Tuesday, March 15, 2011

This Week's Online Find:
Teachers' Domain


Are you feeling dull and depleted as the school year drags to a close? Are your lessons sounding lifeless and repetitive even to your own ears? Do you notice students dozing off as you try to elicit enthusiasm for the same old lesson types you’ve been presenting since September? Are you desperately searching for exciting multi-media lessons, activities, and projects that will help you finish up the school year with the same bang you started it with? If the answer to each of those questions is “yes,” then maybe it’s time for you to take a quick field trip to Teachers’ Domain, a free digital media service for educators from PBS and its partners.

At Teachers' Domain, you’ll find more than 1,000 free media resources -- including video and audio, Flash interactives, images, and documents -- from such shows as NOVA, Nature, Frontline, Loop Scoops, and American Experience, as well as a tremendous variety of high-quality support materials for classroom lessons, individualized learning programs, and professional development. Support resources include lesson plans, introductory essays, teaching tips, extension materials, and suggestions for student-oriented and community-service activities.

Users can browse Teachers' Domain resources
* by standards -- state, Common Core, or national;
* by K-12 subject -- Arts, English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies;
* by Public Media Series Collections -- including Between the Lions, Get the Math, From the Top at Carnegie Hall, and The Supreme Court;
* by State and Local Collections -- ranging from "Alaska Native Perspectives on Earth and Climate" to the "Ohio Collection of Digital resources" to "Teacher Picks" of favorite Web content for classroom use; and
* by Curriculum Topics and Themes -- including Biotechnology, Civil Rights, Climate Literacy, Cool Careers in Science, and Middle School Literacy.

In addition, Teacher’s Domain’s professional development resources include online courses (categorized by duration, grade, and subject) and teaching strategies (arranged by subject and type).

You must register to download, share, and save resources at Teachers’ Domain, but registration is free and easy. And, once you register, you can create a public profile to connect with colleagues, and use "My Folders" and "My Groups" to personalize the site by saving and sharing your own favorite resources.

Whether you’re looking for new lessons or new ways to present old lessons, Teachers’ Domain quickly will become one of your favorite destinations. But don’t take my word for it. Check it out for yourself! You can “test drive” up to seven resources at Teachers’ Domain before registering.

No comments:

Post a Comment