Teachers Domain Collections

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Inquiring Minds Discover Online Learning
Teachers Domain Collections
Emily Castleberry Director of Teacherline elearnin
g_at_unctv.org
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What is PBS TeacherLine?

• PBS TeacherLine provides high-quality
  professional development to PreK-12 teachers and
  school districts. 
• We offer more than 90 online, facilitated courses
  in reading/language arts, mathematics,
  instructional technology, science, and
  instructional strategies. Each course is six
  weeks long.
• We also offer
• Ready to Teach Algebra a series of nine Algebra
  I courses
• The Capstone Programan instructional technology
  program which leads to a Certification of
  Proficiency in the ISTE NETST.

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TeacherLine Inquiry-Based Learning-The Science
Connection

• Facilitated courses
• Supportive learning community
• Exemplary resources
• Research based
• Proven effect on student outcomes
• Meet NCLB requirements
• Standards-based program offers exciting new ways
  to integrate technology into Science lessons.

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Meeting North Carolina Needs

• Beginning in 2007, NCLB mandates that states
  measure students progress in Science at least
  once in each of three grade spans 35, 69, and
  1012. North Carolinas new Science Test
• PBS TeacherLine offers exciting new ways to
  integrate technology into daily instruction,
  bringing Science to life in the classroom.
• Stimulating activities help teachers capture
  students attention, increase their enthusiasm
  for learning Science, and achieve positive
  outcomes.

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Meeting North Carolina Needs

• Teachers in small or rural districts, and those
  with limited resources, can become and stay
  highly qualified in Science.
• Resource-challenged districts gain access to
  current Science research and materials.

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TeacherLine Science

• Lead students on field trips without ever leaving
  the classroom
• Foster students collaborative learning, inquiry,
  and critical thinking skills
• Develop students research, analysis, and
  communication skills
• Improve their ability to organize and evaluate
  information and
• Use inquiry and current technology to support
  learning in the field.

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Inquiry Based Learning

• SCIE120  Scientific Inquiry and Field Work
  Discovering with Technology for Grades 6-8
• SCIE125 Fostering Cooperative Learning, Inquiry,
  and Critical Thinking in Elementary Science
  (Grades 1-4)
• SCIE130.1 Fostering Collaboration, Inquiry, and
  Critical Thinking in Middle School Science
  (Grades 5-8)

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PBS TeacherLine

• Constructivist Approach
• Online professional development
• Facilitated courses
• Supportive learning community
• Exemplary resources
• Utilizes
• Online resources Text, Video, Discussion Boards
  and Collaboration with Participants

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Science - Interdisciplinary

• RDLA130 Teaching Reading in Science
• RDLA225 Teaching Writing in Science (Grades 6-12)
  
• RDLA220  Teaching Writing in the Content Areas
  (Grades 612)
• Cross-listed with Reading/Language Arts

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Professional Goals

• Constructivist ApproachActive involvement in
  learning process
• Surfacing Prior Knowledge -Adult Ed Theory
• Eliciting and Making predictions
• Collecting, supporting and analyzing to support
  hypothesis

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Professional Goals

• Building Communities of Learners
• Monitoring progress through facilitator/peer
  feedback
• Making generalizations from knowledge learned and
  applying to new situations
• Applying new content, knowledge and pedagogy in
  the classroom

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What are the courses like?

• Flexible
• Complete weekly assignments anytime and
  anywhere you have Internet access. Work within a
  structured 6-week schedule.
• Collaborative
• Become part of a community of learnerscollaborat
  ing with professionals with varying levels of
  experience.
• Rich in content
• Deepen your understanding of your content area,
  and discuss the research-based teaching
  strategies that best meet your students needs.

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What are the courses like?

• Standards-based
• Feel confident knowing TeacherLine courses are
  developed based on best practices in online
  design and teacher professional development, and
  national curriculum standards.
• Explicit
• Know whats expected of you because TeacherLine
  courses have clear objectives, explicit rubrics,
  and a variety of engaging activities to enhance
  effectiveness.

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Assignments
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Defining the Problem

• Defining the Problem For decades, teachers and
  students have had to rely on their visual
  perceptions to determine or "read" the results of
  various methods of data collection. Whether in
  the classroom lab or in the field, the use of
  items or substances in which the color, clarity,
  measurements, etc. are determined by the eye
  alone, has never yielded the accuracy or
  credibility needed for certain situations. This
  can have negative consequences when determining
  such things as the healthiness or prognosis of an
  environment. Click here to view an example of
  traditional data gathering techniques and their
  strengths and limitations.

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Process

• Examine existing Web sites for technological
  devices used for collecting and analyzing data in
  the field.
•  
• Choose an ecosystem to investigate
•  
• Select and prepare student activities for
  collecting and analyzing data in the field
•  
• Investigate sources for the most current
  technology needed for the field project
•  
• Develop a timeline for your field project
•  
• Develop an action plan for acquiring the current
  technology needed for the ecosystem field project

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Resources

• Following are resources that will help you
  complete the course assignments and create your
  solution to the problem. Note that most of the
  resources listed here also appear within the
  course assignments. You should use as many of the
  resources provided as needed to understand the
  issues and successfully develop each part of your
  project. We also encourage you to find and use
  additional resources. Be sure to include these
  resources in a reference list at the end of your
  project.

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Solution

• Learning Questions
• Revisit the learning questions/issues that you
  identified at the beginning of the course and
  throughout the course assignments. We encourage
  you to use the information related to your own
  learning questions in your final solution. If you
  have been unable to answer one of your learning
  questions to your own satisfaction, we encourage
  you to use the resources available in this course
  and to search out additional resources that will
  inform the completion of your final solution.

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Differentiated Instruction Tip Box
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Assessment Criteria

• Your overall performance will be determined
  by the facilitator.He/she will check that you met
  all the course requirements your facilitator
  will also determine the extent to which you have
  met the performance expectations for this course
  using the rubrics below. Throughout the duration
  of the course you will be required to
• Participate in discussions during each session.
• Submit assignments at the end of each session.
• Reflect on your learning in the online journal.
• Work on a final project.
• Discussion Forum--Discussion Forum Participation
  Rubric
• Online Journal--Online Journal Rubric
• Final Project--Lesson Plan Rubric
• Reflection Paper--Reflection Paper Rubric

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Readings Prior to Discussions or Reflections

• Read and respond to at least two other learners'
  postings.
• Thinking About Collaboration, Discussion,and
  Critical Thinking in Science
• Read the following article Cooperative Learning.
  This is a great introduction to some of the
  concepts we will be exploring throughout the
  course. Think about your own experiences with
  cooperative learning as you read.
• Next, read, "Cooperative Learning" from PBS
  Enhancing Education for the essential components
  of successfully incorporating cooperative
  learning in your instruction. As you read, think
  about how you may modify a science lesson you
  have previously taught to incorporate cooperative
  learning experiences.
• Go to the discussion board and respond to the
  following questions What are your own
  experiences with cooperative learning? What are
  the benefits and/or challenges to cooperative
  learning? What have your experiences been?

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Technology Tip Box
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What would I do? Use interactives

• See concepts come to life with interactives.
• Then use them as part of your classroom
  curriculum
• .

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What would I do? Reflect on learning

• Use the online journal to reflect on your
  learning and determine how to adapt new
  strategies in your classroom. Youll also set
  personal goals and monitor your progress against
  these goals.

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What would I do? Collaborate with peers

• Being online doesnt mean being alone. In fact,
  our learners enjoy a supportive learning
  community. Visit the discussion forums every
  week to engage in lively, in-depth discussion of
  course concepts, to share teaching strategies and
  to reflect on your learning with peers.

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What would I do? View videos

• Watch students learning, teachers teaching and
  experts discussing best practices.
• Then, reflect on and discuss examples of
  effective teaching strategies.

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What would I do? Implement a plan

• Put your learning into practice by developing
  projects or lesson plans.
• Put your plan into practice and reflect on your
  experiences.

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What are learners saying?

• these are wonderful to take for
  recertification or graduate credit. They are
  user-friendly and you create a strong bond with
  the others taking the course.

Beth McDonald, Science Curriculum
Coordinator Barnwell District 45, Barnwell, SC
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Home-School Connection with PBS
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What would I gain?

• Hands-on, practical and sustained learning
• Content that is immediately useful in the
  classroom
• Insight into what other educators are doing down
  the street, and across the nation.
• College credit towards an advance degree or CEUs
  from your district
• Online Master of Arts in Education available with
  TeacherLine courses in Fall 2007 from Mesa State
  College in Colorado.

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Science Free Resources

• PBS TeacherSource - Science--FREE lesson plans.
• Find lessons and activities arranged by grade and
  topic. EVEN moreCOMING SOONPBS TEACHERS

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Recommended Links

• National Science Teacher Association
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence
  (FREE)440 links
• International Society for Technology in Education
  - Information about the National Educational
  Technology Standards for Teachers (NETST) and
  how to use them in the classroom.
• Office of Educational Technology, Department of
  Education - Information about national technology
  policies and programs.
• Techlearning - Articles and tips for teachers and
  technology leaders from "Technology and Learning"
  magazine.
• www4teachers - Professional development and
  technology integration resources for teachers.

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For more information

• Go to pbs.org/teacherline to access our course
  catalog
• Contact North Carolina statewide
• Director of TeacherLine Emily Castleberry at
  1-800-906-5050 for more information about
  TeacherLine courses elearning_at_unctv.org
• Visit http//www.unctv.org/education/dlservices