Newseum Exhibit Honors 175 Years of the Black Press

"To Plead Our Own Cause" is an interactive online exhibit sponsored by Washington D.C.'s Newseum.  In 2002, the exhibit was launched to celebrate 175 years of the Black Press.  The exhibit is archived online at http://www.newseum.org/ebp/gallery/.  Biographies of Samuel E. Cornish and John B. Russworm, the first men of color to own and publish a newspaper.  A copy of the first edition of Freedom's Journal, published on March 16, 1827, is included; what a wonderful opportunity to introduce a primary document to children!  In addition, searches on the Newseum website can find articles about the black experience during the Civil War, which is the theme of this year's Black History Month.  I found an article about the lone African-American reporter.  So many articles were available from the African-American History page within the museum (http://www.newseum.org/news/african-american-history-index.html).

Lesson plans are available online for teachers to use in lieu of a field trip to the museum.  High school teachers may be interested in using the "Making A Change: Civil Rights and the First Amendment" which incorporates primary documents (two letters) from Martin Luther King, Jr. into a lesson on Freedom of Speech and Social Change.  You can look the lesson plan over here, http://www.newseum.org/education/teacher-resources/lesson-plans/the-first-amendment-and-social-change--mlk-s-letter-from-birmingham-jail-pdf.pdf, and then print it out!

The African-American Experience...on stamps?!

The Smithsonian National Postal Museum has created an online exhibit entitled "The Black Experience: African-Americans on Stamps."  (http://arago.si.edu/flash/?eid=461|s1%3D6|)  In an easy-to-navigate slide show, the history of African-Americans in the United States is explored through postage stamps.  I found the exhibit full of historical significance and intriguing art (in the form of postage stamps, of all things).  With the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday approaching, as well as Black History Month, the Postal Museum's exhibit would be a unique way of highlighting the Black Experience in America.

Other online exhibits are available on the National Postal Museum's portal page called Arago: People, Postage & the Post.

Cyber-safety

Such a complex and far-reaching subject.  For now, I'll just touch on a few options.

Safe Search Engine

For the youngest surfers, a safe option is KidRex (http://www.kidrex.org/).  This is technically a Google custom search engine but it is touted as "safe search for kids, by kids."  When searches are conducted, advertisements appear at the top of the page as well as in the right margin, however, unlike a traditional Google search, the ads are clearly marked in bold "Ads by Google" and appear in boxes.  The hits appear in "safesearch on"  mode.  On the splash page, the search box is large and easy to identify; the type is large and easy to read.  These are terrific accessibility points for younger readers.

Social Networking Sites

The quest for "friends" online will lead most kids to social networking sites like Facebook.  The pitfalls for children include bullying and personal safety concerns.  Parents are the first line of defense in the social networking world.  If you have decided to let your tween or teen have an account, the Federal Trade Commission offers advice and resources for ensuring child security (http://www.onguardonline.gov/topics/social-networking-sites.aspx) at their OnGuard Online site.  The FTC site also includes games like "Friend Finder" and "The Case of the Cyber Criminal" to graphically drive their safety lessons home.

The American Library Association (ALA) put together a 23 minute video for Choose Privacy Week that includes visual examples of why it is important to watch what you put on social networking sites (and other Internet sites); the video is available on Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/11399383).

Media Message Overload

In "Media Meltdown: A Graphic Guide Adventure," Orca Publishing offers a graphic novel about weeding out the advertisements online.  If you don't have the book, you can still play games, find out what you can do, download free stuff, and get teacher resources.  Certainly, being able to conduct a search and recognize what sites are paid advertisements or are sponsored by interested parties is part of media and information literacy.  This site (http://mediameltdown.net/index.html) provides a starting point or additional resources for media literacy training.

Cyber Safety
The National Security Agency created CryptoKids: America's Future Codemakers and Codebreakers (http://www.nsa.gov/kids/home.shtml).  The site includes games, with badges awarded, that support the National Cryptologic Museum.  But they've included cyber-safety games as well.

And last, but not least, PBS Kids created Webonauts Internet Academy (http://pbskids.org/webonauts/).  Cyber safety is the theme of the challenge to graduate from the Academy.  Although the site is intended for students aged 8-10 years, it could appeal to younger students with assistance and even older students for whom cyber safety is a new lesson.  I think this is a remarkable resource for teaching Internet safety in an engaging way that will reinforce the lessons in a memorable way.  Don't miss this one!

LOL--using cartoons and comics

Oh, there are so many ways to use cartoons or comics with kids!  You can informally teach, or tie in lessons, with "A History of Sequential Art From Cave Painting to Spider-Man" at Comic Art & Graffix Gallery's online museum (http://www.comic-art.com/mus-gal.htm). 

After that, be sure to visit the Digital Comic Museum (http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/) to download free, public domain comics from the golden age of comics.  Not only is this a rich resource for free comic books (perfect for reluctant readers), but the downloaded comics can be studied for their art and story lines.

And finally, let your inner (or your child's inner) artist and story teller come alive at Marvel Comic's free "Create Your Own Comic" (http://superherosquad.marvel.com/create_your_own_comic) page.  Here you can create a strip or a whole book that can be created online then printed.  The possibilities here are endless! Aside from entertaining bored kids between classes or home for the holidays, imagine an assignment where they have to tell about the founding of Jamestown in comic book form?  Wow...the mind reels with the possibilities!

Bully for you!

Bullying has hit home.  It probably has for many of you as well, either at home or in the classroom.  The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has created a website full of resources for kids and adults.  "Stop Bullying Now!" is a one-stop shop for help.  Kids will discover webisodes, games, and a list of things that they can do to stop bullying.  The resources aren't designed just for kids being bullied, but also address what kids can do who witness others getting bullied.  Adult resources include printable tip sheets and other sources of answers to questions.  Lists include bullying laws by state and a bibliography of print resources (some are designed with discussion questions specific to teachers).  Be sure to bookmark http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/default.aspx (Adult Resources) and http://www.stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/default.aspx (Kids Resources)!