A MEDIA SPECIALIST'S GUIDE TO THE : professional development

A few summers ago, I took a wonderful course called Teaching Information Literacy Using Primary Sources.Using The Library of Congress' American Memory Collection, I was exposed to an incredible amount of information, including photos, maps, journals, audio tapes and videos. The name of the course has recently changed, but the content seems to be the same and is still taught by Mary Alice Anderson. Check here if you are interested. This digital collection is constantly evolving, as new items are added all the time. The Library of Congress even has its own YouTube channel.

The teachers' section is filled with classroom materials, (lesson plans, themed resources) professional development, (online modules and more) a section on additional resources, ( slide shows from past LOC events, historic American newspapers, American Memory Timeline and more!) a blog entitled Teaching With the Library of Congress and so much more.

If you haven't checked out the Library of Congress yet, you must find time to explore this amazing resource!!

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Need professional development credits? Seems that today with all the budget cuts, the only way to get a salary increase is to move across guide as well as up a step. Some will give you graduate credit and some are actually FREE! At any rate, this list should give you more than enough resources to accomplish that task.

21st Century Schools- short list of online courses

360 Education Solutions- online professional development; huge listing links to many universities

Canter -development online; graduate credit

Capella University -online coursework

Colorado State University- online graduate courses

Computer/Technology Professional Development Resources

Education Week Teacher PD Sourcebook- four main areas include Practice & Pedagogy, (i.e. differentiated instruction) Content Area, (i.e. computer/technology) Leadership. (administration) and Specific Populations. (i.e. special education) They have 730 companies listed here.

Education Week Teacher PD Directory- extensive listing of professional development opportunities

Educational Impact

Enztein-free online courses

Fine Arts Teacher Professional Development

Foreign Languages Professional Development

Free Online Graduate Courses!!!- sponsored by the Annenberg Project

The Heritage Institute -continuing education for K-12 teachers

K12 Teacher Staff Development- small course listing

Knowledge Delivery Systems- list of 8 colleges offering online courses

Learner.org

Learning Port- over 700 resources from various organizations, including the Department of Education, NEA and Edutopia. Many are free; all list the format, duration, cost, access, certificate, (if available) video, assessment, 508 compliancy and when the course was created.

Library of Congress Professional Development

Loyola Marymount Enhancement Courses- graduate credit; one of the least expensive per credit

National Council of Teachers of English- on-demand webinars

National Council of Teachers of Mathematics

National Science Teachers Association Professional Development

Online Course Providers- over 75 colleges listed here

PBS TeacherLine

Plato Learning

Professional Development Institute

SAS in School

SimpleK12

Social Studies/History Professional Development Resources

Tapped In -collaborative activities, school chat sessions

Teacher-Courses.com

Teacher Education Institute- mainly 3 credit graduate courses

Teacher Online Education- site created by teachers

Teacher's Learning Center- 1, 2, & 3 credit courses; accredited nation-wide

Teachers First -Professional Resources Matrix

Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL)- online education programs