TOP PICKS | 21 TOOLS
Best Professional Development Websites and PLNs for Teachers
Top Picks
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BetterLesson
Exemplary lessons, strategies, and coaching from master teachers
Bottom line: Take advantage of the offerings of this professional community to improve the quality of your classroom instruction.
Common Curriculum
Sleek lesson planner replaces bulky binders, promotes collaboration
Bottom line: Flexible and collaborative lesson planning, calendar design, and classroom site creator save teachers precious time.
KQED Teach
Super PD resource for making media in the classroom
Bottom line: Stay on top of the trends and take the fear out of media-making in the classroom.
PowerMyLearning Connect
Create playlists and differentiate with quality third-party content
Bottom line: A curation of some of the best educational content on the web made easily accessible, both for students and teachers.
Smithsonian Science Education Center
Teacher-geared site outlines steps for innovative science instruction
Bottom line: Use the SSEC's site as a stop on your changing-science-instruction path; just be prepared to reach out to them for constructive details.
LearnZillion
Quality Common Core-aligned lessons with great modeling for teachers
Bottom line: An innovative way to enhance lessons and tailor learning for individual needs.
Annenberg Learner
Free, handy multimedia PD resources could use updating
Bottom line: A hodge-podge of resources and video courses may help some teachers brush up on their content knowledge and instructional skills.
California Academy of Sciences
Expert research and diverse, rich lessons inspire future scientists
Bottom line: A perfect companion to (or substitute for) the Academy, this site delivers highly interactive resources and research with a lot of depth.
OER Commons
Free, easy access to a wealth of resources
Bottom line: Impressive resource opens access to quality materials for all educators.
Learning for Justice
Thought-provoking classroom resources support diversity education
Bottom line: It's an invaluable teacher tool to help reduce prejudice and encourage tolerance in schools, as well as within society as a whole.
ReadWriteThink
Free hub for literacy lessons aims to deepen learning, engagement
Bottom line: This is a trustworthy site that teachers of all grades/subjects could find a way to use weekly for lessons or professional development.
Teaching Channel
Quality videos challenge educators to grow within a PD environment
Bottom line: Professional educators can watch, share, and learn in a continually updated environment.
Edmodo
Manage classes, content, and communication with social LMS platform
Bottom line: This free platform allows for teacher-monitored classroom communication with basic tools.
The Current
Engaging space for tech-forward instruction and teacher collaboration
Bottom line: A great resource to share and gather ideas on teaching with technology and media, but there are some bugs that need fixing.
Microsoft Teams
Collaborative LMS platform helps manage classes, groups, and projects
Bottom line: Educators will likely find that the wide variety of features Teams offers is worth the time it takes to learn how to use it.
KQED Education
Excellent multimedia learning hub supports both teachers and students
Bottom line: For those willing to dig around, the site is an exceptional place for both educators and students to find inspirational digital media resources.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Stellar history website, gateway to cool PD and scholarship
Bottom line: In class, a good resource for U.S. history; beyond, a great website for free teacher PD and some great in-depth exploration of primary sources.
Voxer Walkie Talkie Messenger
Voice- and text-messaging app is a teacher PLN standout
Bottom line: A cool tool for teachers to collaborate with each other (but maybe not with their students).
Youcubed
Research-backed resources that attack math myths head on
Bottom line: A fantastic resource for teachers working on changing attitudes toward math and teaching it in an innovate and engaging way.
Visually appealing, endlessly creative gallery of images and ideas
Bottom line: An effective way to search for new ideas and save them for later use, but keep an eye on the source -- and on your watch.
Smart classroom tool if used with care; priceless for PLNs
Bottom line: Twitter offers something for everyone: information, resources, and an easy way to connect with just about anyone.
