Arlington,Va. (Jan. 20, 2009) – PBS Teachers^® (pbsteachers.org) today introduces a series of free monthly webinars designed to help preK-12 educators learn new ways to integrate online instructional resources in the classroom and engage students in curriculum lessons. The PBS Teachers Live! webinar series features leading education experts, authors, and PBS producers who will discuss timely and relevant curriculum-related topics, and share their knowledge and ideas on using digital media to create rich learning experiences for students. Classroom 2.0, the online social network founded by Steve Hargadon for teachers interested in Web 2.0 and collaborative technologies, is partnering with PBS Teachers to host the webinars.

PBS Teachers Live! webinars will cover technology integration topics and a wide range of subjects, including science, math, reading/language arts, social studies, history, and art. Some of the webinar topics are: Changing Views of History, Changing Views of Race; Teaching and Learning with Digital Natives; Remixing Shakespeare for 21st Century Students; Using 21st Century Resources to Celebrate Earth Day; and Effective Integration of Math and Science.

The inaugural webinar is Changing Views of History, Changing Views of Race with speaker Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., on Jan. 28 at 8 p.m. EST. Dr. Gates will discuss how Americans’ understanding of President Lincoln and African American history and culture continues to evolve, and ways to approach this topic with students. Dr. Gates is the host of the documentary “Looking for Lincoln,” which premieres in February. The program addresses the controversies surrounding Lincoln about race, equality, religion, politics, and depression by carefully interpreting the evidence from those who knew him and those who study him today.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Ph.D., has earned numerous academic and social action awards and is the Alphonase Fletcher University Professor and Director of the W. E. B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University. He has published several books, including “America Behind the Color Line: Dialogues with African Americans,” “African American Lives,” co-edited with Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, and “The Annotated Uncle Tom's Cabin,” edited with Hollis Robbins. In 2006, Dr. Gates wrote and produced the popular PBS documentary called “African American Lives.” He also wrote and produced the documentaries “Wonders of the African World” and “America Beyond the Color Line” for the BBC and PBS, and authored the companion volumes to these series.

PBS Teachers is the Web portal designed for preK-12 educators to access PBS’ educational services and a searchable library of more than 9,000 local and national standards-based teaching activities, lesson plans, on-demand video assets, and interactive games and simulations. PBS Teachers is also home to popular education blogs, Learning.now (pbs.org/learningnow) with education technology expert Andy Carvin, and Media Infusion (pbs.org/mediainfusion), which focuses on practical ways to integrate multimedia resources and technology into the classroom.

For more information, and to register for the webinars, go to pbsteachers.org. Registration entitles educators to free membership in PBS Teachers and access to all its services, including PBS Teachers ConnectSM, an online learning community where preK-12 educators can collaborate with their peers, discuss digital media use, share ideas, and save online instructional resources in their online profile. PBS Teachers members also receive discounts to ShopPBS for Teachers.

More Information

To learn more about Dr. Henry Gates, consult his online biography, and read the press release describing his upcoming PBS documentary “Looking for Lincoln”, which premieres February 11, 2009, the eve of the 16th president’s 200th birthday.

Visit pbsteachers.org/connect to learn more about PBS Teachers Connect, and Classroom20.com for information on Classroom 2.0.

For more about PBS, go to www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.

About PBS

PBS, with its 356 member stations, offers all Americans – from every walk of life – the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each week, PBS reaches more than 115 million people and invites them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and Web site, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children.

Contacts

PBS
Kevin Dando
703-739-5073
kdando at pbs dot org
www.pbs.org

C. Blohm & Associates, Inc.
Charlene Blohm
608-839-9800
charlene at cblohm dot com
www.cblohm.com

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