How to Use AELC Hotlists and Gabcasts

This Website has several tools for students to help them understand the various parts of the Illinois and Federal Constitutions. Follow these easy instructions to using these tools:

Using Gabcasts:
Gabcasts are audio podcasts that were created by AELC instructors Patricia Huelsman and Char Rokop. To use them:

* Find the blue Gabcast icon under the topic you are interested in learning more about.
* Click on the slider bar on the word 'PLAY'. The information should start to play immediately.

You may listen to the Gabcasts as often as you like.

Using the Hotlist:
To better help you find useful Websites for reviewing the Illinois and U'S. Constitution, find the section (located in the left hand column of this Blog) that is titled 'CONSTITUTION HOTLIST'.

* Click on the underlined words U.S. and Illinois Constitution Hotlist. This will take you directly to a page of Websites that you can use for study.
* Click on the underlined title of any of the Websites to take you directly to that Website. You do not need to type in any Web addresses. One click does it!

Commentary: Sotir: Happy Birthday, Sputnik! (October 4, 1957)

It's been 50 years since that little 183 pound ball of aluminum made Americans sit up and take notice. It was about the size of a basketball, but the impact it had on the future was staggering. Americans were stunned and unnerved by the event, and everyone demanded that the U.S. respond. On February 7, 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) which had, as its mission the charge of preventing technological surprises. So they launched, and we launched...and launched. It changed our lives, our furniture (remember the Sputnik-inspired lamps?) and our society. Of course, as society goes, so goes education. It became fashionable to do math and science became a major focus.

By 1960, ARPA was moving full steam ahead, funded with what seemed to be endless dollars all with the goal of putting America back on top. In 1962, ARPA established and funded the Information Processing Techniques Office. Although the title seemed less than inspired, the new director, JCR Licklider, was anything but commonplace. In 1960 he had published the much heralded 'Man-Computer Symbiosis' and showed the world his vision of the future. This article anticipated the development of many information technologies, including the Internet itself. While the Department of Defense had computers for quite some time, the new vision was to have those computers freely sharing their information. While the rockets still launched into space, the developments on this planet were staggering. ARPA funds were given to MIT to start Project MAC, and the inclusion of academic research combined with government agencies (and money) spurred on progress. The interesting factor was that Licklider had both the money and the talent to achieve amazing success. By the end of 1968, new technologies such as the mouse and hypertext links were forming the base of computer to computer communication. The first Arpanet host-to-host message was sent from UCLA to Stanford in 1969, which led to the first 'internetting' project linking various kinds of packet-switching networks.

It's hard to imagine a world without the Internet, or the World Wide Web. When I first got involved in technology, there was no Web, only a very rudimentary system called the Bulletin Board System, or BBS. Within a relatively short time, the BBS morphed into the WWW, and lives were forever changed. With visionaries such as Licklider and his talented teams from both government and academia, we have bounded into the future. All those 'Modern Math' classes that we had as children in response to the Sputnik-mania formed young minds and gave a base (of something other than 10) to the future. Children today do not know that there was a world without computers. I wonder what their children will know?

Annenberg Foundation

This is an excellent resource for classroom instructors who are teaching the Constitution. The Foundation funds projects on the Constitution in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania. There are learning materials including lesson plans and audiovisual resources available at http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/

Commentary: 9/11/06

On the 5th Anniversary of 9/11. we should all pause to consider how strongly our forefathers valued freedom, and endeavored to safeguard those freedoms through the ages by documents such as the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. We have much to be thankful for, and owe it to future generations to preserve those freedoms, not just for the U.S. but for all people in the world. Our thoughts and prayers still remember those who died on that tragic date, and we vow to never forget them. In addition, we also those heroes who worked tirelessly to assist those in need, and dealt with the horrible aftermath so courageously.

Constitution Day, September 17, 1787

http://usgovinfo.about.com/blconstday.htm

Historical references to the first Constitution Day from About.com

Resources for Observing Constitution Day
Transcript of the ConstitutionComplete text of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and all subsequent amendments. From your About Guide.
Constitutional ResourcesMore articles and Web sites for learning about the Constitution and its interpretation and enforcement by the Supreme Court over the years. From your About Guide.
Bill of Rights -- the Original VersionTranscript of the Bill of Rights as originally submitted to the people for ratification. There was an amendment that failed to be ratified. From your About Guide.
George Washington's Farewell Address Washington says goodbye and offers advice to the people on how to go forward with freedom. Complete text of the 1796 address. Provided by your About Guide.

Constitution Day Made Easy

http://www.justicelearning.org/constitutionday/index.asp

To help schools comply with the federal requirement to offer an educational program on Constitution Day, the Annenberg Classroom, in cooperation with a prestigious group of educators and media organizations will offer a variety of educational resources for use in high schools, colleges and universities and by federal agencies on Constitution Day. They also offer some free materials to assist with the presentation of Constitution Day to students and faculty.

Constitution Day, Sunday, September 17, 2006

Celebrate the birthday of your government! The Constitution Day website is located at http://www.constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday/display/MainS/Home and features information for educators, students and community leaders. Partner USA Today also offers resources such as:
1st Amendment Project-Based Learning Lesson
Democracy TODAY - Election '06 Website
Elections and Beyond Website
Freedom of Assembly Case Study
Freedom of Speech Case Study

There is also a list of audio/visual resources to help bring the documents to life: http://www.constitutioncenter.org/constitutionday/display/EducM/Search+Audio+Visual+Resources

Constitution: Free Resources

http://www.techlearning.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=190301916

Just in time for the next Constitution Day (September 17), here is a list of free resources on the Constution compiled from FREE (Federal Resources for Educational Excellence) sites byTechLEARNING online.

Financial Literacy

In 2003, Congress established the Financial Literacy and Education Commission (the Commission) through passage of the Financial Literacy and Education Improvement Act under Title V of the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions (FACT) Act of 2003 (P.L. 108-159). The Commission has recently published an in-depth review of financial literacy in America. The 160-page report is available on the Government web site, linked below. Improved financial literacy among all Americans requires an increased public awareness of the issues, as well as the many state, local, and national resources that are available for financial education.The Financial Literacy and Education Commission has established an information distribution infrastructure which will help increase public awareness of the resources available within the Federal government by establishing MyMoney.gov, a clearinghouse for financial literacy materials. This Web site contains links to free financial literacy and educational material produced by Commission members. MyMoney.gov also provides links to selected .edu sites maintained by publicly funded colleges and universities affiliated with the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES), as well as .org sites affiliated with government entities such as the Federal Reserve Banks, to ensure that valuable financial information and learning tools are available from sites beyond Federal government agencies. The goal of the MyMoney.gov Web site is to provide a convenient and accessible source for credible and free resources. The Web site now contains useful information for individuals who are facing an array of financial needs, such as balancing a checking account, shopping for a mortgage or auto loan, researching ways to pay for a college education, reviewing credit card statements, putting money away for retirement, understanding a credit report, or simply deciding whether to pay cash or to charge a purchase. It contains information on how to understand, evaluate, and compare financial products, services, and opportunities and assists investors in understanding how to proceed when they encounter difficulties with market intermediaries.Although the Web site is arranged to be accessible and helpful to consumers, it also will make it easier for community educators and nonprofit organizations to find and use those same resources, reducing costs of needless duplication.
http://mymoney.gov/
http://www.mymoney.gov/ownership.pdf

Sherry Burlingame

ABE/GED/ESL The Learning Page: Library of Congress

http://rs6.loc.gov/ammem/ndlpedu/index.html

This is a companion site to the Library of Congress (LOC) site listed below, and is set up for instructors to enhance the LOC pages. It includes lesson plans, features and activities, collection connection, community center and professional development information. I includes over 7 million historical documents, photographs, maps, films and audio recordings, and offers lessons, features, activities and tips and tricks to use these collections effectively.

Constitution: Library of Congress

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html

The Library of Congress' repositories for Constitutional documents and information.

'Be Not Afraid': Justice Clarence Thomas on Supreme Court Functionality

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/sayitplain/cthomas.html

This speech from Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas entitled 'Be Not Afraid' American Enterprise Institute (February 13, 2001) is from Say It Plain, A Century of Great African American Speeches, on American Radio Works. The speech context is both in spoken and written formats. The speech discusses Constitutional interpretation by Thomas, and the role of the Supreme Court in the strict interpretation of the law. He includes thoughts such as:

"Third, this approach recognizes the basic principle of a written Constitution. "We the people" adopted a written Constitution precisely because it has a fixed meaning, a meaning that does not change. Otherwise we would have adopted the British approach of an unwritten, evolving Constitution. Aside from amendment, according to Article V, the Constitution's meaning cannot be updated, or changed, or altered by the Supreme Court, the Congress, or the President. "

The speech is clearly spoken by Thomas, at a good rate of speed to encourage understanding. Having the actual context of the speech is also helpful for students to increase their level of understanding. The ideals of justice being blind, and the role of the Court to interpret the Constitution without prejudice or change from the original intent is important for students to understand. This is a wonderful opportunity for students to work on language, context and the Constitution all at the same time.

It ends with the simple exhortation from Pope John Paul II to 'Be Not Afraid'. A simple message to millions who are challenged by tyrants and murderers to offer a quiet resolve and unvoiced courage necessary to endure the inevitable intimidation. His last words are:

"The Founders warned us that freedom requires constant vigilance and repeated action. It is said that when asked what sort of government the Founders had created, Benjamin Franklin replied that they had given us "a Republic, if you can keep it." Today, as in the past, we will need a brave "civic virtue," not a timid civility, to keep our republic. So, this evening, I leave you with the simple exhortation: "Be not afraid."

This gives us a perspective both historical and current, and helps students to understand the founding principles of our country in their quest to understand the Constitution. I highly recommend this speech, but a minimum reading level should be about 8th grade to truly understand the concepts that are expressed. However, students at a lower reading level can still gain some understanding by listening.

US Law and History

Discussion of several aspects of US Law and History, including:
Law
Congress
President
Courts
Founding Documents
History of USA

Illinois Constitution Webquest

This webquest was designed to allow students to learn about the Illinois Constitution and also some historical facts concerning Illinois. There are assignments that may be printed, completed, and turned in for evaluation purposes. If completed properly this webquest will prepare students for the required test on the Illinois Constitution.

Constitution Society

This site aims to eventually provide almost everything one needs to accurately decide what is and is not constitutional in most situations, and what applicable constitutions require one to do. It is for constitutional decision support.
The Constitution Society is a private non-profit organization dedicated to research and public education on the principles of constitutional republican government. It publishes documentation, engages in litigation, and organizes local citizens groups to work for reform.
This organization was founded in response to the growing concern that noncompliance with the Constitution for the United States of America and most state constitutions is creating a crisis of legitimacy that threatens freedom and civil rights. Although the focus here is on government in the United States, coverage also includes the rest of the world, and private as well as public organizations. We maintain that the principles of constitutional republicanism are universal, and applicable to all nations, although not well understood or upheld by most. We also examine the related principles of federalism and nomocracy, the rule of law, of nomology, the science of law, and show how those principles are applicable to solving the fundamental problem of avoiding excessive or unbalanced concentrations of power.
We have a Liberty Library of Constitutional Classics collection that should be of interest to anyone seeking guidance on constitutional interpretation.

Video and Online Broadcasts of Justice Department Workings

http://justicel.bootnetworks.com/ConstitutionDay/index.asp

Online and satellite broadcast Sept. 16, 2005 of "Justice Talking: Free Speech in the Digital Age" (1:30 p.m. EDT) and "Conversations with Supreme Court Justices" (noon and 3 p.m. EDT).

The site also has a series of excepts with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor that can be shown at any time on the computer, using Windows Media or RealMedia.

Lesson Plans/Modules

www.gilderlehrman.org/teachers/module2/index.html

A module on the Constitution for teachers and students, prepared by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

National Archives and Records Website

www.nara.gov

The official site of the National Archives and Records Administration, featuring historic primary-source documents.

National History Day Website

www.nhd.org

The Web site of National History Day.

National Constitution Center's Website

www.constitutionday.us

The National Constitution Center's official Constitution Day Web site.