My New Online Life at NEA Academy NEA member and NEA Academy staff member Barbara Frank has been involved in online learning from many vantage points for more than 15 years, through developing courses, analyzing online learning programs and teaching. For the first time, she’s in the seat of the learner, taking her FIRST online class through the NEA Academy, and she wanted to pass her experiences on to you. Read more

Manage and Maintain Your Personal Learning Network You have a great group of users you follow on Twitter, Google+ and Plurk, but how do you find new users to add to your PLN? How do you manage what you already have? Here are Kathy Schrock’s expert tips. Read more

Help Your Parent Volunteers Help You Do you have parents waiting in the wings, wanting to volunteer? Or are you unsure of how to ask for help, if anyone is even available to volunteer or what kinds of tasks are appropriate? Here are 5 ways to find and put willing and able volunteers to work for you. Read more

5 Things You May Not Know About the NEA Academy The NEA Academy has always been known for high-quality professional development, but did you know you can now do even more? Here are 5 recently-added benefits you may not have heard about. Read more

Work On Your “Withitness” and Start the School Year Off Right All students, even young ones, judge their teachers on first impressions—and you only get one chance to make a good first impression. Dr. Mary Clement offers advice on creating “withitness” that both new and experienced teachers can use to make the first days of school successful. Read more

Top Teacher Tech for 2011: What’s Hot (and Affordable!) for the New School Year Kathy Schrock, Educational Technologist and author of “Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators” for Discovery Education, offers her fun and affordable technology picks for the new school year. Read more

Summer Reading: Top Education Blogs It’s summer! Take some time to catch up on your favorite education blogs and find new ones to follow. Blogs in the education field are gathering quite a following, but for those of you who’ve never blogged or followed a blog, here’s a quick introduction. Read more

Autism Resources for the Classroom When you’re the head of a class with an autistic student, the job of providing differentiated instruction can be daunting. Luckily, there are a number of resources to help teachers meet the unique needs and learning styles of autistic students. We’ve gathered lessons, professional development opportunities and other resources in one place for you. Read more

Reflect, Rejuvenate and Get Ready for the Next School Year How do you really feel on the last day of school? Exhausted? Burned out? Like there’s never an end to the worry and stress? What can you do to reflect sensibly on a tough year, rejuvenate and then get ready for another year? Now that it’s summer, let’s look at things to do that will help you reflect purposefully on last school year and rejuvenate you for next year. Read more

Help Your Students Beat the Summer “Brain Drain” Summer vacation is almost here, and with the sun and rest comes the inevitable “brain drain.” Help your students maintain the skills they worked so hard to learn this year with these fun and FREE websites. Read more

Creative Ways to Use Your Interactive Whiteboard Do you have an interactive whiteboard in your classroom but you’re not sure what to do with it? Stop using it as a glorified projector screen. No matter what your level of expertise, use these tips to help you think about your whiteboard in a new way and take your lessons to the next level. Read more

Navigate the New Educational Job Market The teacher job market has become very tight since late 2008, including layoffs in many districts. You need an edge when job hunting in this economy. In this series of features, you will discover tips on how to put together your résumé, compile resources for your portfolio, navigate the interview process and make yourself a more marketable candidate as you navigate this increasingly difficult job market. Read more

Employment in a Tough Economy The educator job market in some geographic areas was excellent before the recent economic downturn, and newly-licensed educators had their pick of jobs. But, as many educators already know, this picture has changed dramatically. Learn more about this new job landscape and what it may mean for you. Read more

Recovering from a RIF to Get Your Next Teaching Job Losing your job because of a Reduction in Force (RIF) and budget cuts can be extremely demoralizing. However, the fact that you HAD a teaching job actually makes you more employable for your next teaching job. Use these strategies to emphasize your past teaching experience as you job search. Read more

A 20-Point Checklist of Key Strategies for Your Next Teaching Job Search Even under the best circumstances, a job search can be a daunting task. Planning is key! Whether you’re just starting out, planning a move or facing a RIF, use these 20 tips to get started on your job search journey. Read more

Get Your Paperwork in Order—Résumés, Portfolios, References and More When you apply for a job in education, as most educators know, you need more than your resume. But in a difficult job market, you want to make sure your i’s are dotted and your t’s are crossed. Learn about how to prepare and collect key documents you will need to help make your application stand out. Read more

Crack the Interview Code Have you ever walked away from a job interview and felt you could have been better prepared? Learn about the various techniques interviewers use to weed out prospective educators and get pointers on how to navigate this integral part of the job application process.  Read more

From Job Fairs to Phone Chats: Know Your Interview Venue Job interviews don’t always happen face-to-face, and sometimes you will be in a situation with multiple interviewees and/or multiple interviewers. Learn more about the variety of interview venues you can expect as you look for a position in an increasingly difficult job market. Read more

Be the Job Candidate You Want to Be The job market is incredibly diverse. Applicants range from veteran educators to newly-minted applicants. But are you as strong of a candidate as you could be? From Facebook to tutoring, discover steps you may be able to take to increase your marketability. Read more

Sample Interview Questions with Helpful Hints for Answers Be prepared! Use these sample questions and hints for different grade levels and subject areas to hone your interview skills. Read more

FAQs about Getting a Job in Teaching Not sure where to start? Concerned about a potential job offer? Here are expert answers to your most frequently asked job-search questions. Read more

9 Things an Employer Seeks in a Job Candidate Don’t walk into a job interview without the proper preparation. In a job market where school administrators can hire from the top 5 to 10% of the applicants, it is important to know what administrators seek in a new hire. Read more

Stretching Your Supply Budget: 6 Tips from Classroom Educators It’s March, more than halfway through the traditional school year. If your supply closet is looking bare, or if you are starting to plan for next year, try out some of these tips submitted by educators. Read more

5 Myths of Online Professional Development—Busted It’s hard to deny the convenience of an online class, especially when time for professional development or advanced coursework is limited. But do you worry about taking a class where you never see classmates or the instructor, and do you wonder whether an online class will really be worth your time and money, or even accepted by your district? We’ve broken down some of the more common myths to help ease your concerns. Read more

Educator-Focused Social Networks: Free Lesson Plans, Blogs and Support Ready to join your colleagues in discussion groups, find and share tried-and-true lesson plans or follow some fresh education blogs? We’ve compiled a list of popular social networks dedicated exclusively to educators like you. Try adding 1 or 2 of these sites to your social media collection. Read more

Masters Programs Offered through the NEA Academy The NEA has recently partnered with Walden University, Western Governors University and UMassOnline so members can take advantage of discounts on courses, special access to NEA member-only scholarships and more. Learn about the basics of each program and get started! Read more

Tips for Paying for National Board Certification Thinking about applying for National Board Certification this year? We’ve contacted the experts and collected tips to help you find the funds for this very important goal. Read more

Top Tips to Get that Grant There are thousands of grants out there just waiting for someone to apply for them. Taking that first step is the hardest. With help from The NEA Foundation, we’ve gathered tips to help you get that grant. Read more

New Books at the NEA Professional Library Learn about the most recent additions, selected to help you stay current, informed and confident in being able to meet the challenges you face every day. Read more

What’s New at the NEA Academy? Have you checked out the NEA Academy recently? If not, you should know about several exciting opportunities for members, including a new partnership with 3 universities offering nearly 50 online master’s degree programs, as well as an enhanced user experience for the Academy itself. Read more

Fundraising That Works We’ve partnered with 2 online organizations and gathered a list of classroom ideas to help you get the supplies you need for your classroom, now. Read more

5 Tips for an Effective Back-to-School Night Most people think of back-to-school night as the time when educators can make a first impression on their students' parents. But back-to-school night is also the optimal time for you to provide parents with information that can make your job easier. Here are 5 tips for making the most of your back-to-school night. Read more

Top Teacher Tech for 2010: What’s Hot (and Affordable!) for the New School Year Kathy Schrock, Director of Technology for Nauset Public Schools and author of “Kathy Schrock’s Guide for Educators” for Discovery Education, offers her fun and affordable technology picks for the new school year. Read more

Perk Up Your Classroom with Color Spring is right around the corner, and this year folks all over the country are looking forward to the milder weather. This is a great time of year to encourage students get creative and explore, among other things, all the wonderful colors and springtime sights through visual arts projects. We've collected these resources to help get the creativity flowing. Read more

Create Your Own Personal Learning Network The number of places for educators to find information on the Web has exploded along with a class of online collaborative tools that allow every educator to create their own personal learning network (PLN). Learn about these tools and start your own PLN in 2010. Read more

Synchronous Tools for Schools With most schools wired to the Internet and with computers located in lots of classrooms, libraries and labs, the ability to use new online tools to converse, work and play in real-time has come to schools. Here are just a few of the most popular tools you can try in the new year! Read more

NEA Member Movie Marathon As winter vacation approaches, your days will inevitably be busy with holiday preparations and social events. But either before or after the traditional holidays, be sure to make time for yourself! We’ve compiled a list of NEA member-recommended movies to inspire and energize you as you head back to the classroom in the New Year. Read more

Tackling Educator Gift Quandaries Around this time of the year, parents start asking for advice on how to handle the proverbial educator gift quandary. But what about the issues that educators like you face when those apple-themed mugs, pencils and pins start rolling in? Read more

Getting to Know You While the first day of school is full of rules, expectations and seating arrangements, it’s important to take some time for icebreakers. Read about what some of your fellow NEA members do to get to know their new students. Read more

Student Loan Cancellation/Deferment Options for Teachers If you're an educator serving in a low-income or subject-matter shortage area, it might be possible for you to cancel or defer your student loans. Read more

Interactive Whiteboards Enhance Classroom Instruction and Learning Although the first interactive whiteboard was released in 1991, only in the last several years have whiteboards become a must-have tool in K-12 classrooms. Get the basic facts about the most popular brands, learn some of the reasons why whiteboards have become so popular, and read about one NEA member's experience with a whiteboard integration at his school. Read more

Words of Wisdom The first few years of teaching can rattle even the most determined educator. Use these 10 strategies from veteran teachers to avoid classroom burnout and stay positive. Read more

Surplussed...or How I Became an Involuntary Transfer Budget cutbacks mean that many teachers are getting laid off from the schools that they love. Read about one NEA member's recent experience as an “involuntary transfer.” Read more

Green Your Classroom Green your classroom and you’ll improve your health, your students’ health and the health of the planet. These 10 tips will help you create a greener classroom and a healthier school. Read more

Education for All: An Introduction to RTI Response to Intervention (RTI) is an approach that identifies learning disabilities and provides support. What makes RTI different from other methods? Learn the basics of RTI and how this program may affect you and your classroom. Read more