Teacher Toolbar

Today I stumbled upon another great discover - the Teacher Toolbar created by Professional Learning Board. This toolbar can be downloaded and it becomes embedded into your web browser, giving you access to many great tools at the click of a button. Here's what it looks like:


The toolbar contains links to many resources that are valuable to teachers. Here are some examples:

1. Professional development - Under the PD tab, the toolbar links you to websites where you can learn about professional development opportunities for teachers. Examples include information about National Board certification, the New Teacher Network, learning and personal growth tools, professional associations and organizations, research on multiple educational topics, events and conferences.

2. Classroom - This is one of the greatest features of the toolbar. Here you will find links to websites including everything from online school supplies, virtual simulations, and activities to encompass all content areas, including language arts, math, science, social studies, technology, art, physical education, special needs, and career and tech ed. Links are included for any grade level, K-12.

3. Tools - Another great feature! Here, you will find links to websites such as an online dictionary/thesaurus, calculator, citation generator, photo resizer, and many more! These are many tools teachers as well as students can find helpful when engaging in technology-rich classroom activities, such as problem-based learning. At the bottom of this section, there are even links to web 2.0 tools, such as blogs, podcasts, and social networking sites.

4. Tech - Under this heading, you will find information about virtual worlds, communication tools, e-learning, and using cell phones in education. There is even a section for free tech tools - online resources that can be used in student-created projects, such painting, word processing, audio recording, picture editing, and presentation creating software.

5. Grants - Currently, this tab does not have a lot of resources, but there are a few links to websites that list grant opportunities for teachers.

6. Misc. - There is a link to Skype, so if you use this application, you can access it straight from your web browser. They also have a place where you can suggest links to be added and an email notification option, where you can automatically be notified when you have new email.

These are just a few of the features available with the Teacher Toolbar. The toolbar is updated often with new valuable resources available at the click of a button. This is a great resource for both teachers just beginning to explore the realm of technology integration as well as master technology educators, who are always looking for ways to make teaching with technology quicker and easier!

Download the Teacher Toolbar by Professional Learning Board.