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Spotlight: August and Beyond
Political Party Conventions
The historic presidential candidacies of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have generated a great deal of interest in upcoming major political party conventions, which will make the parties' candidates official and serve as backdrop for the announcements of running mates. The Democratic National Convention is August 25-28; the Republican National Convention is September 1-4.
Democracy in America Unit 12, "Political Parties: Mobilizing Agents." The unit includes an interactive and downloadable readings by Alexis de Tocqueville and others; click on "Pre-Viewing Activity and Discussion" for a discussion of the two-party system. Other programs in the series are also relevant to the topic. Find ideas for teaching about elections at the high school level with Making Civics Real Workshop 2, "Electoral Politics." The Constitution: That Delicate Balance discusses critical issues in presidential elections in Program 3, "Nomination, Election, and Succession of the President."
Military Tribunals
The first U.S. war crimes tribunal since World War II has begun — in spite of a Supreme Court ruling in June affirming Guantanamo Bay detainees' legal rights. Military tribunals have been widely criticized since they can allow hearsay and secret testimony, as well as confessions obtained through questionable interrogation methods.
Watch "Under Orders, Under Fire," Parts I and II, in Ethics in America. Part II, featuring Chaplain Timothy Tatum of the U.S. Army War College, the Reverend J. Bryan Hehir of the U.S. Catholic Conference, and other leading figures, covers controversies surrounding military tribunals. The Constitution: That Delicate Balance considers several facets of criminal justice in Programs 4, 5, and 6, "Criminal Justice and a Defendant's Right to a Fair Trial," "Crime and Insanity," and "Crime and Punishments."
Distance Learning Announcements
Look for us at the upcoming Central Piedmont Community College meeting on August 13th, 2008 in Charlotte, NC. We will be highlighting our new and tried and tested courses, including Mathematics Illuminated, The Habitable Planet, and The World of Chemistry.
Order your student DVDs for the Fall/Winter 2008 semester NOW. The cost for DVDs for students enrolled in a telecourse will increase from the current $35 per set/per part to $50 per set/per part effective September 1, 2008.
New! Online Video Demonstration
Curious to see how Annenberg Media video can be incorporated into an online college course? Stayed tuned for our demonstration where we will show how the Course Stream system developed by College Anywhere can easily adapt any Annenberg Media video into your online course. We will be hosting an online forum and demonstration this Fall. Look for the formal announcement soon in your inbox and invite your colleagues to join with us as we launch the next direction for distance education.
Anniversary of the Dropping of the Atomic Bomb on Hiroshima (August 6, 1945)
Since the first use of nuclear weapons in 1945 by the U.S. against Japan, concerns over countries' nuclear capabilities keep resurfacing. Read the article "Creating Strategies and Conditions for Civil Discourse About Controversial Issues" by John Rossi, which focuses on how the controversial topic of the use nuclear weapons may be used as a teaching opportunity. Try our interactive, "You Decide: The Atom Bomb" on the Biography of America Web site. How do we wage war when the enemy dresses as civilians and children throw bombs? This question is addressed in "Under Orders, Under Fire, Part I, Program 6 of Ethics in America.
Get Ready for Kindergarten Month
Find research-based teaching methods that can prepare kindergartners to become successful readers in Teaching Reading K-2 Workshop and Teaching Reading K-2: A Library of Classroom Practices.
Get ready for kindergarten math with the programs of Teaching Math, Grades K-2 and Teaching Math: A Video Library, K-4. Discovering Psychology: Updated Edition looks at the role of psychological development in children's learning readiness in Program 5, "The Developing Child," Program 6, "Language Development," and Program 8, "Learning."
Review the basics of early childhood development and sound caregiver practices by watching The Whole Child: A Caregiver's Guide to the First Five Years.
National Inventors' Month
America's History in the Making Unit 14, "Industrializing America" examines the role of technological innovation in social and political developments. Read an interview discussing the importance of Black inventors such as Lewis Latimer.
Consider ways of integrating invention with the arts using ideas from The Arts in Every Classroom: A Video Library, K-5, particularly the program "Students Create a Multi-Arts Performance." Click on "Interviews" for ideas related to teaching about invention. Learn about innovations in several areas of biology with Rediscovering Biology: Molecular to Global Perspectives. Be sure to read the expert interview transcripts.
Watch A Biography of America Program 14, "Industrial Supremacy." Try the Interactive Inventions Timeline which highlights key inventions of the thirty years between 1868 and 1898. For another historical look at technological invention, watch Primary Sources: Workshops in American History, Workshop 5, "Cans, Coal, and Corporations." Click on "Before You Watch" for a list of inventions of the 1890s, futurist essays of the era, images from the 1893 World's Fair, and more. Explore "Lectures and Activities" for lecture transcripts and relevant activities and reflections.
How has industrial innovation affected the world? Look at the global impact of technology in "Global Industrialization," the 19th unit of Bridging World History. Consider how inventions have changed our way of life over time with "Historical Change," the first program of Social Studies in Action: A Teaching Practices Library, K-12. Click on "About the Class" and "Lesson Background" for a brief history of American farming and the impact of agricultural innovations.
In the American Passages archive, find a large portrait of early inventor Benjamin Franklin and this 1865 depiction of Minvera, the Roman goddess of wisdom and the arts of civilization, along with American inventors and technological devices. The Mechanical Universe...and Beyond explains how advances in physics have led to various inventions, such as the parallel plate capacitor and the electric battery.
Record Programs Before The Annenberg Channel Ends
With the Channel ending October 1, now is the time to store the programs — without cost — whether you are a school district or an individual. Although satellite distribution will cease October 1, 2008, free program access via Video on Demand will continue online. You will not be able to download the video streams, however.
[Broadcast providers should note that programs recorded from the satellite feed may continue to be rebroadcast through the end of the program's broadcast rights. The broadcast rights term varies by series. The rights expiration date for each series is available online.
You may continue to use programs you have (or record in the future) for non-broadcast purposes for the life of the tape. If you record programs from a PBS station or a cable channel operated by a school district, Department of Education or other nonprofit organization, you may want to contact them to ask if their schedule includes programs you are interested in or if they have recorded them for presentation in the future. Annenberg Channel licensees have free access to all Annenberg Channel programs, but they are not required to air specific titles. Therefore, only the local agency can tell you if they plan to broadcast your favorite programs. You can, however, find out when programs are being fed by satellite and thus available to your local rebroadcaster for recording.
To access the satellite schedule for your favorite programs:
- Visit our Web site at www.learner.org.
- Select the program by discipline from our home page, or type in the title/subject in the search box.
- Click on the series title to visit the series overview page.
- Click on "Broadcast Dates" in the box on the right side of the screen.
This will show you the dates and times each program in the series will be fed by satellite. There are two opportunities for rebroadcasters to record each program, as all programs are repeated 12 hours after the time shown, e.g., programs fed at 6 PM will repeat at 6 AM. For more information about program rights and the end of the satellite feed, see the Annenberg Channel Licensee FAQ.
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