Sites like YouTube, TeacherTube, and SchoolTube are making it easier to broadcast and share videos online, but first you need to know how to make one. The site Make Internet TV is a Web-based project that aims to teach users “the whole nine yards” for creating online videos. Six “how-to” chapters on the site tell you, from start to finish, how to equip, shoot, edit, license, publish, and promote your video. You’re also encouraged to move around and explore specific features of the site. For example, if you already know how to shoot and edit video but have questions about posting your video, you can jump ahead and focus on that chapter. Make Internet TV, funded by the James L. Knight Foundation, provides a creative-commons licensing agreement, meaning you can share the site’s information, just as long as you give the site credit for the use.
Created by: The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education
For: Administrators
Features: The Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education has pulled together a site that provides administrators with a wide range of ed-tech materials and resources. EdITLib is a database of peer-reviewed articles, reports, and conference papers related to the field of educational technology and e-learning. So far, more than 20,000 papers and videos have been added to the site’s archives. To view a full listing of the materials, you’ll need a paid membership in AACE. Many of the resources, however, including some of the site’s videos and PowerPoints, are offered free of charge, although some may require registration.
Gateway to 21st Century Skills
Created by: Gateway to Educational Materials
For: Teachers
Features: The site’s resources are searchable by keyword phrases or users can browse the site’s catalogs. These sections are broken down by grade levels, subjects, or activity types. There are more than 50,000 educational resources available within the site’s domain, many of them provided by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Public Broadcasting Service, the National Science Foundation, and more than 700 other content providers. The site, sponsored by the National Education Association, also features a digitized database of academic standards from each state, allowing teachers to select resources that align with their content needs.
Created by: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
For: Educators
Features: This professional-development site uses streaming video to show how teaching skills can be integrated into the classroom. The site, established by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), contains a library of videos that is accessed with a username and password. New users can test out the program for free with a seven-day trial, or school officials can set up paid accounts for continual use. The video topics include training on English-language learning, literacy strategies, differentiated teaching, and motivating learners.
Compiled by Tim Ebner