Graduate Programs in Education: A Guide for Library Research  Tags: education m.a.t. m.ed.  

There are a tremendous number of Web sites that relate to education just as there are for any other broad field of human endeavor. A user can use a search engine like Google to explore the Internet. Unfortunately the number of sites and their uneven quality makes it almost impossible to pinpoint high quality sites easily. The best solution is a quality Webliography --a bibliography of Web sites-- that provides a listing of quality Web resources. To help you in your research a list of education Webliographies is provided below. We highly recommend some exploration of one or more of these before launching a wide-open search of the Web using a search engine. We welcome suggestions from M.A.T. students of Web sites that are good directories to Web sites useful to practicing teachers.

The Gateway to Educational Materials

An excellent resource for educators sponsored by the US Department of Education, this site is a project of a consortium associated with the Information Institute of Syracuse, Syracuse University. Gateway to Educational Materials (GEM) links to "thousands of educational resources found on various federal, state, university, non-profit, and commercial Internet sites" selected by consortium members. In late August 2002 when this review was prepared, GEM contained more than 25,000 annotated resources, including free sites and materials that required registration or purchase; however, fee-based resources make up a small proportion of the sites. Resources can be located by using an index of keywords, the subject (topic) index, or the search engine. (Excerpted from review by L. L. Scarth, Mount Mercy College in Choice, Special Issue 41 (2004).)

EduHound: Everything for Education -12

Produced by the Education Technology Information Center, EduHound is an outgrowth of the publication T.H.E. Journal which focuses on technology and education. The site is not heavily commercial. There are lots of educational materials, class activities and curriculum material available.

New Teachers Home Page

Supported by Inspiring Teachers Publishing this site was created by educators for beginning teachers. A review by G.L. Wilhite in Choice reviews describes NTHP as a "valuable resource for students, new teachers and teacher educators working with new teachers." The site provides much practical advice and includes newsletter of tips. There are advice and discussion forums for sharing ideas.

Doing What Works (NCLB)

Sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, Doing What Works (DWW) is dedicated to helping educators identify and make use of effective teaching practices that are consistent with implementing No Child Left Behind (NCLB) concepts. Main menu sections on the page are Early Childhood Education, English Language Learners, Math and Science, Psychology of Learning, and School Improvement. There are also many video clips on key topics.

For English Teachers:

Web English Teacher

Web English Teacher claims to offer the best of K-12 English/Language Arts online teaching resources. English teacher Carla Beard, who created this Web site, tells users to "think of it as the faculty library and faculty workroom on a global scale." Because it is so focused, this site offers comprehensiveness and depth of materials that most English teachers will find helpful. The site is mostly geared toward middle and high school levels; for example, links for the advanced placement and international baccalaureate courses include ambitious unit plans, lesson plan discussion questions, literary concepts, grading rubrics, and essay planning guides for the major works offered in the curricula. The Book Reports link offers numerous ideas for assigning book report projects to students at all levels. Additional links at this site include teaching ideas and quality online resources for works in the field of children's literature and young adult literature, both fiction and prose, organized by genre and then authors' names. Separate links are devoted to Shakespeare's works. Other resources from this site include drama, ESL/TESOL, grammar, poetry, folklore, mythology, speech, debate, journalism, poetry, and critical thinking. Web English Teacher is easy to navigate, and the links are well maintained. Materials found at this site are consistently well organized and offer quality as well as quantity. (Excerpted from review by S. A. Ariew, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Choice, Special Issue 41 (2004).)

For Science Teachers:

The Environmental Literacy Council

For more than a decade, the Environmental Literacy Council has been dedicated to helping teachers, students, policymakers, and the public find cross-disciplinary resources on the environment. An independent, 501(c)3 organization, the Council offers free background information on common environmental science concepts; vetted resources to broaden understanding; and curricular materials that don't tell teachers how to teach, but give them the tools to augment their own backgrounds - no matter what their current knowledge.

EXPLO.TV

An online video and audio collection of the San Francisco Exploratorium: The Museum of Science, Art, and Human Perception. This site involves over 500 programs, many of which involve science. Be sure to check out Teacher Institute Teaching Tips, the new podcast series for science teachers, by science teachers.

For Social Studies Teachers:

Social Studies Teaching Material

This web site was created by Randall Shrock, Tom Kirk and students of the Earlham M.A.T. program. It is a listing of selected sites useful in teaching social studies.