We created SweetSearch2Day because, 16 years after the dawn of the commercial Internet, most people still view it as little more than a way to check sports' scores, stock prices, and flight schedules, send e-mail and watch videos of stupid pet tricks. And I've had more than one educator express a view along the lines of "I hear there's nothing good on the Internet for students."
SweetSearch2Day introduces users, at a glance, to a broad array of high-quality online content that will educate, inform, enlighten and entertain them. Every educator should bookmark the page and visit it every day for content to share with their class. And if they can't come to us every day, we'll come to them; educators can sign-up for our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, and "Like" us on Facebook, and encourage their students to do the same.
Today's edition is a stunning collection of content:
A glance at our news widgets reveals many articles that will provoke curiosity in students, including this article about the unearthing of a giant penguin fossil in Peru; an article about why India is using monkeys as security for the Commonwealth Games; and this collection of photos on animals in the news, from Boston.com's Big Picture.
Our link to Letters of Note reveals a 2008 letter from author John Irving to a New Hampshire school librarian who repulsed an attempt to ban some of Irving's books from the library. He explains "I write for young readers, not uptight adults," and notes that "real readers finish books, and then judge them; most people who propose banning a book haven't finished it."
Our On This Day discusses how Edgar Allan Poe was found this day in 1849, drunk and delirious under mysterious circumstances that were never resolved; Poe died a few days later. As always, our feature On This Day article is also available in Spanish, so the two versions can be read side-by-side by those learning Spanish or English.
Interview of the Day features a 1955 interview in Sports Illustrated with Branch Rickey, who explains his decision to sign Jackie Robinson, and baseball's role in society. This interview alerts teachers to the fact that Sports Illustrated's archives, going back to its launch in 1954, are available online, and have incredible, untapped potential as a teaching, and learning, tool.
Our link to the Library of Congress' American Memory page offers a biography of Cherokee Nation leader John Ross, born this day in 1790; a discussion of President Theodore Roosevelt's efforts to end a coal strike in 1902 and the severe labor battles of the early 20th century (which ended explosively in an episode discussed in our On This Day on Friday); in each, there are links to an extraordinary collection of primary source documents about the topic.
The featured Web Guide to Geography offers links to 30 vetted resources, including Lesson Plans and Games about a subject that is assuming a more prominent place in many states' curriculums. And don't forget about our daily link to NatGeo's GeoBee.
And our old standbys never fail to please: The Story offers a podcast about a man seeking to break the land speed record, and another whose life was changed by a chance meeting with Pete Seeger; the Astronomy Picture of the Day shows Jupiter's yellow moon; the Week in Rap covers Kim Jong II; and one of our Comic Strips showcases the vivid imagination of a boy who left too soon.
Are you students bored in class? Do you think they would still be if you pulled up SweetSearch2Day on your SmartBoard or another screen each day?
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