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"Therefore, state and district policymakers should establish clear policies. Policymakers have options when creating copyright rules, including: If the policy is designed to have the teacher be the author of the educational resources she creates, take the position that the teacher is the author under the teacher exception and enter into a written agreement with the teacher If a state or district takes this approach, the state or district could also require that the teacher grant it a license to use, and to authorize others to use, the materials. Alternatively, if a state or district takes the position that educator-created materials are works made for hire, it can grant licenses to educators in their own works so that they can use, share, redistribute, and refine educator-created materials. In other words, the employer retains the copyright but provides the creator of the content and others with a license so that reuse, revision, and redistribution rights are defined upfront. States and districts can choose to license other state- and district-owned content, where the state or district owns the copyright in that work (such as teacher training materials), as open educational resources (OERs). For more on the discussion on who owns teacher-created digital content, including licensing options under Creative Commons and 7 recommendations from SETDA on how states can introduce policies on copyright, read the full brief."

Teaching Channel is a video showcase-on the Internet and TV-of inspiring and effective teaching practices in America's schools. We have a rapidly growing community of registered members who trade ideas and share inspiration from each other. With the help of the Tch community, our mission is to revolutionize how teachers learn, connect, and inspire each other to improve the outcomes for all K-12 students across America. In order to accomplish this mission, we have three simple goals, all of them reliant on input from teachers: * Build professional learning resources that teachers want * Deepen and improve opportunities for teacher learning * Elevate and celebrate teachers in our society Share This Video Our videos are produced by a unique team of professionals-a collaborative effort between video production experts, education advisors, and the classroom teachers themselves. We should point out that Teaching Channel does not determine or influence the content taught in our videos. Our video library offers educators a wide range of subjects for grades K-12. The videos also include information on alignment with Common Core State Standards and ancillary material for teachers to use in their own classrooms. Teaching Channel Presents, a weekly one-hour program featuring Tch videos, airs on PBS stations in nearly 75 million homes across the United States. A non-profit organization, Teaching Channel launched publicly in June 2011."

"Guidelines for Professional Development of Online Teachers Based on the SREB Standards for Quality Online Teaching Providing quality professional development for online teachers is extremely important to ensure ongoing quality teaching and learning - just as it is for teachers in traditional classrooms. The professional development of online teachers should be well-planned and organized to meet the specific academic and instructional needs of online teachers."

"How Teachers Are Learning: Professional Development Remix Jun 1 · FREE A detailed guidebook to help administrators find tools that fit the needs of their teachers and their professional development strategy. This report contains: Product Reports. We have included analyses on 28 of the latest tools in personalized professional development for administrators to sort, mark up, and compare side-by-side. Our "PD Learning Cycle" Framework. We share our methodology for comparing how products can fit together to complement one another. Comparative data. We provide data that allow administrators to compare purpose of each tool, the amount of time teachers must spend on each tool and which tools give them credit for their work. Powerful insights. We share emerging insights on the products currently available. We also identify the emerging sets of valuable products and features, as well as tips for successfully implementation

"n order to provide enough time for teachers to work together effectively, such models frequently require schools to overhaul their schedules or arrange for a delayed-start time (Sawchuk, Nov. 10, 2010b; Sawchuk, March 3, 2010). Such practices can be paired with other opportunities for deepening practice, including observing fellow teachers and working one-on-one with classroom-based "coaches," or content experts (Keller, 2007). Other variations of site-based professional development include the Japanese practice of lesson study, in which a teacher creates and teaches a model lesson. The lesson is observed and sometimes videotaped so that colleagues can analyze the lesson's strengths and weaknesses and determine how to strengthen the lesson (Viadero, 2004). Hard data on which professional-development models lead to better teaching are difficult to come by. In essence, professional development relies on a two-part transfer of knowledge: It must inculcate in teachers new knowledge and skills such that they change their behavior, and those changes must subsequently result in improved student mastery of subject matter. Unsurprisingly, the complex nature of those transactions renders the field of professional development a challenging one to study. Much of the research conducted on professional development continues to be descriptive rather than quantitative (Sawchuk, Nov. 10, 2010c). "

"While my experiences with online professional development came out of a need to reach several teachers while working within a limited time frame, the additional benefits and improved learning that happened because of it were a pleasant surprise. It is important to note that if done correctly, creating a PLC is not about simply moving traditional professional development to an online format. A true PLC is a community of learners, all contributing and collaborating toward a common goal. When you create and nurture this culture of sharing, you benefit from the collective intelligence of the group. It also gives a voice to every staff member. By creating learner-centered PD, the learning is more meaningful and mirrors the type of learning you hope to see in the classroom. Additionally, by creating an ongoing community of learning, staff developers and principals are able to provide more effective support just when the teachers need it. An online presence allows a teacher to feel supported at all times and not just during the hour a professional developer is sitting with them in a meeting."

"Knowledge knows no boundaries We're a global online learning community where educators collaborate, share resources and showcase accomplishments. Project Share is a collection of Web 2.0 tools and applications that provides high quality professional development in an interactive and engaging learning environment. Project Share leverages existing and new professional development resources for K-12 teachers across the state and builds professional learning communities where educators can collaborate and participate in online learning opportunities. The mission of Project Share is to provide an interactive and engaging learning environment that offers opportunities for: Communicating and disseminating information from state, region, and district levels. Creating or joining common interest networks to increase teacher-to-teacher collaboration, conversations with experts, and communication with students in a secure online environment. Accessing state-adopted and approved materials, including electronic textbooks and other materials developed through TEA partnerships. Accessing educational resources through McDonald Observatory StarDate, PBS Digital Learning Library, Texas PBS, and many others. Accessing Texas Education on iTunes U to explore the history and cultures of Texas, view educational tutorials, and download resources for personalized learning. Collaborating on the development, dissemination, and evaluation of online professional development sessions and courses. Highlighting individual accomplishments through the development of ePortfolios. Developing and sharing ideas and resources."

"Guide to Piloting CK-12 Quick Guide to Doing a Pilot All of CK-12 Foundation's resources (FlexBook System, FlexMath, INeedAPencil, BrainGenie, and studyHELP) are free and open for use by everyone, anywhere. We do, however, invite our administrator and teacher users to initiate a more formal exploration of our offerings in the form of a pilot. Below is a quick guide to doing so with questions to consider. The actual implementation will be a joint effort by the school and CK-12 (pilots@ck12.org) CK-12 Pilot - the systematic implementation of CK-12 resources as part of an official exploration to fully incorporate the content and services into a school or class curriculum with structured feedback and data being provided to CK-12 for improving our future development OVERALL PILOT DEFINITION How many schools, students and teachers will be involved in the pilot? What subjects will be explored (e.g. Physics, Algebra)? What are the content needs (e.g. standards-alignment, lesson plans)? What CK-12 offering best meets your needs (e.g. FlexMath for Algebra I)? What are the technology needs for presenting content to students (e.g. projector, laptops, tablets, print)? What is the pilot duration? TACTICS FOR IMPLEMENTATION Select a project manager to oversee and define roles and to coordinate across schools and teachers Establish a main point of contact for corresponding with CK-12 Assign roles for customizing CK-12 content for your school and compiling and uploading finalized materials Have editors and reviewers view online training materials and attend webinar(s) to familiarize themselves with the CK-12 platform CK-12 SUPPORT Set up accounts at www.ck12.org Create a timeline for editing content and coordinate editing collaboration Set up training schedule (online and/or onsite) with CK-12 for your school / district Weekly/monthly check-in meetings to ensure progress with pilot PILOT RESULTS & NEXT STEPS

"oday's education system includes ingrained practices, including policy and decades-old methods, that prevent schools from moving to competency-based models. Solutions to this problem include: Creating and making available educational resources on competency-based learning. These resources might be best practices, rubrics or tools, or research. Convening a coalition of League of Innovative Schools districts that are working to build successful competency-based models. Creating a technical solution for flexible tracking of competencies and credits. Problem No. 2: Leadership doesn't always support second-order change, and those in potential leadership roles, such as teachers and librarians, aren't always empowered to help effect change. Solutions to this problem include: Promoting League of Innovative Schools efforts to enable second-order change leadership Creating a framework, to be used in professional development, that would target and explain second-order change leadership discussions Schedule panel discussions about second-order change leadership Problem No. 3: Communities and cultures are resistant to change, including technology-based change Solutions to this problem include: Identifying new and engaging ways to share cutting-edge and tech-savvy best practices with school and district stakeholders and community members Involve business leaders in technology-rich schools and create school-business partnerships Look to influential organizations to spearhead national ed-tech awareness campaigns Problem No. 4: Education budgets aren't always flexible enough to support the cost, sustainability, or scalability of innovations Solutions to this problem include: Build relationships with local businesses and career academies, and create incentives for companies to hire students, in order to create a revenue stream for schools Look to competitive pricing and creative solutions Leaders must not be afraid t

"Access to learning repositories is helping educators locate more impactful content for students learning-repository-instructionThe emergence of open educational resources, coupled with students' desire for more personalized learning, has fueled a need for content repositories that enable teachers, students, and parents to locate effective learning resources and educational content quickly. Now, the state of Illinois is developing efforts to help teachers and students leverage tagged educational content to make learning more customized, and effective, for students. The Illinois Shared Learning Environment (ISLE) will help educators use data and other tools to connect students with the learning resources and instructional content best suited to their needs. State educators can use student data to locate tagged educational resources and learning materials that suit each student's needs, moving away from a "one size fits all" mindset."

"Clarifying Ownership of Teacher-Created Digital Content Empowers Educators to Personalize Education, Address Individual Student Needs The webinar explored how states and districts can empower and encourage educators to create and share high-quality digital instructional materials to improve students' learning experiences. Presenters discussed the central legal issue of ownership of instructional materials and offered recommendations for effectively managing the increased use of digital content, including with respect to the advantages provided by open educational resources (OER). "

"Essential Principles of High-Quality Online Teaching: Guidelines for Evaluating K-12 Online Teachers "

"EQuIP (Educators Evaluating the Quality of Instructional Products)is an initiative of the American Diploma Project (ADP) Network designed to identify high-quality materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The objectives are two-fold: Increase the supply of high quality lessons and units aligned to the CCSS that are available to elementary, middle, and high school teachers as soon as possible; and Build the capacity of educators to evaluate and improve the quality of instructional materials for use in their classrooms and schools. EQuIP builds on a collaborative effort of education leaders from Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island that Achieve facilitated. The outcome of that effort was the development of the "Tri-State Rubrics" and a quality review process designed to determine the quality and alignment of instructional lessons and units to the CCSS."

"This guide is organized in two main sections. Section I provides our working definition of distance education and anatomizes its many modes and models, dissecting their strengths and weaknesses in terms of instructional quality and effectiveness. Section II focuses on methods, collating best practices and lessons learned about teaching and learning from successful global distance education models. The guide also contains a glossary of terms, a reference section for further Web-based information on distance learning programs and approaches, and an extensive bibliography of the sources cited within the guide. Where available, we provide website addresses for every program discussed here. We also provide the URLs of websites that offer free content, but not those of commercial websites, which can typically be accessed online by searching for them by name."