PBS Teachers Activity Packs enable educators to easily find and use multimedia instructional resources and activities in the classroom and save to their Web sites and social network pages
ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 22, 2009 - PBS Teachers (pbsteachers.org) introduced today PBS Teachers Activity Packs, a growing library of Web-based widgets that contain links to high-quality PBS education resources and activities focused on a specific curricular theme for multiple grade levels. Finding digital resources for the appropriate grade level, subject and lesson among the vast array of material on the Web can be a time-consuming and challenging task for educators, but PBS Teachers is making the search easier and quicker with the new Activity Packs.
More than 30 Activity Packs are available free-of-charge for educators to "grab" for classroom use, or to post on their classroom and school Web sites or favorite social networking sites. PBS Teachers plans to grow the library of theme-based widgets to continually provide fresh content.
Activity Pack themes cover a wide range of subject areas, including reading/language art, science, social studies, health, and art. Some currently available themes are:
- Arts Everywhere
- China
- Forensic Science
- Great American Authors
- Healthy Choices
- Money in America
- Mysteries of the Universe
- Unsung Heroes in African American History
- Technology & Ethics
- Volunteerism
PBS Teachers is one of the few digital education content providers offering syndicated content to educators through widgets. Increasingly popular among Internet users, a Web-based widget is a small chunk of code that displays content from an online source, and can be inserted into a blog, Web page, or social networking page with a simple copy and paste. "The Activity Packs provide a new and more accessible way for teachers to connect PBS' trusted educational resources and activities to curriculum lessons and enrich the learning environment," said Kim Smith, vice president of education for PBS.
The Activity Packs are accessible from the PBS Teachers Web site, one of the premier online destinations for educators. PBS Teachers is the Web portal for preK-12 educators to access PBS' educational services and a searchable library of more than 9,000 local and national standards-based teaching activities, lesson plans, on-demand video assets, and interactive games and simulations. PBS Teachers is also home to popular education blogs, Learning.now (pbs.org/learningnow) with education technology expert Andy Carvin, and Media Infusion (pbs.org/mediainfusion), which focuses on practical ways to integrate multimedia resources and technology into the classroom.
Teachers can sign up for free membership in PBS Teachers and enjoy access to free webinars and PBS Teachers ConnectSM, an online learning community where preK-12 educators collaborate with their peers, discuss digital media integration, and save online instructional resources for later use. PBS Teachers members also receive discounts to ShopPBS for Teachers.
To explore the library of PBS Teachers Activity Packs, visit pbsteachers.org.
About PBS
PBS, with its 356 member stations, offers all Americans - from every walk of life - the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches more than 115 million people on-air and online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.
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CONTACT:
Kevin Dando, PBS, 703/739-5073, kdando@pbs.org
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