(If only I could have worked it out to go to EdCampIS this past Saturday with my Head of School for the "Independent School EdCamp" Experience, as I feel EdCamps are one of THE most amazing and dynamic types of professional development...but I digress.)
Conferences and professional development are so energizing for teachers. Yes, the sub planning leaves a little bit to be desired (as teachers, we know it always takes sooo long to write up the plans for when you are going to be absent--much more time than just getting the lessons together in the first place). But, to be in a fresh environment and network with other instructors and school leaders, and get exposed to the amazing things that are capable within a classroom....so enriching!
The 76 page NAIS booklet for the 3 day conference definitely gave you a lot to choose from, even if you were only there for a day, like me. One of my favorite sessions was about a household name that we all know and probably love: PBS.
What I didn't know was the wealth that lived over at PBS. We're not just talking Sesame Street or even Downton Abbey, folks. There is soo much more there. Here were some of the amazing finds I discovered in my 1 hour PBS session:
PBS Teacherline has online, facilitated professional development.
PBS Kids Island is a great place to go for online reading games for beginning readers.
PBS Mobile has approximately 30 apps for tablets.
PBS Parents is a great online resource for parents.
PBS Kids Lab has a large array of educational games--many of which are interactive whiteboard-ready!
PBS Ready to Learn starts with a curricular framework with a transmedia approach (rather than stand-alone interactives)
PBS Learning Media is a treasure trove, plain and simple! Over 20,000 classroom-ready resources are right there waiting for you to build your lessons and make them blossom. With partners like NASA and the Library of Congress, the wealth is evident! Search by keyword, grade level, curricular strand, or even by standards. It is a free login, and you can customize it for you by allowing you to add resources to your favorites, building classes and thematic units as you go! Over 850,000 educators have already registered to use PBS Learning Media!
Here's just a few little eco-favorites I've found already with just the briefest of searches over at PBS Learning Media!
This is definitely a bookmark-worthy site!
To learn more about NAIS, be sure to check out some of their official attendee-bloggers. Between NAIS and PBS, you might find yourself a little lost for days, surfing the net for so many goodies!!
Photos & videos from....PBS Pioneers video: http://youtu.be/FziODF2dIAc, PBS Kids from http://pbskids.org/
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