I watched the podcast "Building Your Capacity" by the Tech Chick Tips. Here they talk about 5 different websites for teachers to build the capacity to become an even better teacher. I actually went to these and really liked all of them.
The first website is "21 Foundation" which is all about 21st century learners with 21st century learning. It is to raise awareness and realize the importance of implementing learning to nurture the 21st century citizens. Within the website, there are several categories such as "Nurturing Creativity". Whatever topic you choose, you will then be given multiple websites to help you incorporate the topic in your classroom. Some, if not all, even have video clips for you to watch. It's really a great website for anyone that is interested in the 21st century learning.
The next is a website called, "60 Symbols", created by the University of Nottingham, which has a TON of symbols, all with which have something to do with physics and/or astronomy. Whichever symbol you decide to click on, it brings up a definition of what the symbol is for and a YouTube video that goes along with it. There are multiple pages of symbols to choose from on this website and it also talks about the scientists that put this masterpiece together. The one downfall, in my opinion, is that it is more for younger students, but it could probably be used for most science lessons/classes.
The third website is "TES Connect" or a teacher social networking site. TES stands for "Times Educational Supplement". You have to register to become a part of the community, but it is a great place to find numerous resources for your classroom, all in one place and easily. This website is used by thousands of schools and has over 700,000 registered users!!! Here, you have a place to share ideas, thoughts, and views to other people from all over. You can network with other teachers and even look for jobs! TES Connect has many classroom resources and advice as well as classroom materials. I believe that all teachers should be aware of this amazing resource.
Teacher LED is the next resource the Tech Chick Tips talked about. In other words, this is an interactive whiteboard resource for teachers. It's actually somewhat like the TES Connect website. You can download different resources depending on what you need at the time to open it up. It has different topics under the different subjects that you can choose from. It also has some games for students to play, and each option has a description with it that explains how to use the tool.
Finally, the fifth website these ladies discussed was "Online College" where you can find different resources to build your capacity. The thing they talked most about is the blog posts. They found a whole list of posts about being a new teacher: different tips, strategies, using technology, classroom management, working with students, etc. This website wishes to get as many teachers possible invested in blogging that they can by building a personal learning network. It can also inspire students. There is a blog post called "50 Famously Successful People that Failed at First". "20 Great Talks on the Future of Education" and "50 Inspiring Films to Share with your Students" are also interesting blog posts.
Overall, these are all great resources for anyone, especially teachers and future educators like myself. I think everyone needs to check out these websites and use them whenever possible!
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