Teachers who want to learn something new need look no further than the web. There are thousands of sites that have been created specifically for teachers and other lifelong learners who want to explore new topics and share educational materials with the world. Here are 15 great sites to try today:
LearnCentral – LearnCentral is a new, social learning network for education. Teachers can participate in this global community to learn, connect, and share with other people.
Classroom 2.0 – Classroom 2.0 is a social media network for educators who are interested in web 2.0 technologies. Teachers can participate in forum discussions and learn about technology from like-minded colleagues.
TeachStreet – This online community was created for people who love to learn. Teachers can use it to learn, teach, and network with students and other educators.
Mindpicnic – Mindpicnic is a place for people to learn on the web for free. Once you sign up, you can take tuition-free courses or create your own learning materials.
TeacherTube – This online community was created so that teachers would have a place to share videos and instructional materials. You can upload your own videos or watch the videos that other teachers have created.
Exploratorium – The Exploratorium is a hands-on museum of science, art, and human perception that posts education tools for teachers. Tools include a digital library, hands-on activities, and much more.
Connexions – Connexions is a great place to learn new things and share information. You can use it to take free courses, view study materials, and submit your own educational content.
ResearchChannel – The Research Channel is a consortium of research institutions and universities. The Channel publishes lecture videos from researchers, scholars, and various speakers. There are more than 3,500 videos on this site that can be viewed for free.
OpenCourseWare Consortium – The OCW Consortium is a collaboration of more than 200 colleges, universities, and other higher education institutions. The Consortium publishes links to schools that offer free courses and course materials to self-learners around the world.
Learn Out Loud – With more than 20,000 educational videos and audio files, Learn Out Loud is a fantastic place for teachers to learn online. The site also offers a newsletter, articles, and other valuable resources.
Livemocha – Livemocha is hands-down the best place to learn a foreign language for free on the web. This social language learning site connects learners from around the world and provides free intermediate-level courses for dozens of languages.
VerbaLearn – VerbaLearn is a relatively new site, but has quickly earned a reputation as a great place to learn and practice vocabulary. The site offers free vocabulary building programs and tips for teachers who want to incorporate VerbaLearn in the classroom.
Shmoop – Teachers who are interested in exploring literature, poetry, and U.S. history will love the free study guides and other materials offered free through this site. Shmoop was created by Ph.D. and Masters students and is dedicated to making learning fun for students and teachers alike.
Learning Essentials – Learning Essentials is a Microsoft Office add-on that can be downloaded for free. Features include tutorials, templates for classroom hand-outs, customized toolbars, tools for technology integration, and kits for teachers who want to create their own classroom content.
Learning Circles Teacher’s Guide – The Learning Circle Teacher Guide is an excellent online publication for teachers who are interested in learning more about cross-classroom collaboration. The guide includes information about opening, planning, and exchanging work through teacher’s circles.
Guest Post from Karen Schweitzer, who writes about online college degrees for OnlineColleges.org.