PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 
RESOURCES 
 
Teachers play a vital role in the future of society. Our world is changing faster 
than ever before, and in order to prepare today’s children to be tomorrow's 
leaders educators must diligently seek opportunities to further their own 
learning. Professional development expands a professionals current knowledge 
and skills through a certified learning experience. The following is a list of 
digital resources available to support a teacher’s efforts to remain a forever 
learner. 
 

STATE/INTERNATIONAL GENERAL EDUCATION ORGANIZATIONS

The following sites provide a wealth of information that blankets all educators 
no matter their content area. Educators can find information from educational 
laws to classroom management: 

● National Education Association

○ The NEA is committed to advancing the cause of public education.​ The site
provides from resources including Legislative issues, tools for the classroom, and
available grants.
● The U.S. Department of Education
○ No matter where you teach within the United States, this website is relevant to
you. Student loans, grants, data, and current law information can all be found on
this site.
● Virginia Department of Education
○ The VDOE website contains a Professional Learning and Development portal
that connects educators, administrators and support services personnel to
information about opportunities and resources developed by VDOE and
non-profit organizations that provide professional learning opportunities for public
school educators.
  
FIELD-SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS

The following professional sites contain information that is specific to middle 

school education and/or science: 

● Association for Middle School Education

○ Educators can join this professional organization to become part of an
association that focuses their efforts strictly on middle level education.
You will find information on professional growth, articles about how to
reach students, and links for purchasing teaching resources.
● National Science Teaching Association
○ The NSTA focuses on the field of science. You can join the organization
for a yearly fee and gain access to periodic newsletters and materials all
focused on science. You will find the science standards, upcoming
conference information for professional development learning, and
resources for your classroom.

ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT EDUCATION

The followin​g sites​ provide access to teaching resources that will impact 
students educational work by adding technology elements to everyday classroom 
activities. 

● Edutopia
○ Edutopia has numerous resources to help educators remain up-to-date
with the latest teaching styles including project-based learning ideas,
social and emotional learning concepts, teacher development, and
assessment ideas.
● Smithsonian for Educators
○ The Smithsonian website provides a list of teacher professional
development events they host. It also offers a variety of ways to
incorporate the many Smithsonian museums into your teaching practice.
● San Diego Zoo: Institute for Conservation Research
○ Each summer the San Diego Zoo holds professional development
workshops focused on conservation research. Find all the information
here as well as a link to attend.
  
RESOURCES FOR IMPROVING THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY
IN TEACHING

As a teacher we often use images from the internet when creating PowerPoints, 
worksheets, and assessments to provide students with a visual of the concept we are 
attempting to explain. The following site shares the guidelines teachers should follow 
to ensure they are following copyright and fair use guidelines. 
 
● The Edublogger
○ This blog by Sue Water and Ronnie Burt explains “fair use” practices and
the importance of giving credit to the author when using online images.
● Social Media Examiner
○ The Social Media Examiner defines ​copyright ​as well as a list of five things
to consider when using copyrighted images from online sources.
● Virginia Society for Technology in Education
○ This professional development site is the Virginia chapter of CoSN, the
Consortium for School Networking professional association for school
system technology leaders. Their purpose is to promote excellence in
education through professional development endeavors that support
existing and emerging technologies in education.