American President : An Online Reference Resource

American President is brought to you by the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. Featuring essays about each President, it also provides information about the First Ladies and each President's cabinet members. The site lists the Presidents by era - from the Early Republic to today's era of Globalization. Each Presidential page contains quick facts and links to more in-depth information (e.g. Life before the presidency, Domestic Affairs, Impact and Legacy, Key Events). These informational essays are vetted by scholars/presidential experts.

Speeches are available in the Presidential Speech Archive where you can view text versions of all the speeches. Many later speeches are available in audio and video formats, as well.

The Multimedia Archive boasts over 4,000 hours of audio and video. The contents of this archive can be browsed or searched by keyword with filters for date and type of material. There is also a new Multimedia Gallery that can be searched by keyword or browsed by President, Era, or Topic. This appears to contain only photographs so I'm not sure where the multimedia part comes in. Maybe they will add other media types later. Or possibly they consider it multimedia because the picture gets larger when you click on it and a caption appears? That's probably the only thing about this site I wasn't that impressed with.

Want to find out what presidential events occurred during any given month. Go to the Archive of Events. Click on your month of choice and you will find a treasure trove of events throughout U.S. History and an essay about each.

But wait, there's more! I can not fail to mention the Presidential Oral History project which currently has oral histories of Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton. See what they and their colleagues have to say about their presidencies.

Last, but not least, are the Presidential Recordings. You know... all those secret recordings of their meetings and telephone conversations. The recordings have been organized by topic and, through the Presidential Recordings Program Digital Classroom Initiative, classroom activities are provided.

Is that it? Well, I think so... but I could have missed something. There's a lot of stuff on this site. Maybe you should take a look and make sure I got everything...

Award Winning Web Sites

I stumbled upon this list at pbs.org while looking for something else and wanted to share. The sites on this list "invite visitors to interact through non-linear storytelling and social issue games. Accompanying lesson plans explore the arts, culture and society."

First on the list is BEYOND THE FIRE: Teen Experiences of War recommended for grades 7-12. This site allows students to experience the life of teenage refugees through the eyes of teens who have actually experienced it. The provided lessons deal with issues of child soldiers and comparing the experiences of teen refugees. Students can sign up for a passport, collecting stamps as they visit each teen. Once the student collects all 15 stamps they can publish comments on the site.

Next is Circle of Stories which introduces students to the oral tradition of Native American storytelling. Recommended for grades 6-12, the lessons allow students to explore the Native American cultures, the issues they face today, and the importance of recording their family history.

Third is Off the Map which is all about visionary art and ten people around the world who have created their own "visionary paradise". The site gives students the opportunity to build their own "backyard paradise" online. There are five learning activities for different grade levels.

Fourth on the list is Face to Face which deals with what life has been like for Americans of Japanese, Middle Eastern, and South Asian descent after the events of Pearl Harbor and September 11th. Real people tell their stories of "fear, anger, hatred, loyalty, and trust." Lesson plans are designed to give students the experience of being treated as "the enemy". Recommended for grades 6-12, this is an incredibly powerful site.

Last on the list is World Without Oil, which was originally "a realistic simulation of the first 32 weeks of a global oil shortage chronicled in 1,500 personal blog posts, videos, images and voicemails." This simulation has been used to create lesson plans for use with high school students, asking the questions “What if there was an oil shortage? Starting today? How would your life change?” There are also lessons for students to do an independent study.

Five great sites. My favorite is Face to Face. Which one is yours?

Thinkfinity

Thinkfinity is part of the Verizon Foundation's literacy, education and technology initiatives to improve student achievement. Content is provided by various partners - John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council for Economic Education, The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science are just a few. The database can be searched by keyword, subject, grade level, resources type and content partners - individually or any combination of those areas.

The site is broken up into 4 tabbed resource areas - Educator, Student, Parent, and Afterschool. There are standard-based lesson plans for the educators and access to free training opportunities. The student area contains a homework help area with online maps (including an interactive map of Marco Polo's route to China and back), and a letter generator to practice letter writing skills. The parent area has resources that will help them help their children, including free online courses on selecting and sharing books with their kids. The afterschool tab showcases selected activities, organized by grade level, with descriptions and tips written especially for the afterschool educators.

Right now they are featuring lessons on Black History Month, the Olympics, and earthquake resources.

I couldn't find anything I didn't like about this site even though I was skeptical when I saw the Verizon logo - corporation sites make me suspicious. It's a highly useful site. Give it a try!