds vaguely familiar.

Edtags is an incredibly valuable resource for educators and students alike. Whether you want to find sources on a particular subject or perhaps just want to collect bookmarks for your own personal use that you can access from anywhere, you’ll get great use out of this amazing site. – JEREMY S. GRIFFIN

Edtags.org

Learn Science and Kill a Few Hours with Launchball
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With all our time-saving gadgets, how are we spending this newfound free time? Too often, by playing with our gadgets.

Create and Share Rubrics with Rubric Machine
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Share and SlideShare Alike
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Get Full, Licensed Software for Free: Giveaway of the Day
Download a new, fully-functioning, fully-licencsed (and fully-legal) piece of software every day.

Everybody wants to live well, but when you’re making less than 30 grand a year – we’re looking at you, young teacher – you have to think about ways to skimp and save. But financial planning is confusing at times, and it sure does feel like you have to have money to save money. Bloggers at The Simple Dollar know how you feel, and try to keep things straightforward. With articles like “25 Gadgets that Actually Save Money” and “Five Frugality Tips Learned From Having Two Children in Diapers,” The Simple Dollar seems aimed at the average joe who’s just trying to make a little go a long way. -ROSS WHITE

The Simple Dollar

Get what you other people pay for.

Nothing makes a Friday afternoon at Instructify easier than stuff that’s self-explanatory. That’s why we’re pleased as punch to tell you about Giveaway of the Day, a site that’s even better than what it sounds like.

Every 24 hours Giveaway of the Day features one piece of software that you can download without paying one red cent. And not some chincy demo version, either. You get a full, registered and legal version for $0.00. The site also gives a detailed review, so you can make an informed decision on what to download.

This week, they’ve given away programs teachers could use such as a text-to-speech player, a Web streaming audio recorder, and a word processor geared toward novelists and aspiring writers. There’s something new every day, so add it to your list of sites to check. You just might find something you like. And you can’t beat the price. –BILL FERRIS

Giveaway of the Day

Reading doesn’t have to be a solitary pursuit. LibraryThing adds a dash of social networking to literary discussion by connecting people based on what books they read. You simply enter what books you own or are reading (you’ll automatically feel more well-read when you make a big list of books you’ve read, even if half of them are Where’s Waldo?).

LibraryThing fills in details like the publisher and ISBN number to help others find your books. Once you post your library, you can find folks who read the same works, and check out recommendations based on books you like. Even better, LibraryThing’s UnSuggester identifies books you won’t like, possibly saving you 25 bucks and two weeks of reading time you’ll never get back.

Like Flickr and other social networking sites, LibraryThing lets you tag books by topic or idea. You can join an online book club, or rave about a new favorite on the message boards. If you’re really into showing off your literary tastes, LibraryThing enables you to display your book list on your blog, which means you no longer have to sit around Starbucks hoping the hot barista notices you pretending to read the New Yorker.

LibraryThing is a must for all teachers and students of literature, and is great for anybody who just plain likes to read. List 200 titles for free, or pay $10 for a year of unlimited titles, or $25 unlimited books for life. The cataloguing and recommendations alone make LibraryThing worthwhile. When you add the social aspects, you may even convince a few students reading is cool. –BILL FERRIS

LibraryThing

Every science teacher’s favorite musical jaunt through the periodic table, Tom Lehrer’s “The Elements,” now has an animated video. This fun flash animation gives students a fighting chance at singing along by displaying each element as it’s sung.

At the risk of giving away the ending, animator Mike Stanfill kindly fills in the elements that have been discovered since the song was recorded in 1955, so it covers the complete list of elements. And far be it from us to tell you how to do your job, but any student who can sing this whole song from memory deserves some serious extra credit.

“The Elements” is an oldie but goodie that just got a little goodie-r. These kids nowadays with their rock and roll music could do with a song stuck in their heads that actually teaches them something. –BILL FERRIS

The Element Song