Some of you may remember the good ol’ days when you had to trek to a  library or subscribe to multiple publications to catch up on science and education topics. I must confess that back then, it was difficult for me to find the time to spend a few hours in the library (plus travel time) to find the publications and to read them all right there and then.
Fast forward to today, when it’s easy to bring selected resources right to your computer, cell phone, or tablet. It seems we now have the opposite situation–so much information it’s hard to know where to start.
Most organizations, institutions, and agencies have electronic resources that they share, free of charge. You can choose from several format options: newsletters delivered via e-mail, Facebook updates, Tweets, notices that are linked to a website with the information, RSS feeds, or podcasts. Check the websites of your favorite organizations, museums, university or college science departments, publications, or scientific agencies to see what they offer. Look for the networking logos to see what options you have. If you’re not sure where to start, here are some that I subscribe to, “like,” or follow:

• NSTA has both Facebook and Twitter links. There’s also an overview of many resources (including the latest posts to the forums) via the NSTA dashboard.
• Edutopia  from the George Lucas Educational Foundation is one of my favorites for seeing teachers and students in action.
• SmartBrief and the Inservice blog from the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) with educational news on a variety of topics from newspapers, professional publications, bloggers, and reporters. You don’t have to be a member to subscribe to this service!
• The National Science Foundation provides articles and other updates, including the “Latest News” section with articles that could be easily be shared with students.
• Scientific American has news articles, podcasts, lesson ideas, and blogs on the latest research.
• Breaking News from NASA
• Discover Magazine’s Not Exactly Rocket Science
• ISTE Connect for updates on instructional technology
• Free Technology for Teachers has great suggestions and is one that I look at regularly.
• Smithsonian,  American Museum of Natural History,  The Exploratorium…the resources and information from museums, parks, zoos, and science centers are endless.

Do I read everything in these newsletters, tweets, blogs, and articles? No, I’ve learned to be a gourmet rather than a glutton! I scan the titles and look for those that sound interesting or relevant. And sometimes I look for topics I know little about, just to learn more.
Do you have your own favorites to share?