I am intrigued by how educators identify which online resources to use. So many organizations have created forums, databases and networks for teachers to tap into, but is anybody tracking or measuring their effectiveness? And among educators, are there certain sites that are considered the equivalent of Coke and Pepsi in the education market? Personally, I have found many of them difficult to navigate and have a hard time imagining droves of teachers diving into these websites to develop their lessons. I would love to get comments on what sites are considered the best ones in terms of usability, network support, and content quality.
I have stumbled across a few that I find interesting for what they are trying to achieve:
teachers.net - possibly one of the leading websites for teachers, claiming over 100,000 teachers and visitors. Among many offerings it provides, it helps foster professional development through very active chatboards at its Mentor Support Center and aid classroom preparation via its Lesson Bank.
North Carolina Teachers' Network - An example of one state that has developed a website with a lot of content that is linked directly to state curriculum standards. However, it does seem a shame to me that another state couldn't benefit from all this content because it has a set of different standards.
Elementary Education Majors & Interns' Journal - One of many education interest group communities sharing their experiences and ideas for their particular interest, in this case, elementary school classrooms.
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