Digital Media & Touch Screen Technology: An Increasing Trend In Education - WGBH Teachers' Domain Expands Free Classroom Resources For Teachers

Boston, MA (PRWEB) September 2, 2008 -- Just in time for back to school, Teachers' Domain, a free online educational website, is expanding digital media content in science, math, language arts, social studies and art, as well as introducing two new editions; Teachers' Domain College Edition (a subset of online resources for higher education), and VITAL on Teachers' Domain (resources for New York state educators tied to the New York State Core Curriculum). Teachers' Domain is a digital library of free media online resources for teachers (http://www.teachersdomain.org/editions.html), and online professional development courses (http://www.teachersdomain.org/courses.html) created by public television station WGBH. To access the educator resources, online lesson plans, and course information, log on to http://www.teachersdomain.org.

First launched in 2002 with a small set of resources in science, Teachers' Domain has quickly grown in content and popularity. Today, Teachers' Domain has over 260,000 registered users that represent about 56% of US K-12 schools, and expanded content to more than 1,500 digital media resources that support state and national education standards. Unlike many competitor sites, resources are available free of charge to anyone who registers for the site.

New content on Teachers' Domain includes open educational resources that give users increased access to download, share, or remix for use in the classroom. This type of accessibility makes open digital media a continued trend in education because it allows teachers to access resources at any time, and engage their students in the learning process through the use of media and technology. One example is the use of interactive white boards, a teaching tool that captivates students with the touch of a screen by using their finger as a cursor. By integrating digital media resources with this technology, teachers have everything accessible in one place, and create a two-way teaching and learning connection that engages students with their fingertip. "Students today learn with media and technology because they've grown up in a multimedia world, so these resources are something they relate to easily," said Eleri Merrikin, Science Teacher at Brockton High School in Massachusetts.

Teachers' Domain website content is drawn from popular PBS shows such as NOVA, Frontline, and American Experience, and includes video and audio segments, background essays, lesson plans, discussion questions and activities for the classroom. Resources supplement a teacher's lesson plan while addressing topics that are hard to teach. "When I teach an abstract topic like the nitrogen cycle (http://www.teachersdomain.org/resource/lsps07.sci.life.eco.nitrogen/) , I supplement the textbook with a Teachers' Domain video segment, diagram or Flash interactive on the topic and these often become the centerpiece of our class lesson. These resources are invaluable because they support about 45% of my students who have a visual learning preference and have difficulty reading science text. My students directly benefit from the resources and I know for sure that without them they would continue to struggle," said Eleri Merrikin, Science Teacher at Brockton High School in Massachusetts.

For additional information or a demo on Teachers' Domain, contact Daniella Quiñones. Teachers' Domain digital media resources for the classroom and new editions are now available at http://www.teachersdomain.org. Teachers' Domain is a Pathways Project of the National Science Digital Library (NSDL).

About Teachers' Domain:

Teachers' Domain is an online library of more than 1,500 free media resources as well as online professional development courses for teachers developed by Boston public television station WGBH. Classroom resources support state and national standards, and draw from the best in public television and its content partners. With over 260,000 registered users in over 163 countries around the world, Teachers' Domain strives to strengthen teacher knowledge by providing innovative teaching methods that inspire students to learn. Teachers' Domain is a Pathways portal to the National Science Digital Library (NSDL). To access Teachers' Domain resources and course information, visit www.teachersdomain.org.

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