Hot Stuff: Media for Educators

Credit: William Duke

AlcoholEdu for High School [1]

prices vary

Thanks to the confusing messages a booze-guzzling America sends to adolescents, the teendency is to slip and slide into underage drinking; the median age of kids who first taste alcohol is fifteen. AlcoholEdu, developed by Outside the Classroom [2] in conjunction with Mothers Against Drunk Driving [3], is the best kind of alcohol-education and alcohol-prevention program for the iKid, with streaming images and sincere, engaging voice-over. Though the math or science a student learns might not be called on for several years, the scenarios in AlcoholEdu are most likely variations on Johnny's last weekend, or what's to come on Jane's Saturday night. Why not prepare students for the important decisions they already face?

Credit: William Duke

The Tribe Film & Discussion Kit [4]

Starts at $40

The Tribe juxtaposes the history of the Jewish people with the invention of (are you ready?) the Barbie doll. It's not as odd a juxtaposition as it first seems: The iconic toy, created by Ruth Handler -- a Jewish woman -- exemplifies the insider-outsider duality the modern, flesh-and-blood Jew faces. But the eighteen-minute film is only the beginning. Included in the discussion kit is the Guide from the Perplexed (the film's backstory and a glossary of its images and concepts), which sets the scene for wonderful classroom discussions about advertising, packaging, media, and genre.

Credit: William Duke

KaBOOM! [5]

Free to register; prices vary

KaBOOM! would love to send tanbark chips flying across every neighborhood in America. With founding partner Home Depot, the nonprofit company facilitates the building of new playgrounds by working with community leaders. At the KaBOOM! Web site, the dropdown menus and links are as fun and intrinsic to navigate as the rings and rungs of a playground, offering assistance with site selecting, grant wrangling, Web site creating, vendor directing, and design. In an age of thinking outside the box, the sandbox is where every kid should start.

Credit: William Duke

Tales from the Teachers' Lounge [6]

Delacorte Press; $23

Robert Wilder's outrageous catalog of the weird and wonderful world of teaching. Obscene, potty mouthed, and frank, Wilder is just what educators need at the end of a long day: a compassionate and funny voice that will make them feel they're not in it alone.