Edutopia gets my vote for the best education website ever. The George Lucas Education Foundation (GLEF) created a resource for educators, administrators, policy-makers and curious observers alike. GLEF publishes the stories of innovative teaching and learning through a variety of media -- a magazine, an e-newsletter, CD-ROMs, DVDs, books, and the Edutopia website (www.edutopia.org). The website contains detailed articles, in-depth case studies, research summaries, instructional modules, short documentary segments, expert interviews, and links to hundreds of relevant resources. Visitors can also participate as members of an online community of people actively working to reinvent schools for the twenty-first century.

What sets this web resource apart from others is the application of the concepts and practices they preach. Edutopia's video gallery contains more than a hundred short documentary segments and expert interviews. These range from instructional strategies and project-based learning to technology integration and the digital divide. All of these resources come packaged as streaming video, completely free and completely engaging.

Edutopia also addresses professional development for teachers. The free instructional modules are created by professors of education and professional-development specialists. Teachers and trainers alike can use these resources as extension units in existing courses. All modules include articles, video footage, PowerPoint® presentations, discussion questions, and class activities. They draw from GLEF's archives of best practices and correlate with ISTE/NCATE NETS standards.

The Edutopia staff recently celebrated their 15th anniversary in September, and they show no signs of letting up. The dynamic site demonstrates the staff's never-ending passion for celebrating the finest examples of education and schooling in the US. The example they have set affirms Science For America's belief that educators can only facilitate the development of 21st century knowledge and skills when these same proficiencies are used to resolve the issues confronting science education today.

Visit Edutopia's website here and be sure to bookmark for future visits.