Current+Events+&+Professional+Development+and+Education

=**Current Events, Professional Development and Educational Reform** =

Below you will find a list of resources utilized by students of Walden University. This page is designed to specifically focus on online resources identified by provide information on current events, professional development, and educational reform. Each site has been reviewed by a member of the Walden Community using a rating scale 1 - 5.

1 - (Website falls far below average) to 5 - (Website is excellent resource)

Each resource will be reviewed using the following criteria: 1. ORIGIN -What is the website's origin? 2. DESIGN -Is the website well designed? 3. CONTENT -Is the website's content meaningful in terms of its educational value? 4. ACCESSIBILITY -Is the website accessible 5. CURRENCY - Is the website current?

Mathematics
===[|National Council of Teachers of Mathematics] === The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics is a public voice of mathematics education, supporting teachers to ensure equitable mathematics learning of the highest quality for all students through vision, leadership, professional development, and research. Copyright © 2011, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Resources can be found for elementary, middle and high school levels. There are links for professional development, Journals and books for mathematics, lessons and resources, and research and news regarding math education. NCTM Illuminations offers lessons and resources for teaching mathematics using hands on activities and technology.

~ Jason Gunderman

Driver's Ed/Health/Physical Education
=== Other Electives (Career & Industrial Technology Education, Family & Consumer Science, Agriculture, etc.) ===

Special Education
=== Other Support Programs (GATE, AVID, ELD, Guidance, Alternative Education, etc.) ===

AVID Online[[image:MedApple.jpg width="33" height="33"]][[image:MedApple.jpg width="33" height="33"]][[image:MedApple.jpg width="33" height="33"]]
Although I am a member of AVID, and absolutely believe in the mission, their website has limitations for non-members. To become a certified AVID school, there is an annual fee, which entitiles memberships for the teachers and administrators. The site is an excellent resource for members, but is limited in its scope for non-members. There are case studies, and numerous success stories on the site for public use, but in order to get the teaching tools, PDF files, and many other worthwhile items, you must be a member. If your school has diversity, then becoming an AVID site is something you should investigate.

~ Todd Deschaine

== General Education Resources - Resource could be uses across grade level and/or content == ===[|edutopia]=== This site has a deep archive of updated practices that provides a vision of new world learning through informational blogs and RSS feeds. Edutopia.org is founded by the George Lucas Educational Foundation whose mission is “…dedicated to improving the K-12 learning process by documenting, disseminating, and advocating for innovative, replicable, and evidence-based strategies that prepare students to strive in their future education, careers, and adult lives.” The site also offers up various strategies for teaching that have the largest impact on students. I have found this site to be very informative with regards to current education issues and instrumental dialogue that fosters positive change amongst academia. I give this site five stars based on its width and depth that address current topics in education.

~ Joe Pluskota

=== [|Kathy's Ed Tech Blog Links] === The famous educator Kathy Schrock, creator of the internet site "[|Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators]," added a blog page geared toward integrating technology in education. Schrock's idea was to "create a listing of some of the most popular, controversial, or informative blogs." This website is not a blog itself, however, the majority of the blog sites listed are current and up-to-date with regards to integrating technology into the classroom. I rate this site 4 "apples" because there are a couple of sites on the list that have either moved sites, or may not have been maintained. Most blog sites contain several comments, which keep the conversations going.

~ Malissa Sauciunas

[|Edublogs]

Edublogs is a website that makes blogging for teachers and students easy. The Founder and CEO James Farmer started Edublogs in 2005 with the idea of "...transforming the educational experience of students..." and "...increasing ownership of learning, engaging students, and creating a sense of pride in the classroom..." This site has a great tutorial on how to create and use blogs in the classroom, along with an excellent support staff who are there to help make your blog a success. With Edublogs, you can include videos, photos, and podcasts to complete your blog. Edublogs offers Featured Blogs, Ways to use your Edublog, the Latest News, and you can search from the numerous categories in the Directory. You can also follow Edublogs using Facebook or Twitter to stay updated on all of the newest blogs from your favorite writers. I rated it "4 Apples" because it seemed VERY user friendly and makes blogging fun and easy! The only reason I didn't give it a "5" is because I didn't like the profile set-up as much as some of the other blog sites I have seen or used.

~ Crystal Moyer

[|The Innovative Educator] This blog is by Lisa Nielsen who is the Professional Development Manager of Instructional Technology of the City of New York Department of Education. In this blog, information and ideas are shared among the blog followers. This blog takes an objective view about how technology can and should be used in the classroom. For example, one entry talks about the pros and cons of using Facebook in schools. This blog also has up-to-date information about the 21st century classroom. This is a good resource to really see the innovative changes of education around the country.

~ Jill Morris

[|The Literacy Web at The University of Connecticut]

The Literacy Web is a great resource for an Educator at any level or discipline. This site organizes helpful resources based on grade level and content area. The main focus is literacy and integration of technology. It is maintained by Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. The page is fairly well organized. Teachers can click on the "Teachers" tab and choose their grade level. They can then choose the content area they would like to investigate. The content organized on this site is so wide-spread that nearly any teacher could find something useful here. Everything is web based, so it is generally kept current. This site requires so subscription or membership, so it is accessible to anyone via the internet. Because of this site's comprehensive nature and applicable topics I gave it 5 apples.

~ Curt Gerbers