Directories For Educators
Finding information online for educators can be a challenge. With so many sites out there pushing products and agendas, it’s hard to know what resources to trust. When looking online, try to find directories that provide unbiased information and link to reliable education and government sites. Here are three good starting points to help you find what you’re looking for.
Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT)
MERLOT is a wonderful tool serving educators from a variety of backgrounds. The free site acts as a community of sorts where higher education faculty, staff and students can share learning materials. Content is peer-reviewed by highly regarded faculty from around the world before being distributed to visitors to the site after an intense review process.
The goal of MERLOT is to improve teaching and learning effectiveness by providing a large number of peer reviewed content that can be integrated into faculty-designed courses. Areas covered include arts, business, education, humanities, math, science, social sciences and workforce development.
Members of MERLOT can contribute their own learning materials and talk to others about learning resources they’ve used in the past. You can create personal collections to use in the classroom and even become a peer reviewer in your discipline.
MERLOT provides a lot of learning exercises that are good for use with your own students. A quick search turned up a variety of subjects including interviewing skills, using Twitter, and an exercise for an Intro to Afro-American Studies. The possibilities seem endless and only appear that they’ll continue to grow as the community itself grows bigger.
SearchEDU.com
SearchEdu.com is part of a larger search engine group that includes searching options for government, military and book resources. The “EDU” refers to education and includes the opportunity to search education websites, encyclopedias and biographies, among many other options.
The search is powered by Google, so results are as reliable as Google can make them with its search engine algorithms. Subjects to search for are only limited by the user’s imagination. The site is a nice option for those doing research, as it will weed out private websites and only show results from those reserved with the .edu domain.
A search for “technology in education” gave results including an online journal from Virginia Tech, a Center for Technology Education at the University of Oregon, and several listings of technology in education programs from colleges across the country. Give it a try and see for yourself!
EducationWorld (EdWorld)
EdWorld is another great resource for educators. The site was started when its founders realized educators didn’t have an online location where they could find research materials and lesson plans. EdWorld is a place for educators to gather and share ideas.
Lesson plans aren’t the only highlight of EdWorld. Plenty of content is available to educators, including articles, columns, practical information, and ideas for integrating technology into education. Website reviews and employment opportunities are also nice features of the site.
A separate section for school administrators provides information on a number of hot topics, including funding, leadership, staffing, and training. Educators and administrators alike will stay at the head of the class on education issues with the “This Week in Education Headlines” newsletter.
With plenty of professional development content available at your fingertips, education is well covered at EdWorld. The “Weekly Roundup” is a nice option to review to keep up on what’s new at EdWorld. Check out the latest Teacher of the Day to see what other educators are doing to set themselves apart from the pack. Shop the marketplace for supplies and development books. EdWorld truly has something for everyone.
