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Professional Development Resources

Professional Organizations

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) An alliance of five national associations, six district associations, and a research consortium that supports healthy lifestyles through high-quality programs:

• American Association for Health Education (AAHE)
• American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation (AAPAR)
• National Association for Girls & Women in Sports (NAGWS)
• National Association for Sport & Physical Education (NASPE)
• National Dance Association (NDA)

American School Health Association (ASHA) Multidisciplinary organization to protect and promote the health and well-being of children and youth through coordinated school health programs.

Find your state or regional version of these national organizations and get involved.

Social Networking: Teaching Internet Safety and Responsibility

Social Networking in the K-12 classroom is a document from the Baltimore County Public Schools that provides educational uses for Web 2.0. It also offers a vocabulary guide and suggests sites to explore.

Web 2.0 and Social Networking is a New Jersey Education Association Web site that features an article from the NJEA Review. This article thoroughly covers all aspects of social networking in the classroom. There are links, statistics, tools, and cyber safety discussions to use for information and guidance.

Internet Guide for Students & Teachers is a Web site from TeacherVision that provides general information on Internet terms, usage, and safety for students and teachers. In addition, teachers can access lesson plans, prinouts, and more by grade level or subject area.

The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) is a nonprofit member organization whose mission is to improve teaching and learning by advancing the use of technology in Pre-K-12 and teacher education.

Social Networking Gets Schooled is an article from TechNewsWorld that discusses how educational software can bring teachers, students, and parents together. The article offers suggestions on using software and online services as a means of sharing information. The site also lists free social networking sites for teachers to consider.

Educational Benefits of Social Networking covers a University of Minnesota study on the benefits of social networking sites such as Facebook. Contrary to prior conclusions, this study shows that social networking in the classroom enables lower income students to become as technologically proficient as their peers from higher income brackets. Other benefits listed include advanced creativity and communication skills.

Advocating for Health Education

Science Ambassador is a program that allows middle and high school teachers to compete for the opportunity to work alongside CDC scientists in creating lesson plans that will bring real health issues into the classroom.

Discover Education provides health lesson plans that teachers can access for grade levels K-5, 6-8, and 9-12. A variety of health topics are covered at each level and academic standards are supplied for each lesson. Lesson plans include the lesson's objective, a list of the materials needed for the lesson or activity, and procedures to follow. Discussion questions, an evaluation, and vocabulary terms and definitions are also available.

Teacher Vision offers health and nutrition resources for classroom use. The lesson plans serve to provide students with the information needed to make healthful decisions while also supporting academic integration. Printable worksheets, activities, and resources for academic integration can also be found on the Web site.

Tox Town offers classroom activities, interactive resources, videos, and other informational materials about environmental health. Teachers are encouraged to use this site to stimulate classroom learning about environmental health issues.