PBS offers extensive multimedia resources for educators through PBS Teachers®.

PBS Teachers® (pbsteachers.org) is designed for preK-12 educators and includes more than 9,000 local and national standards-based teaching activities, lesson plans, On-Demand video assets, interactive games and simulations.

 

PBS’ popular education blogs, Learning.now (pbs.org/learningnow) with Education Technology expert Andy Carvin and Media Infusion (pbs.org/mediainfusion), found through PBS Teachers®, focus on practical ways to integrate multimedia resources and technology into the classroom.

 

Coming in early 2009, the PBS Teachers Web site will launch a redesigned homepage to incorporate new content, including PBS Teachers Activity Packs. This new content area will contain more than 30 widgets that include links to PBS resources and a set of activities by grade level. Educators will be able to “grab” widgets and populate them into their social media sites and Web pages.

 

PBS Teachers Connect (pbsteachers.org/connect) provides an online education community for preK-12 educators.

 

PBS Teachers Connect enables educators to search multimedia instructional resources on the PBS Teachers Web site, then easily bookmark, annotate, share and manage their content on the site. Community members will also be able to “friend” and “message” members within the community.

 

The community collaborates through blogs and forums, sharing ideas and best practices, while forming online groups of like-minded individuals.

 

Beginning in 2009, PBS Teachers Connect will host a monthly webinar series and launch local station discussion groups within the community.

 

A key component of PBS Teachers Connect is the PBS Teacher Leader program, which recognizes and rewards innovation in the use of digital media and technology in education. Educators can apply to the program and will be selected by the PBS Teachers’ team.

 

PBS TeacherLine® (pbs.org/teacherline) provides high-quality, affordable professional development for graduate credit and recertification through more than 130 courses that span the entire preK-12 curriculum. Courses include reading and language arts, technology, science, mathematics and instructional strategies.

 

PBS TeacherLine® has been the source of professional development for more than 35,000 educators and has been recognized with multiple industry awards, including a prestigious 2007 Codie Award for Best Online Instruction Solution, and the U.S. Distance Learning Association’s 2007 Best Practice Award.

 

PBS TeacherLine Peer Connection is a one-of-a-kind professional development toolkit available through PBS TeacherLine for instructional coaches and mentors. This online suite provides access to multimedia professional development resources and offers a framework for using the material to improve teaching practices.

 

PBS KIDS Raising Readers (readytolearreading.org) is a literacy initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education. It uses PBS KIDS® and PBS KIDS GO!® programs, multimedia content and community activities for parents, teachers and caregivers to help children from low-income families, ages 2- 8, build upon their literacy skills.

PBS KIDS Island (pbskids.org/read/games) is a new immersive site of online reading games that offers back end tracking of a child’s progress in key literacy skills. Children’s Technology Review awarded PBS KIDS Island an Editor’s Choice Award, an honor reserved for the highest-quality interactive media products.

PBS Video extends the reach of public television by distributing media throughout the United States and Canada, making valuable resources available to educators and librarians through ShopPBS for Teachers (shopPBS.com/teachers).

 

The site offers more than 360 best-selling and award-winning PBS documentaries in digital formats, allowing educators to create a more rewarding teaching and learning experience.

 

The PBS Video Index (videoindex.pbs.org) is a free resource designed to help educators, librarians and students easily find video segments and detailed information on PBS programs. Users can search by historical period and grade level to find subjects from art and history to science and nature.

 

January 2009