The Public Broadcasting Station’s Teacher Source Web Site is a central web destination with high-quality preK-12 educational resources. The site features classroom materials for a wide range of subjects and grade levels. It features lesson plans, interactive games and simulations, maps, photos, essays, high quality online professional development courses, educational products, discussion boards, blogs, social media (Twitter, Facebook) videos, archived webinars, and much more on all major educational topics. Resources are aligned with state and national standards and tied to PBS’ award-winning on air and online programs.
Type of Material:
Reference Material
Recommended Uses:
Teachers/students in PreK-12; pre-service teachers
Learning goals are predicated on the source material selected. For example, the lesson plan ‘Using High Stakes Testing to Make Students and Schools Accountable for Learning’ for students in grades 9-12, examines the issue of high stakes testing, determines who should be responsible for an individual’s learning and how students will accomplish the goals they set for themselves. Another lesson plan 'Community: Hand in Hand' is an offline activity for students in grades 6-12. Students learn the importance of collaboration among craft artists who create handcraft that realize a common goal and a shared vision. The audio/video ‘For Real: Bend It Like Bianca’ has students in grades 3-5 compare distance between objects and explore motion and forces.
Target Student Population:
PreK-12
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
No prerequisite knowledge required.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
The PBS Teacher Source Website presented significant educational concepts, models and skills appropriate for each age group. The concepts on the website use research proven best practices to develop, design and assess skills. The contents are applicable to a wide range of levels and subject areas and can be used by all disciplines. The content is organized by grade level and subject matter. Valid concepts, models and skills are presented.
Concerns:
This is a wonderful site for teachers, but there is no correlation with state or common core standards.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
This teacher source web site provides a wealth of resources for teachers. The materials can be used by preschoolers through college and adult learners. By using the educational resources learners can develop, enhance, and master skills in a variety of subject areas. The materials can be used as a standalone resource, supplement to a lesson, tutorial, observation, assignment, or to provide clinical experience by using video segments.
Concerns:
None
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
The labels, buttons, menus, text and the layout are consistent. The welcome page is user friendly. Teachers have access to different areas such as featured classroom resources, what's new on PBS teachers, teacher discussion and professional development. There are buttons for finding teaching resources and program information such as episode descriptions and educational learning goals for PBS KIDS shows. Another button is for PBS Teachers Blogs to find strategies and resources to help you create rich, engaging learning experiences with multimedia.
Webinars feature education technology experts and PBS producers sharing resources and strategies to help teachers use digital media to engage students in rich learning experiences.
You can sign up as a PBS teacher and have access and save resources, talk to other teachers and engage your local station. You can access programs from your local PBS station.
One of the interesting things about the site is the interlinking community that it creates for educators in regards to teaching and learning. The site has a search box to find information on a particular subject without having to filter it on your own. In addition, the site links subject and content headings to current events. The site offers means to contact the administrator with questions and concerns.
Concerns:
PBS does have sponsors and these organizations are featured on the Welcome Page. This is a distraction. When teachers access this page, the sponsor's section is 1/4 of the page.
Some links are small and can be missed easily.
Other Issues and Comments:
This is an amazing educational resource site.
Creative Commons:
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