Teachers First - Thinking Teachers Teaching Thinkers

Read about the basics by clicking the tab next to What is Copyright. The menu on the right includes Copyright and Artificial Intelligence information. Links to full text of copyright law, Congressional discussions on copyright revision, and numerous PDF files on specific or technical topics related to copyright.

The Undergraduate Student Loan Calculator shows the share of earnings necessary to service traditional loan repayment for 80 majors. Use selection boxes to choose different majors, loan amounts, interest, and length of term. Select approximate earnings from high, middle, or low-end of average earnings. You can also choose to work part or full-time. Compare two different majors to view the percentage of monthly income needed to pay off loans.

This searchable site is designed to give educators direction and advice when teaching the scientific theory of evolution. Common misconceptions, supporting evidence, and basic elements of the theory are provided along with tips on how to identify and deal with problems that may arise when teaching evolution in the classroom. A glossary and links to teacher resources are also included.

Understanding and applying the Doctrine of Fair Use is vital for teachers and students at all levels. This site clearly explains important exemptions that limit the exclusive rights of copyright holders and provides analysis of the four factors of Fair Use.

Understood is an online collaboration of 15 non-profit organizations with a goal to provide learning resources for students aged 3-20. The site offers thousands of articles, decision guides, quizzes, and more. Also, choose from unique tools such as the Parenting Coach, Tech Finder, and Through Your Child's Eyes (simulations of different learning issues). Use the Parent Toolkit to find personalized resources available by topic, grade, or learning disorder. Videos reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

Unhangout is a free platform for connecting community-driven learning opportunities. Participants gather in the site's lobby at the time of the event, introduce themselves, and possibly view a short presentation or video together. After introductions, participants choose breakout rooms based on their interest. Breakout rooms hold up to ten participants at a time and open in a new tab so they can continue to add to the main chat if desired. Within the breakout rooms, conversations focus on a common topic and include options for members to use their webcam to discuss topics, view videos together, or work on a shared document. Following the event, participants receive an email with a transcript of the event and email contacts of fellow participants. Create your event by logging into your account and adding information including date, time, and additional hosts if desired. Other options enable you to set privacy options, allow follow-up emails, and provide for a custom URL.

US Digital Literacy is a comprehensive informational site to help better deliver digital literacy information to students. Help to prepare your students to understand and use information in multiple formats from a broad range of sources. Students need to be able to read, and interpret media, reproduce data and images, evaluate, and apply new knowledge from digital environments. Learn how to use the tools, promote responsible digital citizenship, while providing a framework to access, analyze, and create new information. Under Digital Toolkits find information about digital citizens, web 2.0, augmented reality, social bookmarks, wikis, images and creative commons, keyboarding practice, and mobile learning communities. For your own use, find professional learning networks, adaptive learning systems, learning management systems, project based learning, and STEM and STEAM. The Twenty-first- Century Skills section gives background in the Common Core, core subjects, learning and innovative skills, information and media literacy, and life and career skills. Instructional Strategies provide information for classroom management, activating strategies, vocabulary strategies, cognitive growth strategies, organizing strategies, summarizing strategies, and assessment types. Information regarding thoughtful technology leadership includes videos to promote conversations and challenges for your school website. Each section includes interesting and informative videos. The videos are hosted on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable.

Read about the value of humor as a teaching tool, especially for ESL/ELL students. Using joking frequently is a way to say the same thing in a slightly different way. Students want to learn what is funny in the U.S. Humor varies from culture to culture and your ESL students want to know why certain things are funny so they can join in with the fun.

Home page for the state's department of education

Discover a slick way to find Creative Commons pictures (pictures you are ALLOWED to use without copyright problems, simply by giving credit). Vecteezy searches for creative commons images and locates those with licenses that permit use in other activities and projects. Enter text or tags, and Vecteezy does the rest, providing thumbnail images for you to choose from. After you search, be sure you have checked the box in the LEFT sidebar of the search results, specifying that you want Creative Commons images, NOT commercial ones. Click to search again, if necessary. Choose from the results that appear below the dotted line. (Those above the line are images you must pay for!) Click on the image you like and double-check the license information under item 1 to be sure it is available for non-commercial use with attribution and can be used for "derivative works." Click the image itself to copy and paste its URL to use in image credits. Remember that Creative Commons DOES require that you give proper credit!
This site includes advertising.