Post #16 – Review the professional development information and online resources available in Chapter 11 of Technology Applications for the Digital Classroom. Evaluate how well professional associations are utilizing the Internet to provide professional development opportunities to K-12 teachers in the various core subject areas.

English/ Language Arts- I always wanted to start a blog for art teachers. I think this would be a great way to share ideas among teachers who rely more on their creativity and experience. I also wanted to start an art blog where I posted various funny comments that students have said in art class.

Math- wildaboutmath.com seems like a great resource. I find that students have a hard time relating to math or finding it fun. This website can help teachers inspire students. There is a lot of resources for what seems to be every area of math including the history of math and how to relate it to other subject matters. Ask Dr. math seems like a great resource for students who have questions when there is no teacher around or available. The math blog spot also seemed to have great resources for teachers. Printable worksheets, definitions explained, and videos are all included in this site. It also had valuable links for math teachers.

Science- Wow, a Pre-Service and New Teacher Headquarters?!? What I wouldn't have given for one of those. this website contains a valuable career center, conference info, networking, and many resources. Exloratorium is a great resource for professional development, which I've always enjoyed utilizing for teaching. There seems to be a lot of internet opportunities for science teachers. I'm jealous.

Social Sciences- Social Studies Central is a great resource. It includes weekly tips, premade slideshows, novel list, and best practices section that includes methods that promote creative thinking.

Technology/ Web 2.0- this is the section that relates best to me as an educator. Not only because I don't teach any of the above subjects, but because it offers the most variation and addresses many issues teachers may encounter. I like "20 Technology Skills Every Educator Should Have." Out of this list, I have 7 of these skills. Which is interesting considering I'm a teacher of technology. "Free Technology for Teachers" is a wonderful site. I clicked on the tab "free downloads" which was a slight disappointment. I would have liked to see more downloads that were interactive as opposed to explanitory though there were some good .pdf's like Making Videos for the Web: A Guide for Teachers. I loved the "Favorite Resources" tab which included links to online resources such as Hisotrical Facebook: Facebook for Dead People, My Fake Wall: Create Fake Facebook Walls, How to Create Self-Graded Quizes in Google Docs, 10 Ways for Students to Build Websites, and many more. I was like a kid in a candy store! Also listed were sites used for this class such as Wall Wisher, Google Docs, and Blogger. This page is definately worth bookmarking. The Creating Blogs and Websites tab and the Video Creations Resources are also valuable tabs. It provides tutorials and video instruction for educators, which I find very valuable. Even included is a Work with Me tab to encourage other educators to post and teach on the website. There is even a tab for jobs for teachers looking for jobs in their subjects and areas. This is by far one of the more valuable and interesting websites that I have come across.

Online Media Converter is a valuable resource for myself becausd I work in a district that blocks filesharing sites and YouTube videos. I find YouTube to be a very valuable site but I never have access to it, but now I do!