The Collections

Teachers’ Domain: Interactive Fun!

Written by: Angie Maccani
Wednesday, February 11th, 2009

Teachers’ Domain offers a diverse collection of activities and media resources for your classroom. The netTrekker sites in Teachers’ Domain contain video, interactive media, images and .pdf files.  Resources accessed through netTrekker pertain to Social Studies and Science topics, but, once you log into Teachersí Domain you can search any topic and find rich resources that address all areas of the curriculum.

Refine your searches to show Teachers' Domain resources

Refine your searches to show Teachers

The Teachers’ Domain site encourages you to register, requiring you to complete a short and simple profile. The process asks:

  • The type of school
  • Where it is located
  • A user name/password you would like to access Teachers Domain
  • Your name
  • Email
  • A COPPA regulations confirmation that you are over 13 years of age
  • A question of how did you hear about Teachers Domain?

If your school uses a universal user name for the students to access netTrekker d.i., consider registering it here as well!

To continue on with the theme of hearts that Amy introduced with the SMART resources, here is an example of an interactive resource found in netTrekker d.i. from Teachers’ Domain. My search word was heart. I refined my search to only show Teachers’ Domain resources and then selected the entry about

Teachers' Domain includes interactive media.

Teachers

heart transplants. It pulls up an interactive program for your students to actually conduct a heart transplant. It includes the background information, questions, and the standards for this activity.

It is simple and truly a rich resource to enhance your classroom, all available in netTrekker! View this short video to see this classroom application in action.

Teachers’ Domain in Action


Tags: , , , ,

Wednesday, February 11th, 2009 Features and Tools, The Collections 1 Comment

The Venerable PBS

Written by: Dave Thomas
Monday, February 9th, 2009

Venerable. That’s the word I think of when I think of PBS. True, if you’re not a former English teacher (and therefore former English major) that word might seem a little odd, but for me, it fits. Unfortunately, it also might cause me to miss all the cool, up-to-date resources PBS has to offer through PBS TeacherSource. It is one of netTrekker d.i.’s largest collections, and it pulls from all the shows and resources PBS has to offer!

First, I searched for “pbs teachersource” and got several results, one of which was the PBS Teachers site, of course. From there it’s easy enough to look around and seek specific items of interest. They have a large amount of Professional Development, Teacher Resources, and Standards-based Resources available from the home page. Nice.

Curious about just what I’d find using netTrekker like most folks do, I performed a couple of fairly random keyword searches to then refine using the Collections. Here are some winners:

I tried “wolf” from the High School tab and got a lesson plan from NOVA about wolf relocation programs that included handouts and answers!

I tried “twain” from the Middle School tab and found a fairly extensive curriculum from a PBS show, “Culture Shock,” for teaching The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and dealing with the controversial material in the book. I know I hated reinventing the wheel when teaching, so having a unit I could modify instead of creating one from scratch was always welcome.

Lastly, I thought I should try an Elementary tab search, so I looked for “president” and got a short, cute activity from PBSkid’s Arthur section. I happen to like Arthur, so it looks like fun to me, and it also includes everyone’s favorite part of early childhood education: snack! Maybe I’ll talk Presidential elections, Arthur-style with my kindergartener and we can vote on the snack, too.

To keep the food metaphor going; this is just a taste of PBS TeacherSource, and I hope it whets your appetite. A good thing about venerable PBS: it definitely has resources you can trust (and sink your teeth into).
 

 

Tags: , , , , , ,

Monday, February 9th, 2009 Features and Tools, The Collections No Comments

Lions, Tigers, and Koala Bears! Oh My!

Written by: Chris Marshall
Thursday, February 5th, 2009

//www.globio.org/glossopedia/article.aspx?art_id=62&art_nm=Koalas  
Do your students know that Koalas are not actually bears, but marsupials? Yep, just like kangaroos.  This is but one example of the things you can learn in GLOBIO.  GLOBIO is a nonprofit online resource dedicated to educating kids about the world around them or in their own words, “Our objectives are to create multimedia tools and programs that connect kids to the environment, to other kids, and to actions they can take to manage natural resources wisely.”

As I looked through the website, I noticed how easy it is to navigate, which is a necessity for younger kids (GLOBIO’s target audience is 7-12 years old.)  It also has great curb appeal which is very important.  A website can have great information and be easy to use, but if it’s not pleasing to look at, kids won’t stick around long. 

GLOBIO consists of several areas.  One that is content related, a kids community, an area for grown ups and educators, and more.  They have also even begun creating Learning Activity Guides for educators that correspond with their content. These resources consist of great articles, pictures, videos, audio, and more.  The subjects matter varies from different animals, light, behavior, the human body, ecosystems, all the way to the moon.  Just to name a few.

I bet you also didn’t know that GLOBIO is also included in netTrekker’s Collections.  When searching, look in the refinement menu under collections and you can see if your search produced GLOBIO resources.  You may better recognize the name of one of the areas in GLOBIO called Glossopedia.  This is the name for their tool which contains all their great resources and media.  Also, all content in GLOBIO is designed to align with US National Standards for the Sciences, Technology and English language arts.
 
Decide for yourself!  I encourage you to click here and take the tour, then come back and leave a comment.  Let us know what you think about GLOBIO.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Tags: , , , , ,

Thursday, February 5th, 2009 The Collections No Comments

Promethe-WHAT?

Written by: Suzy Deller
Wednesday, February 4th, 2009

Pro-ME-thee-in, that’s what!

Some of you are quick to brush this wonderful resource aside because your school or district doesn’t own Interactive Whiteboards, but WAIT!    

You can still view & use Promethean Flipcharts even if you don’t have Interactive Whiteboards!

Simply click on   to download software which will allow you to view these teacher created resources.

Then click on and either open the flipchart immediately or save it to your desktop.

“I don’t have time to find the Promethean Resources.” 

 

By utilizing netTrekker’s COLLECTIONS refinement menu, you’re able to quickly and easily browse through thousands of Promethean resources. 

 

“What kind of resources does this Promethean offer?”

These educator created flipcharts allow teachers to browse lesson plans, in multiple subjects, and incorporate into their curriculum.  Whether it’s to be used in the planning of a concept or for the students to master a concept, Promethean flipcharts will enhance any lesson.

In fact, here’s how you find one!

Under the Middle School Tab, I entered the keyword, government. 

I narrowed my results by selecting Promethean located in the Collections refinement menu. 

Scrolling down, I found the flipchart Promethean: A New Government. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                          

 

 

Tags: , ,

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 Integration Ideas, The Collections, Training 1 Comment