Professional Development Online

Following are online professional development sites. Many of them are free, but some do cost money. Altogether, a myriad of options!

American Museum of Natural History - Seminars on Science.

Taught by scientists and educators, the various courses are a mixture of online discussion, projects, and reading assignments. In addition, the site links to educational exhibits at the museum. The final project options range from creating a lesson plan to developing an exploration of an ethical problem. Summer options cover issues such as the link between dinosaurs and birds; space, time, and motion; and the ocean system. Each 6-week course costs $445, but the higher-caliber instructions and resources make the learning experience worth the price.

Annenberg Media Learning

A myriad of options. Courses are all online and FREE. Several of the options have information on obtaining graduate course credit from Colorado State University, which does require a fee.

Concepts to Classroom

A series of FREE online PD workshops produced by a New York public broadcast station. Topics include inquiry-based learning, using multiple intelligences, interdisciplinary learning, and eight other options. Each workshop contains an explanation section, a series of video and web site examples, and a series of questions to explore the implementation of the topic, and each ends with a fully-detailed implementation section.

Education World

Get a quick look at the four-block model, multiple intelligences, and project-based learning through these virtual workshops. Each workshop includes a brief explanation and a variety of Internet resources for additional infomration. The sidebars offer many options for supporting new teachers, gathering best practice ideas, and considering discipline strategies that work.

George Lucas Educational Foundation - Professional Development Modules.

These free teaching modules were developed by education faculty and professional developers. They can be used as extension units in your existing courses, or can be used independently in workshops and meetings. Each module includes articles, video footage, PowerPoint® presentations, and class activities. They draw from the wealth of GLEF's archives of best practices and correlate with ISTE/NCATE NETS standards.

Intel Online Resources Guide

The five workshops offered here by Intel contain presentation slides, facilitator notes, and presentation handouts. The facilitator notes are comprehensive and provide confidence to even the novice presenter. One of the workshops provides a look at two sets of well-crafted lesson plans.

Library of Congress

Many self-serve professional developoment options are available from the LOC. Presented are instructions on how to use primary sources, search the American Memory collections, and integrate the various collections into the classroom. Each workshop contains a brief overview, a complete facilitator's guide, and practice exercises. Be sure to examine the PowerPoint Pizazz option and the Students as Historians option.

UnitedStreaming

WHS' subscription includes numerous professional development options: video clips from ASCD, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, United Learning, and Sunburst. Topics range from best practices, writing instruction, teaching reading, and science and math projects.

WebQuest Training

A "classic" that still deserves to be on any list of best sites is the Training Materials page at WebQuest. Here you find onot only philosophical discussions about the value of using WebQuests as teaching tools but also information on the building blocks of a WebQuest. One of the best professional development tools is the WebQuest on WebQuests, which guides fellow teachers through evaluating and selecting WebQuests.