Donelle - Hello from Liberty, Missouri were we are celebrating our first day of spring with a nice little snow storm - could get 9" by the time the day is over!

I think one of the most important considerations for many teachers is the time required to prepare and design really good lessons. I think with the 21st century tools we have - video skype, blogs, wikis, etc. - we should be able to collaborate about what really works and share it with other teachers.

For example, I teach 8th America history. Each year I teach my students about the Boston Massacre. Not only am I teaching this subject, but thousands of other teachers are teaching this exact content to 8th graders around the country. I don't think there should be just one suggested lesson for this content area but I think many of us could look at a list and could agree on 10 really good lessons to use if you are teaching the Boston Massacre to 8th graders and then you could decide which one works best for you and your students.

PBS has a large collection of great resources which could be used to anchor or be incorporated with many of these lessons. The PBS online community of teachers is also a great way to help teachers connect. These ideas just take some time to gain traction but I think they are a great place to start.

Please give teachers time to collaborate with their peers and time to design great lessons for their classrooms. Teachers in the United States have far less time to collaborate and plan than teachers in the countries against whom our scores are constantly judged. Technology can be a great resource in allowing teachers from across the country work together.

Eric,
It's so nice to hear from you! Thanks for sharing these excellent suggestions. The PBS Teachers team will keep them in mind as we connect with stations and producers on various projects.

Cheers!