The Henry Ford
Henry Ford Museum: Visionaries on Innovation: Henry Ford
Learn about the life of Henry Ford, and his work and experiments that lead to the invention of the Quadricycle and, finally, the Model T, which was introduced in 1908. This site offers a glimpse into Ford's childhood, his work at the...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Transportation: They Say We Had a Revolution (Part 1)
Advancements in transportation have played a key role in the growth of our nation. U.S.government policies have also had a considerable impact on the development of transport as we know it today. In this series of three lessons, the...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Transportation: They Say We Had a Revolution (Part 3)
Advancements in transportation have played a key role in the growth of our nation. U.S. government policies have also had a considerable impact on the development of transport as we know it today. In this series of three lessons, the...
South Carolina Educational Television
Etv: Nasa Online: Invention Process: Brain Teasers
Interactive brain games that challenge thinking and creativity skills.
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Technology of the 1800s
[Free Registration/Login Required] Article considers the inventions and innovations in communication, transportation, and manufacturing that drove America forward in the nineteenth century. Includes a link to an interactive history of...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Time for Design
Students are introduced to the engineering design process, focusing on the concept of brainstorming design alternatives. They learn that engineering is about designing creative ways to improve existing artifacts, technologies or...
Space.com
Space.com: "Nasa Spin Offs: Bringing Space Down to Earth"
This article from January 26, 2005, offers a video and a list of many common items used daily that exist because of NASA innovations. These include Cat Scans and MRIs, more precise and safer breast imaging, artificial limbs using...
Ohio State University
Osu History Teaching Institute: The Automobile
This lesson will help students understand the different ways in which the automobile changed American society. Students will learn about Henry Ford, whose innovations transformed manufacturing and made automobiles affordable for...
Great Idea Finder
The Great Idea Finder: Thomas Alva Edison
This site from The Great Idea Finder presents a lengthy biography of Thomas Edison, followed by a wealth of suggested resources including books, movies, and the Internet.
TED Talks
Ted: Ted Ed: Is There a Limit to Technological Progress?
Many generations have felt they've reached the pinnacle of technological advancement. Yet, if you look back 100 years, the technologies we take for granted today would seem like impossible magic. So- will there be a point where we reach...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: National Council of Economic Education: Capital Chips
This site has a multi-part lesson plan that explores several aspects of productivity. The site incorporates online resources and activities.
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: America at the Centennial
A lesson plan requiring student to analyze primary documents from the Philadelphia Centennial Exposition of 1876. Students interpret what these historical artifacts say "about the lives and values of Americans in 1876" among other things.
PBS
Pbs: Who Made America?: Innovators: Cyrus Mc Cormick
A Virginia farmer invented a mechanical reaper, then harvested profits in the Midwest's exploding grain belt, innovating credit, service, and sales practices that became essential parts of American big business.
PBS
Pbs Kids: Martha Speaks: t.d. Reports: Chewing Gum
Take a walk through history with this kid-friendly, multimedia research report on the inventors of chewing gum.
PBS
Pbs: Who Made America?: Innovators: Samuel Morse
Contrary to myth, Samuel Morse did not invent the telegraph, but he made key improvements to its design, and his work to deploy it would transform communications worldwide.
PBS
Pbs: Who Made America?: Innovators: Georges Doriot
A Frenchman with a cool eye formed a publicly traded company to assess thousands of business proposals -- and funded the best ones, inventing the modern practice of venture capitalism.
PBS
Pbs: Who Made America?: Innovators: Ray Kurzweil
A prodigy from Queens created hardware and software to help blind people read and musicians make music. His inventions, writings, and influential thinking have explored and exploited technology in many ways, and helped shape ongoing work...
Other
Explora Vision: Explora Vision Official Web Site
ExploraVision is a highly interactive site for both educators and K-12 students. It encourages them to create and explore future technology by combining their imaginations with the tools of science. All inventions and innovations result...
BBC
Bbc News: The Road to Riches: The 2nd Industrial Revolution
A brief look at some of the inventions and technologies associated with the second industrial revolution, which came into existence thanks to the new discoveries made by chemists and physicists. Offers a look at how these advancements...
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Spotlight Biography Inventors
This site provides information on American inventors Benjamin Franklin, Robert Fulton, Eli Whitney, Thomas Jefferson, Isaac Singer, Wilbur Wright, Thomas Alva Edison, Elias Howe, and Alexander Graham Bell. It offers pictures from and...
Other
Lego Foundation: The Role of Play in Children's Development
This article reviews research that has been conducted in relation to the five types of play, namely physical play, play with objects, symbolic/semiotic play, pretend play, and games with rules.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Biomimicry: Natural Designs
Students learn about biomimicry and how engineers often imitate nature in the design of innovative new products. They demonstrate their knowledge of biomimicry by practicing brainstorming and designing a new product based on what they...
Smithsonian Institution
National Museum of American History
At the museum's online home, find illustrated and interactive overviews of its collections and programs, along with an extensive set of innovative resources for teaching and learning about major events and themes in American history and...
Other
Mit Technology Review
Technology Review is a magazine by MIT which seeks to "promote the understanding of emerging technologies and their impact on business and society." It provides you with daily technology information including events, discussions, and...