http://digital.library.umsystem.edu/

The diligent staff members at the University of Missouri Digital Library have been working since 2001 to create this repository for various thematic digital collections, and they have amassed over twenty text collections and twenty-three image collections thus far. The site is a real delight, as it contains everything from a 250-piece collection of World War I sheet music to the complete digitized version of the University's student yearbook, titled "The Savitar". Visitors can browse through the other collections as they wish, looking over a collection of speeches by Daniel Webster, photographs of the Missouri Botanical Garden, and sports posters from the school. Additionally, there is also a link to another fine digital collection of historic newspapers from the state as well. [KMG]

http://socr.stat.ucla.edu/

Teaching statistics can be a stochastic nightmare, but all of those dark clouds will part as users make their way through the fine resources offered on this site. The Statistics Online Computational Resource (SOCR) is based at UCLA, and their site includes online aids for probability and statistics education, including such handy tools as interactive applets, computational and graphing tools, and classroom activities. Teachers and those with a bent towards the world of statistics can look through the "Interactive SOCR Tools" area for items to use in their classes. The "Games" area includes an interactive scatterplot, along with a few other extras. Visitors will also appreciate their in-house wiki, which includes their latest educational offerings, such as free online datasets and even a curriculum for an AP statistics course. [KMG]

http://www.mdrc.org/

Founded in 1974, the MDRC was started by the Ford Foundation and a set of federal agencies. As their website indicates, "MDRC was created to learn what works in social policy." While some may remember their well-known work on evaluating state welfare-to-work programs, MDRC now studies public school reforms, employment programs for ex-prisoners, people with disabilities, and other weighty matters. From their homepage, visitors can look in on their latest publications and featured publications, such as "Building a Culture of Evidence for Community College Student Access". Other research and policy materials are organized thematically on the site in sections such as "Higher Ed", "K-12 Ed", "Workers & Communities", and "Families & Children". Visitors who wish to stay on top of their latest releases can sign up for email updates and RSS feeds. [KMG]

http://www.nclrc.org/

The U.S. Department of Education funds fifteen Language Resource Centers across the country, and the National Capital Language Resource Center (NCLRC) is one of these well-regarded centers. The Center is a joint project of Georgetown University, The George Washington University, and the Center for Applied Linguistics. Simply put, their site is an excellent resource for language teachers at all levels, and it is one that will merit several return visits. First-time visitors may wish to start by looking at some of their specialized sites, such as "The Essentials of Language Teaching", which is a "how-to" guide for university-level languages teachers. After that, they may want to look at "The Culture Club" area, which serves as a place where teachers and students can share multicultural and multilanguage resources. The site is rounded out by the "Teaching Materials" area, which includes links to foreign language materials and assessment tools. [KMG]

http://www.newslab.org/

Independent reporting on the world of television and radio is important, and NewsLab works in this area extensively. Along with offering a variety of workshops for journalists and others, their mission includes providing many, many resources for working journalists, those who study journalism, and those who are concerned with the state of today's media. Visitors can look at the latest in related media stories within the "In the News" section, and then move on to the "Strategies" area. This section is particularly nice, and it includes tips on crafting stories offered by Ira Glass and leadership lessons for broadcast news managers. Moving on, visitors can also look over the "Articles" area, which contains pieces on ethics, producing, reporting, and writing. The site is rounded out by a search engine and a place where users can sign up to receive updates by email. [KMG]

http://www.onlineethics.org/

Engineering is a key part of the modern world, and many engineering students (and teachers) crave high-quality materials on engineering ethics. Fortunately for such individuals, the Online Ethics Center (OEC) is a great place to find such materials. The OEC became an activity of the National Academy of Engineering in March 2007, and since then their online offerings have grown significantly. The teaching and educational materials on the site are organized into sections that include "Safety and the Environment", "Employment and Legal Issues", "Professional Practice", and "Responsible Research". Visitors can also click on a glossary of terms, and even suggest a resource that might be helpful to other users. [KMG]

http://exploration.grc.nasa.gov/education/rocket/TRCRocket/RocketActivitiesHome2.html

There are many things in this world that are described as not being as difficult as rocket science. Then, of course, there is the actual science behind rockets. Understandably, this can be difficult for budding space scientists to grasp. Fortunately, NASA has created these fun and interactive activities which relate both to the science and math of rocketry. These particular activities are taken from the "Rocket Educators Guide", and they include activities related to altitude tracking, the world of pinwheels, balloon staging, and of course the construction of an actual paper rocket. Each activity comes complete with instructions, diagrams, and information on the necessary materials. Taken as a whole, these activities could be equally fun whether outside on a brisk fall day as in a classroom setting. [KMG]

http://web.phys.ksu.edu/mmmm/piko/index.html

If Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist were alive today, he would most likely heartily approve of this very informative and well-designed site dealing with the detection of medical x-rays. This site was created by the Physics Education Research Group at Kansas State University and it serves as a good introduction to the science behind the discovery and subsequent use of x-rays in a variety of medical settings. The site starts with a brief discussion of Röntgen's initial discovery of x-rays, and then goes on to offer a brief history of radiology. After that, visitors can learn about different detection methods, including the use of fluorescence film. One feature of the site that is most useful is the inclusion of links to other relevant sites that cover such topics as the concept of an x-ray dose and reduction measures. Overall, the site will be very welcome for beginning students of radiology and medical technology. [KMG]