CTE Resources
Resources
Career and Technical Education Resources
STEM and career and technical education teachers need to be able to offer hands-on learning experiences in a virtual format. Below is a list of resources compiled by various organizations, including the Technical College System of Georgia, the Association for Career and Technical Education, SREB staff and educator participants in SREB’s CTE in a Virtual Setting workshops and webinars. This list includes virtual labs, simulations and interactive learning objects that allow STEM and CTE students to engage with and explore the world of science and technology in an online setting.
General
- Merlot virtual labs (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Environmental Science, Engineering, Math)
- PHET simulations (Physics, Chemistry, Earth Science, Math, Biology) from the University of Colorado Boulder
- EdPuzzle* integrates with learning management systems and can be used to host teacher videos as well as external videos for instruction
- CTE teachers who participated in SREB’s CTE workshops recommend Screencastify as a tool for capturing teacher videos
- Commonlit offers a large library of free non-fiction and disciplinary texts as well as lessons and assessment tools
- Newsela takes authentic content from the world’s most trusted providers and turns it into learning materials that are classroom-ready
- KnowItAll.org from the South Carolina ETV Commission offers curricular materials and videos for grades K-13+ in all areas, including CTE. KnowItAll’s Let’s Go series offers 3D VR tours and field trips.
- DitchThatTextbook offers free e-resources, tools and templates for teachers
- GetEpic offers a digital library of books and reading resources for educators
- Wisc-Online is a repository of high-quality free educational learning materials, organized by Career Cluster, that were created by subject matter experts from the Wisconsin Technical College System and Fox Valley Technical College.
- Google’s Applied Digital Skills curriculum
Introduction to Biology
- Lab safety from BioNetwork
- Cell size and scale from the Genetics Science Learning Center at the University of Utah
- Virtual labs by Glenroe, list provided by Biology Corner
- Biology virtual labs by the National Science Teaching Association
Chemistry of Life
- Cells and membranes:
- Membrane channels from the University of Colorado Boulder
- Patterns of inheritance – mendelian genetics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Molecular biology
- DNA extraction from the Genetics Science Learning Center at the University of Utah
- DNA microarray from the Genetics Science Learning Center at the University of Utah
- RNA lab from PBS
Chemistry
- The Virtual Lab is an online simulation of a chemistry lab. It is designed to help students link chemical computations with authentic lab chemistry. Students select from hundreds of standard reagents and manipulate them as in a real lab.
- Phet chemistry from the University of Colorado Boulder:
- Virtual chemistry from the University of Oxford
- Virtual Chemistry Experiments is a collection of interactive web-based chemistry tutorials from Davidson College. The current generation of tutorials (currently in development) are based upon HTML5 and run on most modern web browsers.
Computer Science
- Cisco Networking Academy
- CCNA R&S Curriculum
- CCNA Security
- Cybersecurity Essentials
- Introduction to IoT
- Introduction to Packet Tracer
- IoT Fundamentals
- IT Essentials
- Mobility Fundamentals
- Networking Essentials
- DevNet Sandbox makes Cisco’s free spread of technology available to developers and engineers by providing packaged labs we call Sandboxes. There are two types of sandboxes, Always-On and Reservation. Each sandbox typically highlights one Cisco product. Sandboxes can be used for development, testing APIs, learning how to configure a product, training, hack-a-thons, etc.
Environmental Science and Natural Resources
- University Corporation for Atmospheric Research provides a directory of educational games, simulations, and virtual labs related to weather, climate, atmospheric science and the sun and space weather
- Environmental science and ecology from Edumedia
- Colorado Parks and Wildlife educational resources
- U.S. Forest Service educational videos
Geology
- Teaching geoscience online Teach the Earth the portal for
Earth Education
Human Anatomy
- eSkeleton from the University of Texas at Austin
- Zygote body 3D anatomy viewer
- Anatomy Arcade
- Amrita rodent anatomy from Amrita University
- The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Biointeractive is an independent science philanthropy that invests in biomedical scientists and science educators to advance both human health and our fundamental understanding of biology
- An online examination of human anatomy and physiology from Get Body Smart
- Inner Body – view and study various human anatomy systems
Oceanography
- Ocean current from NASA
- Plate tectonics from the University of Colorado Boulder
- Resources for earth science education from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences
Physics
- Phet physics from the University of Colorado Boulder
- Amrita physic virtual labs from Amrita University
Electronics, Mechatronics, Robotics and Manufacturing
- AllAboutCircuits Videos
- Epson SCARA Robot simulation FREE software tutorial from Dunwoody College of Technology
- MultiSim (Require software/licenses) circuit design suite tutorial from Dunwoody College of Technology
- ToolingU offers online manufacturing courses
Welding
- Video from Dunwoody College of Technology
Agriculture
- Resources to support agriculture teachers during remote learning from Wakelet curated by Dr. Robin McLean
Business and Marketing
- MBA Learning Center for business, marketing, management and entrepreneurship content from MBA Research and Curriculum Center.
- Aquilla Social Media Mindset marketing curriculum. In response to COVID-19, Aquilla is making their curriculum free for the remainder of the school year with no obligation to purchase to any school who is shutting down and needs online curriculum. Contact info@aquillaed.com
- Full online business courses, such as How to Write a Business Plan, from U.S. Small Business Association.
Engineering and Technology and STEM
- COVID-19 teacher resources for technology and engineering education from the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association
- STEM at Home from Learning Blade
- STEM in 30 from the Smithsonian Institution
- STEM teaching resources from NASA
- ScienceBuddies offers free lessons, activities, projects, videos and other resources for teachers, students and parents
- TeachEngineering from the University of Colorado Boulder offers a digital library of more than 1,500 K-12 engineering curricular items aligned with Next Generation Science Standards, such as lessons, hands-on activities and maker challenges
- OnShape.com offers free CAD for parts, assemblies, drawings and basic CAM
- James Dyson Foundation design engineering resources
Family and Consumer Sciences and Culinary/Hospitality Education
- Nai Wang of KP Education Systems co-hosts a high school culinary teachers’ group on Facebook that creates and shares free Bitmoji lessons
- Culinary instructional videos from the National Center for Hospitality Studies, Sullivan University
- Virtual tours of restaurants and hotels around the world: http://www.virtualfieldtrips.edu.au/vft/index.html
- ServSafe offers free videos for culinary students
Health Sciences
- Free resources from Anatomy in Clay
- Great Diseases online curriculum from Tufts University School of Medicine Center for Science Education
- Teaching Tomorrow’s Disease Detectives: Science skills for the problem-based world from the CDC.
Heavy Equipment, Trade, Industrial and Manufacturing
- Contact local, regional or national heavy equipment companies and inquire about training materials. Many are working closely with educators to provide support during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- How It’s Made has a playlist of heavy machinery and construction videos
- National Geographic’s Megafactories brings manufacturing giants to life
- Construction trades online lesson plan from the National Association of Home Builders. See the directions below for joining the sharing site on Google.
- 1. Go to classroom.google.com and click “Sign In.” Sign in with your Google Account. 2. At the top of the page, click “Add” (or +), then “Join class.” 3. Enter the class code — 7zqbfqb — and click “Join.”
- To add lesson plans, go to the “Classwork” tab, click “+Create,” select “Material,” and begin to upload your lesson plan and description.
- Construction design 3-D modeling software from SketchUp
Cross-Disciplinary Resources, Safety and Career Exploration
Note: Some of the resources below are free and others have offered free access through a certain date.
- Free resources from the Association for Career and Technical Education, including CTE Learn Workplace Skills Tutorials and the Career Ed Lounge for communicating with your peers.
- SkillsUSA Career Essentials -This fundamental experiences course provides a comprehensive structure for supporting secondary students in exploring, developing and practicing essential career-readiness skills. This can be accomplished as an online course or a hybrid experience.
- Skills to Succeed Academy online multimedia experience for student career planning and exploration from Accenture. To access free modules, visit http://s2sacademy.org and register with ACTE Student Code 04ATgl and ACTE Staff Code 04ATgl9999 (this provides additional resources just for teachers and advisers)
- Career planning tools about career pathways and the employability skills required for success in the global economy from the Center for Global Education at Asia Society, ACTE and Advance CTE. All materials are available completely free-of-charge thanks to generous support from PMIEF. For more information, contact Heather Singmaster (hsingmaster@asiasociety.org) with any questions.
- Nepris offers virtual field trips and other real-world career exploratory experiences as well as a skills-based volunteering platform for organizations to extend education outreach and build a future workforce.
- O*Net’s Interest Profiler helps students decide what kinds of careers they might want to explore
- OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) offers online training materials
- CareerSafeOnline provides resources and support to teachers in ensuring all students have a chance to earn their OSHA 10-Hour cards
- SkillsUSA CareerSafe online safety training
- S/P2 provides industry-specific online training in safety, environmental, ethics, HR and soft skills for businesses and career tech schools
- Integrate Ethics into Your Classroom materials from MBA Research
- Goodheart-Wilcox Learning Companion digital curriculum and activities
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Overcoming Obstacles’ Life Skills Lessons for Remote Learning offers educators engaging activities they can use with their secondary school students while they are learning from home. Activities will help students identify their strengths, make better decisions, achieve their goals, develop a positive attitude, respect themselves as well as others, and handle the stress in their lives. To download the free handbook, click here.
- Learning Styles Inventories from SREB’s Social-Emotional Learning Webinar
- Learning Styles Online Inventory
- Education Planner Learning Styles Quiz
- Georgia Department of Education Learning Styles Inventory
- VIA Youth Survey (shared by participant)
- Overview of Compass Points
- Interest Inventories and Aptitude Tests from SREB’s Social-Emotional Learning Webinar
* SREB does not endorse specific service or technology providers or products.
Blog post Linda Floyd, SREB program directorDebra Cullen, educational consultant
CTE Centers: Answering the Call for Care Amid COVID-19
Fred Rogers said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” In this unprecedented time of crisis, many are rising to be helpers. All across the United States, healthcare workers are leaving their families and risking their lives to take care of all who are suffering with the coronavirus. Schools and career and technology centers are also coming together to donate much-needed resources and use their equipment to make face masks for those on the front line.
Blog post Scott WarrenSREB division director
Virtual Labs for STEM and CTE Teachers and Students
We know that this is a challenging time for teachers across the country. Many of you have been plunged into the world of virtual learning without a lot of time to prepare. Following sudden school closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you’ve had to move quickly to shift your carefully planned lessons online so your students can continue learning at home. And those of you who are STEM and career and technical education teachers in particular face unique challenges as you work to adapt hands-on learning experiences to a virtual format.