The E-line Archives, Vol. 2, #22

Volume 2, No. 22 13 June, 2003

[To view this newsletter on line:
http://www.emck.net/eline/03_06_13.htm.]

Attention, creative Help Desk members!

Summer is housecleaning time...and we're no exception! We'll be redesigning The Help Desk, and we'd love to hear your opinion - suggested graphics, themes, formats - even a new name! Tell us what you think! (Simply respond to this email.)

Teachers The Professional Organizations

It's easy to get swallowed up in the daily grind of lesson preparation, paper and test grading, organizing materials, and taking care of your other teacher responsibilities during the regular school year. It is difficult to make time to connect to other professionals beyond your team or surrounding classrooms. Now that summer's here, it's time to remember those other connections. Leading the charge are the general educational and discipline-specific professional organizations.

These organizations do more than provide (in many cases) professional liability insurance and job search capability. They help you feel a sense of professionalism, and contribute to a thoughtful examination of instructional practice. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has traditionally used many as sources for curriculum design and content standards, help with assessment, and collaboration on policy. That is more true today than ever before, hence your participation in those organizations provides the additional benefit of giving you some indirect input into state educational policy!

Some of these organizations have appeared in past editions of The Help Desk, but we have collected them together for you here. For a few additional general organizations, look at this offering from the U.S. Department of Education. If you haven't already, resolve to join now. Even if you don't, spend some time examining each Web presence, and look at what they have to offer!

General Professional Organizations

National Middle School Association

http://www.nmsa.org/

Featured in the very first Help Desk - May 10, 2002 - NMSA is the premiere middle school professional organization. Membership gives access to a wide range of resources, including online professional development and lesson plans. NMSA produces several informative periodicals, including the research-based "Middle School Journal," an online collaboration with the National Association of Elementary School Principals called "Middle Matters," and a middle school/parent communication resource for principals called "The Family Connection." Periodicals are a benefit of membership, but some are available online or through simple subscription.

National Association of Secondary School Principals

http://www.nassp.org/

There are two associations for principals, and this one is for middle and high school. Benefits include three publications, legal information and help, and a host of other support services aimed at principals.

National Education Association

http://www.nea.org/

Since the NEA (together with its state and local affiliates) serves as a political advocacy organization for rank-and-file teachers at all levels, it is often erroneously considered a teacher's union by many Kentucky educators and observers. However, as a true professional organization, membership brings a wide range of teaching resources including online and paper publications, and direct classroom resources. Usually, teachers join NEA, Kentucky Education Association, and the local district chapter of this organization together - though that is not necessary.

International Society for Technology in Education

http://www.iste.org/

Since ISTE was featured only two issues ago in The Help Desk May 16, 2003, we invite you to examine that description of this general educational technology organization, which is collaborating with KDE to establish its student and administrative educational technology standards.

Content Area Professional Organizations

The Arts	National Art Education Association http://www.naea-reston.org/ This organization serves art educators from kindergarten to graduate school, in all 50 states and a few dozen countries worldwide. Membership brings access to several journals and discounts on other publications. NAEA sponsors the high school National Art Honors Society, and is associated with the National Arts Education Foundation which sponsors grants, awards, and other prizes. The National Association for Music Educators http://www.menc.org/ Formerly the Music Educators National Conference, this venerable (founded in 1907) professional organization for music educators has the usual collection of professional and resource periodicals, awards and grants, music education national standards, and other resources. It sponsors the music education advocacy initiative Music Friends. Another music advocacy organization is the private and college instruction-oriented Music Teachers National Association, which publishes an excellent resource periodical, the American Music Teacher, as well as offering grants and awards.
Health/PE	American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance http://www.aahperd.org/ This is the umbrella organization for a half-dozen professional associations aimed at physical education, dance, sports, and health. The organization features several periodical publications, has Kentucky and local affiliates, sponsors workshops and professional development opportunities, and provides funding and grant opportunities for members.
Mathematics	National Association of Teacher of Mathematics http://www.nctm.org/ NCTM has moved to the forefront in web-delivered instructional resources, from the MarcoPolo-partnered Illuminations to its E-Resources, indexed by grade, subject, and standard. NCTM produces a middle-school-specific resource periodical, Mathematics Teaching in the Middle School, and has worked closely with the Kentucky Department of Education in providing mathematics standards for all grades.
Reading and Writing	National Council of Teachers of English http://www.ncte.org/ There are actually a wide range of professional organizations focused on literacy, including the International Reading Association. But the premiere organization is NCTE, with a wide range of periodicals, online resources, professional development opportunities, forums, grants and awards, and several web initiatives including SLATE, and the MarcoPolo funded Read/Write/Think. Resources from NCTE have been featured many times in The Help Desk.
Science	National Science Teachers Association http://www.nsta.org/ Slick, visual, and functional, the web presence of NSTA gives access to this professional organization's wide range of instructional materials, one of which was featured in January 24, 2003 edition of The Help Desk. (We also featured a grant in the last edition!) The other usual resources - periodicals and publications, a national conference, forums, standards - are all there as well.
Social Studies	National Council for the Social Studies http://www.ncss.org/ Here's the professional association for social studies teachers, the alternate URL for which (http://www.socialstudies.org/) was featured in the November 11, 2002 addition of The Help Desk. In addition to their foundation, periodicals and publications, and current events resources, NCSS offers a searchable database of Internet sites and materials through their website.
Technology Education	International Technology Education Association http://www.iteawww.org/ This is the K-12 professional organization for technology teachers. Featured are several journals and resource periodicals, conferences, awards/grants/scholarships, and other resources. Along with the National Science Foundation and NASA, they sponsor the Technology for All Americans project "...as a means to advance student attainment of technological literacy."

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