Professional Development Opportunities on the World Wide Web

Whether you are preparing to teach, experiencing your first year in the classroom, or a veteran professional, professional growth and development are critical to your success in teaching. The Internet provides a rich array of technology resources for teachers, students, and even parents.

Novice teachers are especially in need of job search information, such as résumé writing and interviewing tips, as well as information on substitute teaching, certification, and professional expectations and behavior. New-Teacher.com (at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/7862) covers all of these topics and more. New teachers can also consult New-Teacher.com for tips on organizing classrooms, bulletin board ideas, teaching strategies, resources for educators, and even workshops on assessment rubrics, block schedules, and motivating students.

For beginning and veteran teachers eager to expand their own Internet skills as well as those of their students, see Kathy Schrock's "Guide for Educators-Internet Information" (http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/yp/iypabout.html). Click on "About the Net" for tutorials on finding information and resources on the Internet. Click on "Graphics" and access clip art for kids and teachers, Web graphics, photographs for educational purposes, and links to school-related graphics sites. These are only a few of the many resources available at this site.

Kathy Schrock's "Guide for Educators-Educational Resources Lists" (at http://school.discovery.com/schrockguide/edres.html) has a wealth of "General Education Resources" for elementary and secondary teachers as well as a special section on "Early Childhood Resources." Each resource area has links to additional resource sites, and exploring Ms. Schrock's site is an easy way to learn to navigate the Internet for teacher resources. Additionally, this site has information on professional development, lesson plans, thinking skills, learning centers, special education, Internet projects, and online publications.

For veteran teachers interested in helping new teachers, an excellent professional development experience, click on "Mentoring New Teachers" at New-Teacher.com (see the address above), where research summaries, ideas for developing mentor programs and new teacher induction, as well as Web sites and listservs, are available to assist mentor teachers.



You may also want to visit the following web sites to find out more about professional development via e-learning:

Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
The Eisenhower Clearinghouse offers a well-organized and thorough set of resource links on professional development, including lists of teacher chat spaces, online courses, and publications available to teachers.

ERIC
The Teaching and Teacher Education Clearinghouse of ERIC, the Educational Resources Information Center, offers a list of information and organizations that can contribute to your professional development.

National Staff Development Council
This organization is dedicated to staff development for teachers. At their web site you can read a position paper on e-learning and download a book, E-Learning for Educators: Implementing the Standards for Staff Development. At the links page (http://www.nsdc.org/links.htm), you can find the addresses for all ten Regional Educational Laboratories, each of which offers professional development information online.

U.S. Department of Education
The federal government should be another stop in your search for online professional development information. In the "Teachers" audience area, you'll find several links to organizations and information under the topic heading "Professional Development."