Blogs Multimedia Resources to Engage Your Brain
The resources that grab your brain are the ones I like the best: the ones you listen to as you sit in your driveway well beyond arriving at home. The ones that get into your psyche so much that you have to (HAVE TO) talk about them, and about the new information that has taken up residency in your being.
Of course, these resources enrich our professional lives too. What if you could earn graduate credit for consuming media AND finding a way to apply your learning with your students?
Teaching Channel has a slate of personalized continuing education courses that can provide the framework for you to not only learn about an engaging and worthwhile subject, but to also create learning experiences for your students. These independent study options can be completed using texts, media resources, and education-based travel experiences.
As lovers of learning and consumers of media, we are excited to share with you 3 of the resources we’ve been digging into lately that might be perfect for your independent learning endeavor- check out these ideas for what educators are earning credit for learning:
This New York Times-sponsored collaboration acknowledges the 400th anniversary of the beginning of slavery in the United States. This resource boasts a vast collection of essays and other literary works created specifically for this project. The collaboration also includes the Pulitzer Center, which provides educational programming in tandem with the New York Times. This project brings knowledge and perspective to a little-recognized event that has shaped our country in countless ways.
Brenévangelists, unite! Educational professionals have long known that Dr.BrenéBrown’s work around vulnerability has strong implications within our profession. Daring Classrooms is the newly minted hub that applies Dr. Brown’s research to education. Through videos, online assessments, integration tools, and several downloadable resources (all FREE, by the way!), educators can encourage courage, bravery, and empathy for themselves and their students.**
3. Documentaries
There seems to be a documentary for everything these days – including pet cemeteries and people who drill holes in their heads for a variety of reasons. While we wouldn’t recommend those documentaries in particular, the internet is a beautiful place to find a plethora of docu-series and documentaries to share with your students.
- Netflix is known for its docu-series in true crime stories. Still, there are several notable picks that go beyond the motives and murders: Makers: Women Who Make America, Flint Town, Five Came Back, and The National Parks: America’s Best Ideaare rich in content and interest.
- Common Sense Media has reliably high standards for media fit for student consumption. They offer “best of” lists for both the Middle School and High School classrooms
- Documentary Educational Resources, or DER, offers films and study guidesto help you plan around your chosen theme.
- Finally, independent film producers Indieflix have a variety of films, including a group focused on challenges young people face in today’s 21st century society :Angst*, Like, and Upstanders. Indieflix offers a subscription streaming service or community screenings.
We hope these resources will inspire you and your students!
