Explore .. Learn .. Connect .. and Build with NT101
- Are you new to netTrekker Search?
- Do you want to connect with other netTrekker teachers?
- Are you looking to deepen your understanding of netTrekker Search?
- Do you have limited time to devote to professional development?
If you answered YES to any of these questions, consider enrolling in NT101.
NT101 is one of the Online Learning offerings from netTrekker. NT101 is a facilitated online course to explore netTrekker Search features and tools, to share best practices for implementation into teaching and learning, and to create standards-based projects, all in the context of differentiated instruction. Discussion boards, an interactive webinar, and a variety of 21st Century learning resources are included in this collaborative learning community. The course work is completed within 7-one week periods at the participants own pace while fostering collaboration and by building a learning network among netTrekker users that continues past the end of class.
Professional development enriches teaching and improves learning for all students. It is an essential link to higher student achievement. Our NT101 Alumnus’s testify to the effectiveness of the class:
“Using NT101 to develop units that were immediately usable was a big plus. However, the reason I could develop them to the degree I did was because of the steps we were taken through, week by week, in incorporating more and more tools as we considered various educational issues/formats. As I moved on from this to begin my ISTE Capstone certification, I continually referred back to ideas learned from nT101. I sincerely wonder how I could have handled starting the Capstone without the background we gained from nT101. If I ever find myself in a teaching situation without access to netTrekker, I am going to have to write grants until I can obtain funding for it! Period.” Alice Sather, Teacher, St. Bernard’s School, Theif River Falls, MN
“I liked taking one feature every week and going into depth with learning the feature. I will recommend this class in the future.” Barb Wagers, Technology Training Specialist, Aurora Public Schools
“netTrekker 101 was definitely worth the time. I’d heard about netTrekker for years, but never knew all of the possibilities that exist and probably still wouldn’t know if I hadn’t taken the course. The aspect of the course that has been most meaningful to me were the opportunities available via differentiation. I was truly impressed with the wide array of tools that meet the needs of diverse learning styles, levels, and languages. Differentiation can often be challenging and time consuming. netTrekker makes it easy” Ryan Evans, Technology Teacher, Wanaque School district, NJ
“NT101 has been amazing! I have learned so many great features of Nettrekker and how to use them to improve student achievement. The most valuable resources to me are the Multicultural Pavillion and the 21st Century Learning Channel. Both of these tools offer hard to find resources that are so helpful in planning instruction. These also will be great tools for my students to use!” Charlotte Wheeless, Teacher Center Educator, NE Arkansas Ed Co-Op
“My experience with this training has left me feeling confident to use netTrekker to enhance my teaching and to also help other teachers at our school get excited about using this tool.” Maxine Schmidt, Teacher, Los Alamos Public School, NM
“The reason you learn more with this course is because it is ‘inter-twined’ with your everyday teaching. You learn a lesson, you complete the homework and you can USE the lesson immediately with your class(es). I found myself teaching teachers as I was learning, especially the ESE/ELL teachers. Being a Technology Teacher on the Fine Arts Wheel, I see every teacher/class over a 7 day rotation. NT101 is the only place to be!! I feel like I am in a classroom environment not an on-line course! As I am learning, I am opening another ‘window’ and creating folders, classes, saved searches and so much more for my school on our netTrekker subscription!!” Ellen Budish, Technology Teacher, Palm Beach SD, FL
“As a computer lab teacher I was highly motivated to see all the benefits of Nettrekker through this course. I have had no formal training and have been wading my way through the site with simple searches. In the last 8 weeks of learning I feel like a pro getting around the Nettrekker site. I have been able to write lesson plans, create classes and gather materials beyond the average search. I particularly like the 21st century learner. I will be able to take simple classroom projects that require searching in my lab and teach students transform them into creative digital projects that will encourage students to share work with enthusiasm. My students can transform a simple biography into a timeline tour with EarthTrekker lit-trips! I would say 21st Century Learning Skills is the highlight for my job as a computer lab teacher.” Missy Sepulvada, Technology Specialist, Carmel Unified SD, CA
“The activities we engaged in helped me get into the details of how all Nettrekker components work which is what most teachers won’t or can’t take time to do. I now feel equipped to develop Nettrekker professional learning courses for teachers in our district.” Gregory Odel, e-Learning Specialist, Hall County Schools
“Before taking this class I would wander around Nettrekker murmuring “Oh, nice!” but never really grasped the many possibilities, particularly for differentiating instruction. Also as a librarian, I know that instructional materials are difficult to come by. Midway through the class, my response is now “WOW!” I know our subscription will get much better use as a result of the district paying for a few of us to take this course.” Holly Adams, Library Team Leader, Los Alamos Public Schools, NM
NT101 Alumni – your Personal Learning Network (PLN) for netTrekker!
… Join the ever-growing population of NT101 Teachers, Technology Coordinators, Librarians, and Educational Specialists.
• EXPLORE netTrekker Search features and tools
• LEARN to differentiate digital resources to meet students learning needs
• CONNECT with other netTrekker teachers to share best practices
• BUILD projects and lessons for use with your students
Upcoming Sessions:
For more information, contact Marci Campbell, Manager Professional Development Solutions, Amy Ellisor, NT101 Facilitator, or your Account Manager to purchase and register for NT101.
ELL Channel Brings World Culture Experience to All Learners
Described in this article are two lesson plan ideas created by NT101 Summer Session participants, Ryan Cummings (Jennings, IN) and Rachel Erickson (Aurora, CO). Both educators used resources from netTrekker’s ELL Channel and the literary tales, The Bear Prince and Jack and the Beanstalk to design an interdisciplinary cultural exploration.
These lessons, through the use of resources from the ELL channel take students to China, France, Mexico, Spain and the United States to learn about mathematics, literature, people and the cultural traditions that surround these countries.
Rachel’s lesson is geared toward primary and elementary students. The lesson is centered around the Mexican folktale, The Bear Prince. Students explore the Sierra Madre Occidental region of Mexico through Google Earth and the eyes of Rosa, a Mexican girl who is forced to marry a mysterious bear. Using interactive websites, videos and images from netTrekker’s ELL channel students will sketch cultural items and work with a partner using Microsoft Paint to create a visual representation depicting the cultural items/traits they researched in My Portfolio folders Rachel compiled.
For secondary students, Ryan brings fun, practical application, and thorough understanding to the complex skills of calculating currency exchange and crop yields.
Students in Ryan’s class will research using netTrekker resources to decide what type of currency Jack takes from the giant depending upon a teacher-assigned geographic location of Jack’s origin. Students will research and decide during which season, in different countries Jack could have planted and grown the beans to yield the best monetary crop. Students will work in groups to design a graph of their choice and present a two-minute debate about where Jack should live to be most successful in his business.
Thanks to Ryan and Rachel for sharing these wonderful lesson ideas for all netTrekker learners. Enjoy reading reflections below from these NT101 Alumni and visit the ELL Channel to explore the amazing tools and resources in the ELL Skill Development and Multicultural Pavilion areas.
“I absolutely love using netTrekker. The different uses I can get out of netTrekker for my everyday lessons are remarkable. The ELL Channel is a feature that is going to help me enhance my students’ knowledge of world culture as I am teaching them mathematics. My students will have a more enriched learning environment because of the ELL Channel in netTrekker.
My Jack and the Beanstalk lesson is going to allow me, using features inside of the ELL Channel, to enrich my students’ understanding that the world we are apart of is much bigger than the town we live. It will allow them to research different areas of the world while sitting in their local classroom. They will be able to experience different cultures that they may not normally get to study. The more I can let my students see what similarities and differences there are in different parts of the world, the more I am going be able to prepare them for their future lives.
The ELL feature also allows them to get help with the understanding and meanings of different words and different languages. With the different options they can use in netTrekker, students will be able to learn at their own reading level and move at their own pace. The other thing I like about this feature is the read aloud button. If an article is a little too difficult for a student to read, then they can use this feature to help them get the understanding they need. What a great feature for all of our students. Each student now has the opportunity to push the limits of their own learning.
Net trekker is a tool that I am so glad our school has for me to use and the ELL Channel is just one part of it that will help me to diversify my students’ learning.”
Ryan Cummings
Secondary Teacher and Coach
Jennings, IN
“The increase in ethnic and language diversity of students in our schools requires educators to teach students to value diversity and understand cultural differences in order to be successful participants in a global society. People don’t often recognize the impact culture has on behavior until they interact with someone whose culture differs from their own. netTrekker’s Multicultural Pavilion within the English Learners’ channel gives both teachers and students a window into various cultures. The resources found provide a means to increase cross-cultural awareness, which will lead to a greater understanding of the world. I am grateful that netTrekker has included the Multicultural Pavilion as part of the English Learners channel so educators and students may benefit from the variety of resources that help us reflect on our own values, beliefs, and perceptions while gaining perspective on cultures that differ from our own.”
Rachel Erickson
Instructional Technology Coach
Aurora, CO