To make this rich collection of stories even more useful to teachers, An Innovation Odyssey highlights special themes and big ideas about learning.

Interested in inspiring a sense of adventure in your students? Watch for stories that focus on the theme of Explorations. Curious how teachers around the world are helping their students communicate with distant learners? Look for stories on the theme of Making Connections.

Themes are interdisciplinary, and each set of stories features teachers from varied grade levels and subject areas. Technologies range widely, too, from handhelds to digital music labs to classroom animation studios.

Click on any of these themes to view the list of related stories from An Innovation Odyssey:

• Animal Kingdom
  Creatures of all sizes—from microscopic to mammoth—capture student interest. Take a look at the wide range of projects that focus on animals.
• Communicating Ideas
  Learning to address an audience or make a persuasive argument are valuable skills. Take a look at technology-rich projects that teach students to communicate in all sorts of forums.
• Connecting Learners
  Technology connects learners all around the globe. Take a look at projects that bring together diverse audiences from distant communities for shared learning experiences.
• Creative Arts
  Whether they’re critiquing Hollywood movies or producing their own news shows, students find plenty of learning opportunities in projects that involve film, video, and animation.
• Critical Thinking
  How do teachers go about nurturing their students’ higher-order thinking skills? Tour some classrooms where critical thinking is an essential part of the curriculum.
• Cultural Studies
  From folk tales to family histories to anthropology studies, all sorts of projects help students appreciate the diversity of world cultures.
• Explorations
  Discover what students are learning about history, mapmaking, literature, and more by retracing the steps of Lewis and Clark and other explorers, or by embarking on their own explorations.
• In Einstein's Footsteps
  Read about projects that help explain Einstein's big ideas and find ways to recognize the importance of physics in our lives.
• Integrated Studies
  What happens when students tackle challenging problems that cut across subject areas? Visit classrooms that show why interdisciplinary projects work for students and teachers.
• Invention and Design
  Creativity gets full expression in projects that involve invention and design. From Martian space colonies to virtual racecars, these design and engineering projects ignite student interest.
• Leading the Way
  Innovative principals and other school leaders understand the importance of leading by example. Meet some powerful role models (including students) who make effective use of technology.
• Learning Through Inquiry
  A good question can be a powerful prompt for student learning in projects ranging from science to history to writing. Visit classrooms where inquiry leads to understanding.
• Learning Through the Senses
  Dance, drama, music, photography, video, and other avenues of expression promise to ignite student interest and engage diverse learners.
• Lessons From the Past
  From local lore to 20th century conflicts, events of the past offer students a world of learning opportunities. Take a look at classrooms where history comes alive.
• Making Sense of Data
  Whether they’re monitoring earthquake activity, measuring water quality, or analyzing energy usage, students discover how technology can help them make sense of data.
• Outside the Classroom
  Learning about the real world often means venturing beyond the classroom. Read about projects that take students into their communities for service learning and problem solving.
• Overcoming Challenges
  Physical, emotional, or social issues make learning a challenge for some students. Visit schools where students with special needs are finding success through technology-infused learning.
• Planet Earth
  From the ocean depths to the Amazon rainforest, all corners of the globe come into sharper focus in classrooms that immerse students in the study of biology, botany, environmental science, and more.
• Power of Words
  Student writers are reaching wider audiences through weblogs, digital books, and other forums for sharing ideas. Visit classrooms where young writers thrive.
• Reflecting on Learning
  Assessment takes on a new dimension when students are invited to reflect on their own learning. See how teachers are using digital portfolios, student videos, and other assessment tools in their classrooms.
• Simulations
  Simulations offer students the chance to step into someone else’s shoes. By role-playing the part of a city council member or a famous character from literature, students learn the value of viewpoints.
• Space Studies
  The classroom becomes a place of ever-expanding knowledge when students launch rockets, study distant stars, or take the pilot’s seat to learn about aeronautics.
• Sports and Games
  From chess to soccer to Olympic events, sports and games offer special appeal for many students. Take a look at classrooms where teachers are capitalizing on this natural interest to create projects fit for all learners.
• Studies of Self
  Learning gets personal when students focus on themselves as subjects. Take a look at projects that involve making self-portraits, understanding genetics, investigating career options, or learning how the human brain works.