CTE Resources

As classrooms around the country move online due to school closures caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, 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 and SREB staff.  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

Introduction to Biology

• Lab safety from BioNetwork
• Microscope simulation from the University of Delaware
• 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

• Organic molecules from the Oklahoma City Community College
• Cells and membranes:
  • Membrane channels from the University of Colorado Boulder
  • Osmosis and diffusion from Pearson Education

• Metabolism – enzyme controlled reaction from Glencoe
• Photosynthesis – effects of light on plant growth from Glencoe
• Cell division – mitosis from Rutgers University
• Sexual reproduction – meiosis from Rutgers University
• 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
  • Gel electrophoresis 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.
• Girls Who Code has just released FREE weekly Girls Who Code at Home for 3rd-12th grade students. Girls Who Code is making CS educational activities available for download free of charge, to anyone who wants to access them.

Environmental Science

• 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

Geology

• Geology online labs from Science Courseware
• Geology labs from Online Labs
• Teaching geoscience online Teach the Earth the portal for
  Earth Education

Human Anatomy

• eSkeleton from the University of Texas at Austin 
• Virtual open heart surgery
• 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
• The Virtual Labs Project began in 1998 with funding from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to create online interactive media which help students learn difficult concepts in human biology: 
• An online examination of human anatomy and physiology from Get Body Smart
• Inner Body – view and study various human anatomy systems 
• Anatomy Corner Resource site for teachers and students of Anatomy and Physiology. Find quizzes, diagrams, and slide presentations on structures, functions, and systems.

Oceanography

• Characteristic of the ocean floor from Glencoe
• 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
• Daniel V. Schroeder Physics simulation

Electronics, Mechatronics and Robotics

• 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

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
• KP digital curriculum in marketing from KP Education Systems.
  KP is offering free access to its curriculum during the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. To participate, fill out this form.
• 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 and Smithsonian Learning Lab from the Smithsonian Institution

Family and Consumer Sciences and Culinary/Hospitality Education

• KP digital curriculum in culinary arts/hospitality/food service from KP Education Systems
  KP is offering free access to its curriculum during the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. To participate, fill out the form at http://www.kpcurriculum.com/covid19.
• 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

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.

Trade and Industrial

• 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

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.
• Talking Safety online workplace safety curriculum from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and NOCTI
• Fundamentals of Project Management online assessment from Project Management Institute Educational Foundation and NOCTI
• Integrate Ethics into Your Classroom materials from MBA Research 
• Pearson CTE digital access request for spring 2020 - If you currently use a CTE title, but do not have digital access to the eText, you can request access through June 30, 2020 by completing the Google form linked above.
• https://www.cengage.com/covid-19-support. for U.S. colleges experiencing unplanned, mid-semester impacts due to COVID-19, Cengage is offering students free access to all our digital platforms and 14,000 eBooks through Cengage Unlimited, for the remainder of this semester.
• Goodheart-Wilcox Learning Companion digital curriculum and activities
• Today’s Class online curriculum in agriculture, automotive/diesel technology, barbering, cosmetology, health science and workplace readiness:  Today’s Class is allowing access free of charge until May 1, 2020. Contact dboyes@todaysclass.com to set up an account.
• NOCTI Study Guides, Digital Study Guides and Credentialing Assessments: Contact nocti@nocti.org for information on these resources.
  • Study Guides: Customers who have ordered paper-based study guides can convert them to digital study guides at no cost. This offer is valid through May 1, 2020.
  • Digital Study Guides: Two options are available to assist customers. 1. All expiration dates will be extended to June 30, 2021 for orders that have already been placed this school year. 2. New no-cost order options are available for digital study guides to assist with at-home student learning for customers who have already ordered assessments. Orders must be placed by May 1 and access will be available through June 30, 2020.
  • Credentialing Assessments: All expiration dates for assessments on existing orders will be extended to June 30, 2021 at no charge.

• 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.